New Delhi: The Men in Blue defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 14. The Indian bowlers delivered a sensational performance to restrict Pakistan to 127/9, while Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Abhishek Sharma batted brilliantly to help the team chase down the target with 25 balls to spare.
Abhishek Sharma cleared his intentions from the first ball as he hit Shaheen straight down the ground for a boundary. Both the openers set the tone for the chase with a flurry of boundaries. Saim Ayub removed Shubman Gill for 10 runs, but Abhishek continued to bat aggressively. He scored 31 runs off 13 balls and was removed by Saim Ayub.
After the dismissal of openers, Suryakumar forged a 56-run partnership with Tilak Varma for the third wicket. Tilak was dismissed by Saim Ayub on 31 runs. The Indian captain then stitched a match-winning partnership with Shivam Dube and finished the match with a maximum in 15.5 overs.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first, but got off to a poor start as Hardik and Bumrah dismissed Ayub and Haris in the first two overs. Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman managed to stitch a 39-run partnership for the third wicket.
But Axar Patel struck twice in two overs before Kuldeep took two wickets in the same over as Pakistan struggled to cross the 100-run mark. But some sensational hitting from Shaheen (unbeaten 33 runs off 16) helped Pakistan to post a 128-run target on the board, but it was not enough as the Men in Blue chased it down comfortably. Here are the key takeaways from the match.
Hardik, Bumrah strike early to rock Pakistan in powerplay
Pakistan opted to bat first in the match, but it was Hardik and Bumrah who took full advantage of the conditions in Dubai. Hardik struck on the very first ball of his over, removing Saim Ayub with an outswinger, while Bumrah removed Mohammad Haris with a back-of-a-length delivery. Two early blows left the opposition reeling early in the power play, and it put immense pressure on the middle order. Bumrah also dismissed Sufiyan Muqeem with a yorker and picked up his second wicket of the match.
Indian spinners dominate middle overs
With Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel, India boast the best spin-bowling unit in limited-overs cricket. They complemented each other brilliantly throughout the match, offering a variety in their attack, which troubled the Pakistani batters. Kuldeep picked up three wickets, while Axar finished with two, and Chakravarthy also claimed a solitary wicket.
The trio conceded just 60 runs in their combined 12 overs, as Pakistan batters had no answer to the guile and magic of the spin trio.
Abhishek, Suryakumar shine in run chase
On a wicket where most of the batters struggled, Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav looked a class apart. The opening batter smashed Shaheen Afridi for 22 runs, stamping India’s authority on the game in the powerplay.
Abhishek scored a blistering 31 runs off just 13 balls at an exceptional strike rate of 238, exactly the kind of aggressive cricket head coach Gautam Gambhir wants his young batter to play. Abhishek is emerging as the main batter of this fearless approach.
Suryakumar Yadav also batted brilliantly, stitching together two crucial partnerships with Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube. He tackled Pakistan’s spinners with ease and found the boundaries at regular intervals. He remained unbeaten on 47 off 37 balls and finished the match in style.