Fighting Ishan
After opting to field first, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha sprang an early surprise by throwing the ball to himself. The decision paid off immediately as he dismissed Abhishek Sharma in the opener, but a ferocious counter-attack led by Ishan Kishan followed, turning the power play into a statement of intent. It looked like Pakistan came prepared for Abhishek Sharma but it was Ishan Kishan who came out of the syllabus.
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Kishan set the tone straight away against Shaheen Shah Afridi, pulling his left arm over square leg on the first ball. An overgrown boundary followed as Kishan flirted with danger while Tilak Varma finished the over with another four, with Shaheen’s opening spell taking 15 runs. Despite the early loss, India seized the momentum.Kishan looked unstoppable from the start. He opened Agha’s second over the boundary and continued to disrupt Pakistan’s plans as both Agha and Saim Ayub darted wide from the crease in an attempt to get the Indian batsmen into place. The tactic brought limited success. Kishan punished a slightly short delivery from Ayub and pulled him powerfully to backward square leg, though he almost paid the price when he attempted a dodgy single. Just five runs came from Ayub’s first over, but Pakistan’s pressure was fleeting.Spin arrived in earnest when Abrar Ahmed was introduced and Kishan gave him a scornful welcome. A poor first ball down the leg side was swept for a six, followed by a sharp boundary through covers as Abrar offered a width. Eleven runs came from the over which further tilted the balance in favor of India.Kishan continued to look for boundaries off Ayub and survived another ill-timed pull that just got loose at mid-on. Tilak Varma then chipped in to cap off a strong over. Despite the early loss of Abhishek, India reached 52 for 1 after six overs, with Kishan himself contributing 42 off 25 balls.There was no respite after the powerplay. Abrar moved to bowl across the wicket, but Kishan guided him with soft hands past short third man before launching one straight down the ground to bring up his fifty off 27 balls. The onslaught continued with another boundary over the covers, underscoring his complete command of the bowling.With two left-handers at the crease, Agha turned to Shadab Khan, only for Kishan to unleash a scramble for a six. A boundary followed and three well-run doubles ensured that Shadab’s first over ended at 17 runs.Kishan’s innings finally came to an end when he spun Ayub for four before being dropped the next ball, breaking Ayub’s 87-run stand. On a challenging surface offering increased grip, Kishan’s 77 from just 40 balls stood out as a remarkable performance.
Saim shines with the ball
Pakistan continued to rely heavily on spin, using six spinners in an innings, the most in team history at a T20 World Cup and the most joint regulars in a T20I. It was Saim Ayub who stifled India’s run with his street smart bowling. After losing a wicket in his first two overs, Ayub came back to remove Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya in quick succession and almost completed a hat-trick as he finished with impressive figures of 4-0-25-3.India briefly lost momentum in the middle innings, but Suryakumar Yadav’s patient 32 off 29 balls, Shivam Dube’s brisk 27 off 17 and Rinku Singh’s cameo 11 off 4 balls ensured a strong finish.India eventually posted a competitive 175 for 7. For Pakistan, Saim Ayub took three wickets while Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Tariq took one wicket each.
Unhappy Pakistan
Pakistan’s batsmen looked out to sea during the chase. Hardik Pandya dismissed Shahibzad Farhan in the first over for a duck. Saim Ayub hit Jasprit Bumrah’s first ball without looking for a six. The Indian fast bowler then pinned the southpaw and then sent Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha back to the hut for 4. It was a poor shot for Agha who started the match from a height but ended up kicking himself after this shot. It almost looked like there was an unwanted competition going on in the Pakistan dressing room to see who gave the worst dismissal of the night. If Salman Ali Agh’s quiet exit raised eyebrows, Babar Azam went a step further, attempting an uncharacteristic snag and missing his stumps completely. Axar Patel raised his hands in joy as the middle stump was uprooted. It summed up the state of mind of Pakistan. Nowhere in the competition. Axaru’s flat track, pitching with relentless precision, left no room for the right-hander and Babar’s swing across the bat looked utterly clueless.Usman Khan’s counter-attack of 44 off 34 balls was the only glimmer of resistance in an otherwise shambolic chase. The rest of Pakistan’s batting folded without conviction, their top four failing to reach double figures as the pressure mounted and belief evaporated. By the time the innings limped to a close, the contest was long over, with Pakistan left exposed and India cruising on the back of a ruthless, all-round performance.A brief score India: 175 for 7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 77, Suryakumar Yadav 32, Shivam Dube 27; Saim Ayub 3/25) Pakistan: 114 all out in 17.5 overs (Usman Khan 44; Jasprit Bumrah 2/17, Axar Patel 2/29, Varun Chakravarthy 2/16)