- Pakistan beat India by five wickets in Asia Cup Super Four opener.
- Mohammad Rizwan scores 71 as Pakistan chase 182 with one ball to spare.
- Virat Kohli’s 60 earlier guided India to 181-7 after being put in to bat first.
Mohammad Rizwan scored 71 as Pakistan defeated India by five wickets in their Asia Cup Super Four opener on Sunday.
In Dubai, Pakistan chased 182 with one ball to spare thanks to a 73-run stand between Rizwan and the left-handed Mohammad Nawaz (42).
Virat Kohli’s 60 earlier guided India to 181-7 after being put in to bat first in the tournament, which serves as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup in October-November.
Pakistan got off to a shaky start when Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Babar Azam (14) in the fourth over. Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed Fakhar Zaman on a score of 15 to complete his hat trick.
Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz then put together a crucial third-wicket stand, scoring 84 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya both dismissed Rizwan and Nawaz (41) in quick succession.
With Pakistan needing 26 runs off the final two overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar let India off the hook by allowing 19 runs in the penultimate over. Earlier, Virat Kohli led India to a strong total of 181 for seven in 20 overs against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup Super-4 match.
Pakistan has made a strong start in the chase, with Rizwan hitting the first ball for a boundary and Babar Azam also scoring in the first over.
Kohli hit a brilliant 60 off 44 balls, including four boundaries and six sixes. Kohli reached 50 runs with a six over deep midwicket. Asif Ali eventually ran him out after a direct hit from the deep.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul had made a strong start, scoring 54 runs in the first five overs. However, India lost a number of wickets, slowing their momentum in the middle overs.
Ravi Bishnoi hit two crucial boundaries, but Fakhar Zaman pitched in to help India finish their innings on a high note.
Deepak Hooda stayed on with Virat Kohli to take India’s total past 171 before being dismissed by Naseem Shah in the 19th over.
Rauf’s tight final over shifted the momentum back in Pakistan’s favour until the fourth ball of the over. However, two misfields by Fakhar Zaman helped India pass 180 and set a 182-run target for Pakistan.
Kohli scored the most runs for India, with 60, followed by openers Sharma and Rahul, who each scored 28 runs.
Shadab was the standout bowler, taking two wickets in four overs, while Hasnain, Naseem, Haris, and Nawaz each took one.
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