On Monday, Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat against India by a huge margin of 228 runs in the Super Four match of the 2023 Asia Cup in Colombo.

Facing a tough target of 357 runs, Pakistan could only score 128/8 in 32 overs, due to injuries to bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, who did not bat.

Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav played a key role in India’s biggest ever win over Pakistan in One Day International (ODI) cricket, taking five wickets for just 25 runs.

With this impressive win, India secured the top spot in the Super 4 standings of the Asia Cup 2023, and are set to face defending champions Sri Lanka in their next Super 4 game.

Despite the embarrassing defeat to India, Pakistan still has a chance to make it to the final of the tournament.

Before facing India, Pakistan had inflicted a crushing defeat on Bangladesh in the Super 4 stage. However, Pakistan now has only one match left against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 stage.

As per the current position in the Super 4 points table, Sri Lanka has a better net run rate (+0.420) than Pakistan (-1.892).

Asia Cup 2023 ‘Super 4’ points table #INDvPAK match.#AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/KiwTFLeNas

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Pakistan will need to win against Sri Lanka in their final Super 4 match to keep their hopes alive in the qualification race for the finals.

Meanwhile, India can consolidate their position at the top of the Super 4 standings by winning their remaining two Super games against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

However, if Sri Lanka manages to overcome India and Pakistan in the Super Stage, the defending champions can secure their place in the Asia Cup final.

In such a situation, Pakistan’s chances will depend on India losing to Bangladesh. To boost their chances of reaching the final, Pakistan would like India to beat Sri Lanka, eliminating the need to calculate net run rate and allowing a virtual quarter-final against Sri Lanka to determine the finalists.

Finally, if rain affects the match between India and Sri Lanka, both will share the points, and it will eliminate Bangladesh from contention. Despite the low net run rate (NRR), this result will be in favor of Pakistan.

If both the matches between India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are canceled due to weather, then Sri Lanka will reach the final. India will also qualify unless they lose against Bangladesh by more than 300 runs.

In the unlikely event that all three upcoming matches are cancelled, the final match will be between India and Sri Lanka.