After a blistering start from openers, premier batter Virat Kohli displayed his class with a crucial half-century against Pakistan to help India post 181/7 in 20 overs in Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 clash at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Kohli looked in sublime touch during his 60-run knock which stabilized the Indian innings as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals during the high-octane clash. It was the second half-century in a row for Kohli as he ended his lean patch in a mega multi-nation tournament.
The batting maverick focused on rotating strikes at regular intervals and running quick doubles as he hit 4 fours and a six during his 44-ball stay in the middle.
Live Score India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Super 4
Earlier, asked to bat first, India were off to an astonishing start as both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul took the charge over Pakistan pacers with a fearless approach. The duo shared a crucial 51-run stand for the opening wicket to set up the momentum for India in the mega clash. Skipper Rohit scored 28 runs off 16 balls in which he struck three fours and two sixes.
While under-fire Rahul also made a valuable contribution of 28 runs off 20 balls which was laced with a couple of sixes and a four.
Pakistan spinner Mohammad Nawaz (1/25) and Shadab Khan (2/31) managed to put a brake on the scoring rate after powerplay overs. The spin duo worked their magic but Kohli stood strong and tackled them with his smart running between the wickets. Hero of the last match Suryakumar Yadav failed to emulate the same on Sunday and was dismissed on just 13, while flamboyant wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant who got a chance over Dinesh Karthik also failed to score big and departed on 14.
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Hardik Pandya had a rare off-day as he was dismissed on duck by young Pakistan pacer Mohammad Hasnain. Deepak Hooda, who got a chance in the XI for the first time in the ongoing tournament tried to score some quick runs in slog overs but was dismissed on 16 by Naseem Shah.
Haris Rauf managed to put pressure on Kohli in the last over as the former India skipper played three dot balls and also lost his wicket via run-out. Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman had a forgettable few minutes in the field as his lacklustre fielding at the boundary line on the last two balls helped India score 8 runs off them.
Brief Scores:
India: 181 for 7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 60, Shadab Khan 2/31).
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