New Delhi: With crowds lined up at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday evening for the much-awaited T20 World Cup opener for India and Pakistan, the charged-up Men in Blue batted with 36/3 at the end of the Powerplay.
This is the second lowest powerplay score for India in a T20 World Cup match, while the first was against New Zealand in the 2016 World Cup when India posted 29/4 in the first six overs. And overall, this is the Men in Blue’s third worst Powerplay performance in T20 Internationals.
There was another subdued show when India toured Australia in 2008, with the Dhoni-led side being reduced to just 30/4 in the powerplays.
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India’s dismal performance was seen with a score of 2/2 when Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul quickly returned to the hut. Nevertheless, India began to advance after a fall in the powerplay as India skipper Kohli led the charge to post a total of 151 runs. Given the sluggish pitch conditions, this could be a challenging target for Pakistan. They only have the powerplay to showcase their skills as dew can play an important role in the later stages of the match.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi took three wickets for 31 runs in four overs. Whereas from the other end, Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali has taken two crucial wickets in four overs despite maintaining an impressive economy rate of 11 runs. Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf took a wicket each.
Considering the stats, India failed to make it to the victories in those three matches after a disappointing performance in the Powerplays. But, it is waiting to be seen if Kohli’s men can break this mess and prove that a low Powerplay score doesn’t mean a team will lose.
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