Another India vs Pakistan match at the Dubai International Stadium was a cliffhanger and as explained earlier, the relationship between the two teams has found a new spark after a bad period.
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul for once seemed to have recalled the approach they want to follow in the limited overs format after the most asked question about their slow strike rate in the group stage of the Asia Cup.
But India giving away 14 extras including 10 wides proved costly in one of the most marvelous chases in T20I cricket, as India failed to outwit the batters at the death overs and also missed their lines to give additional advantage to their opponents. Needless to mention Ali’s drop in the 18th over by Arshdeep Singh.
While Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz’s partnership was the clear match winner, Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali’s cameo towards the end was priceless for Pakistan.
For India, their last win’s hero Hardik Pandya had a poor outing with the bat as he was dismissed for a two-ball duck, but ensured to prove himself with the ball as he got the all-important wicket of Mohammed Rizwan on 71 in the 17th over.
Here are the top five talking points from the match –
Mohammed Nawaz promoted to number four
Mohammed Nawaz was the difference between the two sides as his promotion to bat at number four worked wonderfully for the Men in Green. While his score of 42 might seem to be a supporting role compared to Rizwan’s 71, it was his fierce batting that ensured Pakistan’s middle overs were never short of runs.
His 42 came at a strike rate of 210 as he hit six 4s and two 6s in the process.
The think tank’s decision to promote Nawaz up the order proved a golden one for Pakistan. Nawaz also ensured that Pakistan had a left-hand and right-hand combination to disallow the opposition bowlers to settle.
Virat Kohli’s sublime innings
After the openers smashed Pakistan bowlers to all parts of the ground, Virat Kohli came to the fore and looked close to his imperious best.
Kohli held one end even as wickets kept falling at the other end in the middle overs. The interesting part, however, was that he was able to maintain a strike rate above 100 throughout his innings.
The right-hand batter scored a sublime 60 off 44 balls at a strike rate of 136.36, including four 4s and a six – that also brought up his half-century.
Kohli brought up his second half-century in the tournament and also surpassed Rohit Sharma’s 31 to score the most fifties in T20Is – 32.
However, Kohli was not able to finish the innings well and struggled to score in the 20th over – playing three dot balls – as Harris Rauf bowled excellently.
The star-studded top three batters of India stood up to the occasion at the most required time in the high-intensity match against Pakistan.
Pakistan’s economic spinners
While the Indian batters were comfortable against seamers for most of the innings, Pakistan spinners again proved their worth chocking the Indian middle order.
Spin was introduced in the powerplay itself after the Indian openers went after Pakistan quicks.
Mohammad Nawaz was the most economical, bowling at 6.2 per over, whereas Shadab Khan was only next to his partner, bowling at 7.8 per over.
The duo gave only 56 runs in eight overs and also picked three important wickets in the middle overs – KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rishabh Pant.
The wickets of dangerous Indian middle-order batters also left Kohli aloof of partners to trigger in the death overs.
Mohammed Rizwan’s scintillating knock
Mohammed Rizwan has been in a scintillating form for quite a while and showed why he is second on the ICC T20I batters ranking for quite a while now.
Rizwan scored a brilliant 71 of 51 deliveries and brought up his second fifty in the tournament at a strike rate of 139.22.
Rizwan also overtook Kohli to be the highest scorer in the continental tournament – reaching 192 at an outstanding average of 96.
The dashing opener also ensured to hold one end and his partnership with Mohammad Nawaz – 73 off 41 deliveries proved to be pivotal.
India’s death bowling
India’s bowling struggled at death and they probably missed the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel in the last five overs.
India’s most experienced bowler Bhuvneshwar raised hopes of India with a four-run 16th over, but lost the plot in the 19th over as he was smacked for 19 runs.
Pakistan needed 43 runs in the final overs and they held their nerves to chase down with one ball to spare.
India used four different bowlers in the last four overs, but couldn’t control Pakistan’s scoring rate. They also bowled six of their 10 wides in the final four overs and let the game slip from their hands.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.