Gentlemen and ladies, Pakistan have done it. They had halted India’s unbroken run against them in the World Cup by thrashing them by ten wickets.
Pakistan ultimately overcame India in their 13th World Cup match and made it seem easy. Shaheen Shah Afridi was the brightest star of the night as he dismantled Indian openers with the new ball and perfect ending by a nerveless pursuit by the openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
After winning the toss, Pakistan chose to field first, and thanks to inswinging Afridis’ boults, they were able to restrict India to 151 runs. India’s response was always two steps behind, and as a result, they suffered their first-ever ten-wicket defeat.
The tale of the first innings
Unplayable Shaheen Afridi
India’s batsmen and their problem with inswinging deliveries are known to all. Shaheen with his pace and accuracy uprooted both of the Indian openers.
He trapped Rohit for LBW in his first over. After a huge miss, Rohit Sharma was caught lbw. Afridi’s high release produced a late inswinger rather than a full inswinger. Afridi’s second over was brilliant as he first one, as he got KL Rahul to late in-swinger as he missed a flick – almost seam – to fly past a guarded bat and hit the top of the centre.
He conceded just 31 runs and picked India’s top 3 batsmen. This spell of Shaheen showed glimpses of Mohammed Amir’s spell against in the 2017 World Cup.
Captain Kohli to Rescue
Virat walked to the crease when Rohit got out on the first ball. While the wickets were trembling at the other ends, Virat was batting in his own league. He initially played the role of an achor and punished the rare bad deliveries by Pakistani bowlers. Kohli played as per the demand of the situation and scored crucial 57 runs of 49 balls.
The tale of the second innings
Pakistani openers shuts the show
The Pakistani openers were immaculate. They started slowly but punished errant deliveries by Indian bowlers. They assessed the situation, and when the due arrived, they started a attack mode against Indian spinners. Both openers went on to score half-centuries, securing Pakistan’s first 10-wicket victory in T20 internationals and India’s first defeat by such a margin.
Key takeaways
Rohit struggles against left-arm pacers continues…
Since 2019, Rohit has averaged just over 21 against left-arm pace, while getting dismissed five times. Shaheen got Sharma on the first fall for the sixth time as the missed a in-swinger. This wicket of Sharma showed similar shades of his dismissal against Mohammed Amir in 2017 WC.
Virat Kohli and Babar Azam class apart
It was not the battle of two great nations but also the two greates batsmen of current generation in Virat and Babar, as they again proved their worth for their team. Number 2 ranked Babar Azam scored unbeaten 60 runs, whereas Virat Kohli was highest run scorer for India scoring 57 crucial runs.
