India beat Pakistan to a pulp in Asia Cup
India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in an Asia Cup match in Dubai on Sunday.
New Delhi: Indian bowlers set up a facile seven-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in an Asia Cup group stage match that was played in the backdrop of boycott calls in Dubai on Sunday.
Months after the dastardly Pahlagam attacks and the subsequent retaliation through Operation Sindoor, which many felt should have been backed up by a halt in cricketing ties as well, India delivered a statement on the field, winning their 11th T20I in the last 14 meetings with Pakistan.
With their second consecutive win, India qualified for the Super Four stage of the tournament.
Top-ranked T20 batter Abhishek Sharma tonked the ball high and wide as his 13-ball 31, with the help of four boundaries and two sixes, provided momentum to India's chase and put Pakistan bowlers on the back foot.
Skipper Suryakumr Yadav (47 not out, 5x4, 1x6) and Tilak Verma (31 off 31, 2x4, 1x6) then ensured that the wicket of Shunman Gill (10) was only a blip.
Pakistan decided to take first strike but their batters couldn't justify the faith skipper Salman Agha reposed on them.
The writing was on the wall for them from the very first ball of their innings when Sain Ayub (0) cut Hardik Pandya (1/34) into the hands Jasprit Bumrah.
No.3 batter Mohammad Haris (3) departed in the next batter as he miscued an aerial shot off Bumrah (2/28) to be caught in the drop by Pandya.
It reduced Pakistan to 6/2 after which they gasped for breath against the Indian spin troika of Axar Patel (2/18), Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/24).
Indian spinners rule
Pakistan were desperate to score quickly as they could only reach 42/2 in their powerplay overs. But against the Indian spinners who had a potent mix of guile and accuracy, they could hardly find gaps or pull off big shots.
They tried big heaves on the side and invariably failed to not only to clear the fence but also struggled to rotate the strike, consuming 40 dot balls against the spinners and 15 against Bumrah.
Sahibzada Farhan (40 of 44 balls) was their top-scorer and clubbed Bumrah for a couple of sixes but was evidently uncomfortable against the spinners.
Had not Shaheen Shah Afridi (33 not out off 16 balls) blasted four sixes towards the fag end, Pakistan wouldn't have crossed the 120-run mark.