Summary:
Toss: India won the toss, opted to field.
Pakistan 147 (19.5 overs), Bhuvneshwar with four wickets and Hardik with three wickets.
India 148/5 (19.4 overs), Hardik Pandya scored 33* of 17 balls, Ravindra Jadeja 35 off 29 balls, Virat Kohli 35 off 34 balls.
Result: India won the match by 5 wickets and 2 balls to spare.
Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravindra Jadeja had a nice moment of truce.
Player of the match: Hardik Pandya
Sanjay Manjrekar in an interview to Ravindra Jadeja:
“First question, are you OK to talk to me Jaddu?” “
Yeah I don’t have any problem”
Better ending to the match than the Pandya six, we suppose.
Over 19.4: Done with a six! Hardik Pandya has won it for India, with the bat and ball. Slightly short of length, rocks back and smacks it over long on. That was just brute force, don’t think he even timed it all that well. And DK bows to him as Hardik just has a smile on his face.
Over 19.3: Dot ball. Hard hit from Hardik again, but straight to the fielder inside the circle. Maybe that extra fielder helped here eh? 6 off 3.
Over 19.2: DK gets off strike with a single, Hardik will get the strike back. 6 off 4 needed.
WICKET! 19.1: Ravindra Jadeja 35(29) b Mohammad Nawaz Maybe not done just yet. Going with his favourable match-up, Jadeja goes for a slog sweep for six. Bowled off the pads. DK walks in. India 141/5
52* off 32, balls the partnership. India need just 7 off 6 balls. Nawaz’s left-arm spin to Jadeja, no less.
India 141/4 (19 overs), Target 148: ANOTHER FOUR! 14 off that over. Hardik on fire! Another blistering bottom-hand powered hit past midwicket.
Hardlength Pandya and Hardhitting Pandya have effectively won the match for India.
Over 18.4: Back-to-back fours! Hardik Pandya is turning it on! The first was a misfield of sorts by Babar. And then just sheer bottom hand. India now need 11 off 8
India need 21 from 12 balls.
India 127/4 (18 overs), Target 148: SHOT! After the break, a shot down the ground for six. There was a four earlier in the over too. But other than that, kudos to the youngster for finishing the over off. Couple of dot balls just on sheer pace there.
Over 17.4: Jadeja survives! The left-hander is given out LBW but DRS shows the ball pitching outside leg. Naseem, meanwhile, is getting long treatment for cramps.
As an aside, it was a dot ball because it was the wrong decision by the umpire and DRS overturned it when it should have been at least one run to India. Will be changed only when it happens in the final of a World Cup to influence the result perhaps.
Naseem Shah too is struggling massively with cramps in his follow through.
Naseem to bowl his fourth over.
India 116/4 (17 overs), Target 148: Same as India, Pakistan too have five fielders in the circle now. Slow over-rate issues... Pakistan had their tail at the end for this. India have proper batters.
32 needed off 18 balls. Boundaries needed.
India 116/4 (17 overs), Target 148: Serious heat from Rauf despite seemingly not 100% with his run-up. No boundaries for India in that over too but a couple of wides, and a two twos mean they are not far away from the rate either. Bizarre little phase this.
Rauf on to bowl... but he seems to be having some sort of issue with his run-up.
India 107/4 (16 overs), Target 148: Solid hard lengths and pace from Dahani in that over... and it should have ended with less than run-a-ball really. A bouncer for wide and Rizwan misses it for two byes and those are extra runs. Rate met for India.
India need 51 off 30 balls, required rate 10.2.
India 97/4 (15 overs), Target 148: Square cut by Hardik for four to finish the over. Good looking shot that, the point fielder must have done better.
WICKET! 14.2: Suryakumar Yadav 18(18) b Naseem Shah Now that’s a huge wicket that Pakistan bowlers, fielders and fans can celebrate with gusto. Naseem with a length ball that just seemed to beat SKY for pace. Stump flies. India 89/4
India 89/3 (14 overs), Target 148: Seems like Rizwan heard another edge that no one else did, Pakistan review this time and lose it. Nothing on UltraEdge for that attempted pull by Jadeja. Good over for Pakistan though from Dahani, India needed more...
India need 65 off 42 with 7 wickets in hand. Ravindra Jadeja and Suryakumar Yadav are at the crease. We’re heading towards a tense finish!
Dahani back. India will now have more pace to deal with. But given how the pitch has played, might be *cue the tweet below* plenty of change of pace on display.
India 83/3 (13 overs), Target 148: Shabab Khan continues... and the Indian batters don’t take chances. The star spinner finishes with 4-0-19-0.
Rishabh and Rohit deep in conversation in the dugout.
India 77/3 (12 overs), Target 148: Super shot down the ground by Jadeja off Nawaz. That might have left a trail on the grass. Steady over for India.
India 69/3 (11 overs), Target 148: SKY with a lovely sweep shot for four off Shadab. India need a few 7-8 run overs here to make sure things don’t get out of hand.
(Score corrected previous update)
India 62/3 (10 overs), Target 148: Jadeja with a HUGE SIX! Second tier of the stadium, down the ground. Spoils another good Nawaz over.
Almost feels like India’s batting most excitement lies beyond the top three in T20Is, unlike the ODIs. India need 86 off 60 balls, SKY and Jadeja in the middle with Hardik and DK to come.
WICKET! Over 9.1: Virat Kohli 35(34) ct Iftikhar Ahmed b Mohammad Nawaz That’s the pressure of scoreboard. Nawaz’s left-arm spin does the trick again. Down the track, lofted, but the bat turns in his hand almost. Checked the shot in the end. Flashes of brilliance, quite a few edges... not an innings that tells us much more India 53/3
India 53/2 (9 overs), Target 148: Ravindra Jadeja is in at No 4, in Pant’s absence India have pushed him for a LHB in the middle overs. Pakistan are turning the screws here.
WICKET! Over 7.6: Rohit Sharma 12(18) ct Iftikhar Ahmed b Mohammad Nawaz That was not Rohit Sharma’s night. The captain hit a six, perhaps sensing that he needed to get a move on... then end of the over, he lofts one to the fielder at long on. India 50/2
India 41/1 (7 overs), Target 148: Rohit looking very shaky in the middle. Tentative against Shadab, the ball seems to be turning and stopping. Earlier in the over, the captain had to duck at a Kohli on drive and it hit him on the glove. Maybe that will wake him a little bit.
The commentary tonight has hit a few lows, meanwhile.
Shadab into the attack.
India 38/1 (6 overs), Target 148: How about that? Rohit with a stunning shot over midwicket of Rauf. Shot of the day done and dusted. Rohit meanwhile, has struggled with the powerplay coming to an end. He is on 4 off 11 balls.
Aditya: For the longest time, we’ve seen Virat Kohli get out after looking good. Feel now that we’ll know he’s back if he scores ugly runs, so to speak. Will mean he’s looking at the ball and making whatever adjustments are needed.
India 29/1 (5 overs), Target 148: He has a little bit of issue in that good length region on the 4th/5th stump. If this lofted inside-out shot over point off the front foot is a release shot he has been working on, that’s a good sign. Good one from Kohli for a four in Dahani’s over. Keep an eye out for this in the matches to come.
India 23/1 (4 overs), Target 148: Haris Rauf into the attack... a six for Kohli! Bouncer, top edge... flies over the keeper’s head. Next ball, pace reduced, nearly flicks it straight to the fielder at short fine leg. This is a rollercoaster for Kohli fans.
India 15/1 (3 overs), Target 148: Another pacy over from Naseem, Kohli plays out five deliveries there, still edgy.
“That’s the thing with this generation. Even if they’re playing his first game, doesn’t seem like it. Seems he has played before. Absolutely no nerves...”
Yes, playing 13 Tests and 3 ODIs might have helped Naseem Shah before. Not to forget the numerous T20s across leagues.
India 10/1 (2 overs), Target 148: A streaky lofted shot over mid off... oh Kohli looks edgy. A stunning pull shot in front of square for four... oh Kohli looks like he is back. Finishes the over with an inside edge that could have easily been bowled... oh we don’t know where Kohli is.
India 3/1 (1 over), Target 148: There is still one moment of drama left in the over. A peach of a length ball that shaped away late from Rohit after pitching. Huge appeals from Pakistan players but they don’t go for a review at the end. That felt like a match in itself.
Virat Kohli survives: He goes for a drive off his second delivery and edges it but the catch is dropped in the slips. India are off to a nervous start in the chase. The first delivery was left outside offstump but that swung back in too and Naseem was excited. Kohli smiled. Now a break in play as Rizwan seems to have cramp trying to dive down the leg side. The first over hasn’t even completed yet
Shaheen Shah Afridi applauds from the stands as Naseem Shah does a Shaheen Shah Afridi with a first-over wicket.
WICKET! Over 0.2: K L Rahul 0(1) b Naseem Shah We are sure even the staunchest of Kohli fans wouldn’t have wanted him in this early. Naseem with a strike in the first over, Rahul tentatively plods at a length ball in the 4th stump channel. Nothing shot, played on. India 1/1
Naseem Shah on his debut. This could be good.
Samreen Razzaqui: India remained largely in control of the innings, firstly with the seam bowling upfront. A partnership was building but Hardik Pandya’s triple strikes ensured the middle overs were in control too. A final over flourish from Dahani put a respectable total on the board for Pakistan but India will back themselves. India need 148 runs to win.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: “If we have to be honest, we gave 10-15 runs extra. But if our batters can go through the first six overs, I’m backing them to chase this.”
End of innings, Pakistan 147 (19.5 overs): Pakistan are bowled-out for 147 in 19.5 overs. Shahnawaz Dahani is cleaned up by Arshdeep Singh after a quick-fire 16 off 6. Pakistan got crucial runs at the end, including another six in the end, but India will be happy with their bowling effort.
Pakistan 147 all out: Wow, that’s an effort from Shanawaz Dahani that puts smiles on the faces of Pakistani fans. A final over flourish, as they say. Scores 16 in his 6 ball stay. Arshdeep gets his man on the final delivery as Pakistan end with 147.
Pakistan 136/9 (19 overs) : Classic Bhuvi stuff. Calmly goes about his job and it’s a job well done. Ends with 4-0-26-4, the best bowling figures by an Indian in T20I against Pakistan.
WICKET! 18.3: Naseem Shah 0(1) lbw Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pakistan 128/9 Another LBW and another review... India retain it as it’s the umpire’s call. Can Pakistan hold on for the full 20 overs?
WICKET! 18.2: Shadab Khan 10(9) lbw Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pakistan 128/8 Nothing significant from Shadab Khan here as he has to walk back for 10.
Commentators confirm that India are already behind the over rate and have five fielders inside the circle as per the new regulations. That’s three overs with fielding restrictions.
Pakistan 124/7 (18 overs) : Would have liked to avoid the two boundaries Haris Rauf scored off him, 10 overs off Arshdeep in his third over.
WICKET! 17.1: Mohammad Nawaz 1(3) ct Dinesh Karthik b Arshdeep Singh, Pakistan 114/7 There you go, Vinayakk. That’s how Arshdeep goes in the death overs. DK faultless behind the stumps. Pakistan at the risk of being bowled out before the 20 overs complete, at this rate.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Really looking forward to see how Arshdeep now goes in the death overs
Pakistan 114/6 (17 overs) : Terrific from Bhuvi, just three runs off it and Asif Ali’s wicket. Just the kind of death bowling needed to maintain the control.
WICKET! 16.3: Asif Ali 9(7) ct Suryakumar Yadav b Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pakistan 112/6 A dangerous hitter, walks back without much damage done. Bhuvi with his second wicket. Pakistan just imploding, it’s not working out even in the death overs.
Pakistan 111/5 (16 overs) : Chahal back on for his final over but he finishes without a wicket. Not bad, but not threatening enough.
Pakistan 103/5 (15 overs) : End of a terrific spell from Hardik Pandya. Finishes with 4-0-25-3.
WICKET! 14.3: Khushdil Shah 2(7) ct Ravindra Jadeja b Hardik Pandya, Pakistan 97/5 Hardik Pandya the man again. Wow. He’s really owning this, isn’t he? That’s another short ball, by the way. Skiddy and short seems to be the plan and Pakistan are really succumbing to that.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan: Hardik Pandya is turning up the heat with this bowling. Has a terrific short ball in his armoury, and has used it effectively. Completely beat Rizwan for the pace and direction there.
WICKET! 14.1: Mohammad Rizwan 43(42) ct Avesh Khan b Hardik Pandya, Pakistan 96/4 Hardik Pandya is on to something today! Gets the well-settled Rizwan with a short delivery. Pandya and bouncers, hmmmm.
Pakistan 96/3 (14 overs) : Much, much better from Avesh Khan here. Clockss 140kph a couple of times, Pakistan just prefer to see it off. Just 6 runs off it.
Pakistan 90/3 (14 overs) : Just three runs off the over from Hardik Pandya. The pressure is on. Pakistan batting at around 6.4 runs per over. Might just need to up the ante now
WICKET! 12.1: Iftikhar Ahmed 28(22) ct Dinesh Karthik b Hardik Pandya, Pakistan 87/3 A sigh of relief for both India and Chahal, who dropped Iftikhar last over. The partnership was building and Pandya puts and to that. Smooth from DK behind the stumps.
Pakistan 87/2 (12 overs) : Eventful over from Chahal....or, not. Gets hit by Iftikhar for a huge six off the fourth delivery. Almost gets him the next ball only to be dropped by himself in the next delivery. Should have held on to that.
Pakistan 76/2 (11 overs) : Relatively more runs off Jadeja this time around but there’s still no momentum, no timing from Pakistan here. The decision to bowl first is really looking like a no-brainer, if you add the pitch into the equation even after 10 overs... not making it easy at all.
Pakistan 68/2 (10 overs) : Tighter from Chahal, who is varying his speed and lengths, just 5 runs off it. Pakistan are at the halfway stage and it looks like the batting is not getting easier. The glimpses of turn for the spinners bodes well for India, who have been in control so far.
Pakistan 63/2 (9 overs) : Time for Jadeja, who goes about his business as quickly as ever. And economical, with just three runs off it. The highlight of that over remains the fourth delivery, really surprises Iftikhar with that turn
Pakistan 59/2 (8 overs) : India finally introduce spin and who else but Yuzi Chahal to start proceedings... comfortably handled by the Pakistani batters so far though. 8 runs off it. We should now see more of Chahal and Jadeja and tandem
Pakistan 51/2 (7 overs) : The pacers are keeping it tight, not giving many scoring opportunities here. Just the four from Iftikhar in the fourth delivery against Pandya here. 8 off the over
Pakistan 43/2 (6 overs) : An honest assessment of that over before the wicket was that Avesh in his first over ended up releasing the pressure the other seamers built but Karthik behind the stumps provides some relief in that over. First big match and tournament and still early days of his T20I career so understandable but Avesh would like to rework his lengths here.
WICKET! 5.5: Fakhar Zaman 10(6) ct Dinesh Karthik b Avesh Khan, Pakistan 42/2 A short delivery and a faint edge and that’s Fakhar Zaman gone. Fakhar walks without much of a fuss too so catches everyone by surprise even more.
Pakistan 30/1 (5 overs) : Fakhar Zaman and Hardik Pandya (and memories of Champions Trophy final 2017) meet again. Fakhar starts with a boundary but Pandya comes right back in and finishes with a beauty, forcing Rizwan to implement a classic leave.
Pakistan 23/1 (4 overs) : India are piling the pressure on with the dot balls. Arshdeep has been solid, just the solitary boundary from Rizwan in the over.
Pakistan 19/1 (3 overs) : Bhuvneshwar Kumar was expected to lead the attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and the senior bowler seems to be living up to the expectations. Fakhar Zaman the next man in for Pakistan. Still plenty to rely on for the batting.
WICKET! 2.4: Babar Azam 10(9) ct Arshdeep Singh b Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pakistan 15/1 No need to review this one for Bhuvi! It’s the big wicket of the Pakistan captain Babar Azam and he’s caught off caught by Arshdeep. India are right back in.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan: What a moment for Arshdeep Singh too, this must be. In all the debate and discussion around the team, a moment to appreciate how far the young man has come. One of the success stories of the IPL from the last couple of seasons.
Pakistan 14/0 (2 over) : Barring the couple of wides, Arshdeep looked to be in control but Babar ended the over with a straight drive.
Pakistan 6/0 (1 over) The reviews are out early! Rizwan was given out lbw in just the second delivery but he reviews it successfully. India then unsuccessfully reviewed for a caught behind in the fourth delivery. Would have been quite the start for India but it’s been rather anti-climatic.
The anthems are done, the crowd is ready and it’s go time! Pakistan’s opening duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are on the crease. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to open the bowling for India.
Pakistan’s Playing XI: Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani
India’s playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh.
For far too long, India relied on a safer, anchor-the-innings-without-unnecessary-risk approach but since Dravid and Rohit’s reign began, the management and several players have admitted to wanting to stick with the high-risk-high-reward tact even if there are setbacks. Will it be the same against Pakistan today?
Toss: India win the toss and opt to field first. Sanjay Manjrekar earlier mentioned that this there is a lot of grass on this pitch and the decision should definitely be to bowl first.
India make a big move to leave out Rishabh Pant and go in with Dinesh Karthik instead. Avesh Khan is the third seamer.
Early team news: Naseem Shah will make his debut for Pakistan in T20Is today.
The early exit in the T20 World Cup last year was a catalyst in bringing about a string of changes for India (mostly philosophically, a little bit on the personnel front), Captain Rohit Sharma and Vice-captain KL Rahul both hinted that they were not letting the 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan last year play on their mind too much.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Asia Cup 2022 Group A clash between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
In what will be batting superstar Virat Kohli’s 100th T20 International, Rohit Sharma’s India and Babar Azam’s Pakistan will aim to start their Asia Cup 2022 campaign on a winning note.
India had suffered a 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan the last time these two teams met, which was at the same venue in Dubai less than a year ago at the T20 World Cup. Now, heading towards the next edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia, Rohit and Co have a chance to set things right and begin their Asia Cup title defence with a win against their rivals.
India’s squad for Asia Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Also read:
Asia Cup: Virat Kohli on Babar Azam – ‘You need players like him to keep world cricket exciting’
Watch: Rohit Sharma press meet ahead of India-Pakistan at Asia Cup – ‘Mood in the camp is buzzing’
Screenshots in the blog courtesy Hotstar.
Live telecast and streaming on Star Sports and Hotstar.