Top 10 Partnerships in ODIs of Asia Cup History

The 16th edition of Asia Cup is all set to begin on 30 August 2023. Four matches will be played in Pakistan while the other nine matches will be played in Sri Lanka. However, this time around, the tournament will be played in the 50-over format. Over the years, in ODIs of this tournament, fans have witnessed some epic partnerships from different teams.   

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Here are the Top 10 Partnerships in ODIs of the Asia Cup Over the Years:

Mohammad Azharuddin and Navjot Sidhu (175* runs), 1995:

Navjot Sidhu (Image Source: Twitter)

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It was the final of that Asia Cup edition in 1995 where Team India took on Sri Lanka at Sharjah. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 230 runs for seven wickets in 50 overs. In reply, the Men in Blue chased down the target in just 41.2 overs with eight wickets in hand. Mohammad Azharuddin (90* runs off 89 balls) and Navjot Sidhu (84* runs off 106 balls) put up an unbeaten partnership of 175* runs for the third wicket.  

Sanath Jayasuriya and Avishka Gunawardene (191* runs), 2004:

Sanath Jayasuriya (Image Source: Twitter)

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This epic partnership came in the ninth match of that Asia Cup edition in 2004 when Sri Lanka locked horns with Bangladesh in Colombo. The Bangla Tigers batted first and scored just 190 runs for nine wickets in 50 overs. In reply, Sanath Jayasuriya (107* runs off 101 balls) and Avishka Gunawardene (64* runs off 100 balls) stitched an unbeaten partnership of 191* runs for the first wicket and thus, the home team won the game by 10 wickets.

Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina (198 runs), 2008:

Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina (Image Source: Twitter)

It was the fifth match of that Asia Cup edition in 2008 when India took on their arch-rivals Pakistan in Karachi. The Men in Green batted first and put up a competitive score of 299 runs on the board. But, in reply, Virender Sehwag (119 runs off 95 balls) and Suresh Raina (84 runs off 69 balls) put up a 198-run partnership for the second wicket as India chased down the target in 42.1 overs with six wickets in hand.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara (201 runs), 2008:

Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara (Image Source: Twitter)

This massive partnership came in the ninth match of the Asia Cup 2008 as Sri Lanka took on Bangladesh in Karachi. The Lankans batted first and scored 332 runs for eight wickets in 50 overs. Both Sanath Jayasuriya (130 runs off 88 balls) and Kumar Sangakkara (121 runs off 128 balls) came up with this 201-run partnership for the first wicket. In reply, the Bangla Tigers got bundled out for 174 runs and lost the game by 158 runs.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli (205 runs), 2012:

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli (Image Source: Twitter)

It was the second game of Asia Cup 2012 when Team India took on Sri Lanka in Mirpur. The Men in Blue batted first and posted 304 runs for three wickets in 50 overs. Gautam Gambhir (100 runs off 118 balls) and Virat Kohli (108 runs off 120 balls) were the stars as they stitched a 205-run partnership for the second wicket. In reply, the Lankans got bundled out for 254 runs and lost the game by 50 runs.

Moin-ul-Atiq and Ijaz Ahmed (205 runs), 1988:

Ijaz Ahmed (Image Source: Twitter)

This mammoth partnership came in the fourth match of the Asia Cup in 1988 when Pakistan took on Bangladesh at Chattogram. The Men in Green batted first and scored 284 runs for three wickets in 50 overs. Moin-ul-Atiq (105 runs off 117 balls) and Ijaz Ahmed (124* runs off 87 balls) put up a partnership of 205 runs for the third wicket. In reply, the Bangla Tigers fell short by 173 runs while chasing 285 runs in 45 overs.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (210 runs), 2018:

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan (Image Source: Twitter)

It was one of the ‘Super Four’ clashes in the Asia Cup 2018 that took place between Pakistan and India in Dubai. The Men in Green batted first and scored 237 runs for seven wickets in 50 overs. In reply, Rohit Sharma (111* runs off 119 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (114 runs off 100 balls) put up a great show and stitched a massive opening partnership of 210 runs. Finally, India chased down the target in just 39.3 overs with nine wickets in hand.

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (213 runs), 2014:

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (Image Source: Twitter)

This massive partnership came in the second game of the Asia Cup 2014 between India and Bangladesh in Fatullah. India restricted the Bangla Tigers to 279 runs for seven wickets in 50 overs. In reply, the Men in Blue chased down the target in 49 overs with six wickets in hand. Virat Kohli (136 runs off 122 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (73 runs off 83 balls) came up with a 213-run partnership for the third wicket. 

Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan (223 runs), 2004:

Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan (Image Source: Twitter)

In the Asia Cup 2004, Pakistan locked horns with Hong Kong in the fifth game of the tournament. The Men in Green batted first and scored 343 runs for five wickets in 50 overs. Shoaib Malik (118 runs off 110 balls) and Younis Khan (144 runs off 122 balls) were the stars as they stitched a partnership of 223 runs for the third wicket. In reply, Hong Kong got bundled out for just 165 runs and lost the game by 173 runs as they were chasing 339 runs in 47 overs.

Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez (224 runs), 2012:

Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez (Image Source: Twitter)

This epic partnership between Nasir Jamshed (112 runs off 104 balls) and Mohammad Hafeez (105 runs off 113 balls) came on a losing cause, unfortunately. It was the fifth clash of the Asia Cup 2012 when Pakistan took on their arch-rivals India in Mirpur. They batted first and set a 330-run target. But, it was Virat Kohli’s magical 183-run knock that helped India to chase the target down in 47.5 overs with six wickets in hand.

Also Check: Top 5 Matches in ODI Asia Cups