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The bitter rivals showed up against each other after almost 4 years in the ODI format. India won the toss and elected to bat first. India looked really good in the starting overs until rain interrupted the play; after the match was resumed, Batsmens got out like dropping bees.
Rohit Sharma was clean bowled with Shaheen Afridi’s unexpected swing. Shortly after captain Rohit Sharma departed, Virat Kohli made his way to the crease; after hitting a fantastic shot and scoring 4 runs, an inside edge forced Kohli to depart too, and it was Shaheen Afridi again who took the wicket.
Team India was 66/4, and that point scoring 150 runs looked like a lot, as the Pakistani bowling unit put India under pressure. Watch the match highlights below:
Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya flipped the game
Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya’s patient partnership flipped the game around and took India from 66/4 to 204/5.
Kishan scored 82 (81) and Pandya 87(90). After the 5th wicket fell, the pressure was back, and the lower order from the batting lineup failed to score a lot of runs, which restricted team India to 266/10 in 48.2 overs. Not a very strong total, but it was absolutely defendable.
Pakistan’s bowling was immaculate; Shaheen Afridi was the leading wicket taker; he bowled all 10 overs, bowled 2 maiden overs, gave away just 35 runs and took 4 crucial wickets. To everyone’s disappointment, after waiting for a considerable amount of time, rain forced the match to be abandoned, and as a result, both teams got a point and will move on to their next match.
India could have defended the total, but the outcome of this match will forever be an unsolved mystery; Pakistani fans believe the rain saved India from embarrassment, and Indian fans believe the opposite. Pakistan has qualified for the Super 4; India will face Nepal next on 5th September; a win against Nepal will also secure their spot in the Super 4. Pakistan has 3 points and NRR of -4.760 and India has 1 point with NRR of 0.000.
