PAKvIND: Pakistan make India bite the dust in first encounter of T20 World Cup

Pakistan made India bite the dust in the first encounter of the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday.

Batting first, India set a 152-run target for Pakistan in 20 overs for a loss of seven wickets. In response, Pakistan achieved the target in 17.5 overs for a loss of no wicket.

Pakistan brought forward Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan to open its innings against India in the first encounter in the T20 World Cup.

Pakistani bowlers continued to perform and Indian wickets continued to fall after short intervals in the first encounter between the traditional rivals in the T20 World Cup on Sunday.

The Indian team however managed to score 151 run for seven wickets in 20 overs. From the Pakistani side, Shaheen Shah Afrid proved the most effective bowler.

Hassan Ali took his second wicket, Shaheen Afridi struck for the third time, removing Indian skipper Virat Kohli for 57.

Pakistani pacer Hassan Ali struck again as he removed Indian batsman Ravindra Jadeja for 13.

After Shaheen Afridi and Hassan Ali dismissed Indian openers early in the game, Shadab Khan added to India's woes as he dismissed Rishubh Pant for 39. 

Pakistani fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Indian openers at an early stage, giving green shirts the much needed boost.

Shaheen dismissed Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul and then Hassan Ali sent Suryakumar Yadav.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first against arch-rivals India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. 

Heartbeats overflow as Babar Azam-led Shaheens will face traditional rival India in a high octane Group 2 fixture in the Super 12 stage.

The buildup surrounding the much-awaited game has overshadowed the other matches, as well as other teams as it’s always exciting for two nations to watch the watch Pakistan India match. Both sides share a history of conflict and mistrust and remain at loggerheads over a number of issues especially in the last decade.

The neighbouring country last hosted Men in Green in a bilateral series back in 2013 and both sides now face only in mega cricket carnivals – the last being the 2019 ODI World Cup.

The world is watching.

Tonight in Dubai, India and Pakistan go toe-to-toe.#INDvPAK | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ynIzBry0ha

— ICC (@ICC) October 24, 2021

Around 17,500 tickets for the high octane match were sold out hours after being put on sale while TV shows in both countries are running special programs for one of the biggest matchups in the sports world.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani team will look to end their losing streak against a traditional rival at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. In 8 matches so far, Men in Blue won 7 while the Pakistani squad only once managed to clinch the game. After failing to win the inaugural edition in South Africa, Pakistan won its first title under Younus Khan in 2009 in England.

https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB/status/1451580173904748564

In this mega event, Pakistan comes into the Super 12s contest with 10 wins in a row in Emirates.

Skipper Babar and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan shoulder the scoring responsibility at the top of the order. Both players are among the top seven ranked batsmen in this format while Babar said they had struck a good rapport batting together.

Haider Ali, an emerging star, also garnered attention and has a chance to give the world notice of his talent. Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman’s positive play should be rewarded and Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have the best opportunity to play a decisive role having wide experience among the squad.

Shaheen Afridi and Hassan Ali are also expected to outclass the top-order batsmen of former champions.

Pakistani captain during a virtual presser vowed his team would not think about Pakistan’s poor record against India. He also stressed that the past was irrelevant to his players.

Squads:

Pakistan playing 11: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf.

India playing 11 (probables): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami.