Explained: Asia Cup 2023 Qualification Scenario For India vs Pakistan Final

India qualified for the Asia Cup 2023 final by beating Sri Lanka, who will be up against Pakistan in the next match hoping to seal the second spot in the title-decider.

India's nervy yet convincing victory over Sri Lanka in their second Super 4 match of the Asia Cup 2023 on Wednesday earned them the ticket to the final. After a complete performance against Pakistan, that lasted over two days, India had to dig deep in order to beat Sri Lanka and become the first team to qualify for the title decider. The second spot in the final will be decided from the contest between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, with Bangladesh already out of the reckoning having lost two Super 4 games.

Sri Lanka, who had won the Asia Cup last year, have one win and one loss under their belt. If their performance against India is to be considered, it wouldn't be easy for Pakistan to beat them and set up an Indo-Pak clash in the final, especially if Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah remain unavailable.

The Pakistani pace duo had sustained injuries in the match against India that saw them fail to even come out to bat. Though Pakistan have called up backups for them, they would be hoping to have both Haris and Naseem available for the must-win match against Sri Lanka.

As things stand in the points table, India are top of the Super 4 standings with 2 wins in 2 matches and a net run rate of +2.690. There's no way India would not finish among the top 2 sides in this stage of the Asia Cup.