Virat Kohli and returning KL Rahul hit unbeaten centuries to lead India's 228-run thrashing of Pakistan in a rain-hit Super Four clash of the Asia Cup on Monday's reserve day.
Kohli (122) and Rahul (111) put together 233 runs as India reached 356-2, a total defended after they bowled out Pakistan for 128 in the 50-over contest in Colombo.
Pakistan ended on 128-8 in 32 overs with injured bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah not turning out to bat. India spinner Kuldeep Yadav returned figures of 5-25.
India resumed on 147-2 after rain ended play early on Sunday and pushed the match into an additional day set aside by the tournament, which is a precursor to the ODI World Cup.
Rain again delayed the start but no overs were lost and then the Kohli-Rahul pair roused the Indian fans at a largely empty stadium.
Rahul, who returned from an injury lay-off, raised his bat to celebrate his hundred and was hugged by Kohli, who soon brought up his own ton after surpassing 13,000 ODI runs.
Half-centuries from skipper Rohit Sharma and fellow opener Shubman Gill got India off to a good start on Sunday with a 121-run stand.
Kohli and Rahul resumed cautiously on their overnight scores of eight and 17 before they took to the Pakistan attack with 100 runs in 102 balls.
Pakistan suffered a blow when officials said fast bowler Rauf had suffered a strain and would take no further part. Later fellow quick Naseem also walked off with some discomfort to his hand.
Rahul smashed 12 fours and two sixes, including whipping Shadab Khan over mid-wicket, in his 106-ball knock.
Kohli finished the innings with a six down the ground against a bowling attack that lacked sting. Sloppy fielding added to Pakistan's woes.
Pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab got a wicket each on Sunday.
Ground staff worked tirelessly to get the field ready after Monday's early rain.
Pakistan were never in the chase after they lost two early wickets including skipper Babar Azam bowled for 10 off an impressive in-swinger by Hardik Pandya.
Rain once again interrupted play but not the Indian momentum as the bowlers kept up their charge after resumption and Kuldeep sent back Mohammad Rizwan with his left-arm wrist spin.
Wickets kept tumbling and Kuldeep got three more to get into the Pakistan tail and then claimed his second ODI five-wicket haul.
The extra day was a last-minute addition to the Super Four clash -- the only game to get the advantage other than the final -- after a previous group game between the two teams was washed out in Pallekele.
India will head into a third successive day of cricket when they meet Sri Lanka in the next Super Four clash on Tuesday at the same venue.
Earlier, the Super Four round match between Pakistan and India resumed in Colombo Monday afternoon after rain caused another delay in the Asia Cup blockbuster.
Only 24.1 overs were possible on Sunday when the arch-rivals met for the second time in the 50-over tournament, a precursor to the upcoming ODI World Cup.
India are scheduled to resume their innings on 147-2 at 3:00 pm (0930 GMT) at Sri Lanka's R. Premadasa Stadium, but the chances of a timely start look unlikely with unrelenting rain keeping the ground fully covered.
The extra day was a last-minute addition to the Super Four clash -- the only game to get the advantage other than the final -- after a previous group meeting between the two teams was washed out due to rain in Pallekele.
Virat Kohli, on eight, and KL Rahul, on 17, were batting when rain forced the players off on Sunday.
The teams will share the points if there is a washout.
India are scheduled to play Sri Lanka on Tuesday at the same venue.
Earlier, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in a post on X informed that they are ready to resume the match as weather is clear in the Sri Lankan capital. However, they did not mention that the rain threat is still loomed over the match with weather pundits forecasting heavy showers in the evening.
https://twitter.com/ACCMedia1/status/1701135238053957672
Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram offered a weather update to the fans from Colombo as well.
Wasim took to X (Formerly known as Twitter) and said in a video, "Update from Colombo, rain kept happening on and off overnight. Now it is clear, not all clear, you can see the clouds. It is breezy. Currently, it is okay, but let us see what happens when the match starts. Yes, it must be really frustrating to see all this, but weather you cannot control. We can only pray, I hope we get to enjoy some good cricket."
Another weather update only for you guys . #PakvsIndia #AsiaCup23 #colomboweather #crazyweather pic.twitter.com/alXk0YF2ht
— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) September 11, 2023
Rain on Sunday forced a blockbuster clash between Pakistan and India into a reserve day after just 24.1 overs of play in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup.
India will resume on 147-2 on Monday in the 50-over contest after rain abruptly ended their innings following Pakistan's decision to bowl first in Colombo.
An extra day was a last-minute addition to the Super Four clash -- the only game to get the advantage other than the final -- after a previous group meeting between the two teams was washed out due to rain in Pallekele.
Rain in Sri Lanka, who co-host the tournament alongside Pakistan, has put the organisers in a spin. The tournament is a precursor to the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Virat Kohli, on eight, and KL Rahul, on 17, were batting when rain forced the players off and groundstaff worked tirelessly to try and restart the game after showers stopped.
After three inspections and fans helped to dry wet patches, the umpires looked like restarting play after over four hours of stoppage, but rain came to have the final say.
Skipper Rohit Sharma (56) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (58) gave India a blazing start in a stand of 121 off 100 balls to put Pakistan on the backfoot.
The batsmen took on the new-ball pair of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah with aerial shots in the powerplay when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle.
Both Shaheen and Naseem looked menacing in their first spell as the ball kept flying past the bat, and one edge from Gill went between two slips.
Rohit smashed leg-spinner Shadab Khan for two sixes and a four off successive balls in a 19-run over to raise the noise of the Indian fans at a largely empty stadium.
Shadab redeemed himself after the first drinks interval to send back Rohit caught out, and Shaheen returned to get Gill in the next over.
Scoring dipped as Kohli and Rahul looked to rebuild before rain intervened.
Play will begin at 3pm local time (GMT 09.30) on Monday with weather forecasts predicting another rainy day.
The reserve day also means relentless cricket for India, who will meet hosts Sri Lanka in their next Super Four match on Tuesday at the same venue.
Coach's of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had raised concerns over preferential treatment given to an India-Pakistan clash.
The matches involving Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Super Fours will have points shared if rain washes out play.
The final of the tournament will be played on September 17 with a reserve day available in case of rain.