It was all about Virat Kohli - the mastery and artistry of a world class batsman that made it so easy for India. Kohli had overpowered the unpredictably turning track and 145km/h deliveries of Pak pacers with a cool head.
Chasing a target of 119 runs in a rain-affected 18 over match, the home side finished things in just 15.5 overs with six wickets in hand. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 55 off 37 balls aided by a poised 24 by Yuvraj Singh.
Dhoni played the finisher’s role once again with a nine ball 13. On a wicket where Indian spinners turned the ball in ‘square angles’, Pakistan bowlers failed to reap any benefits.
Earlier, on a wet ground Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, after winning the toss, had decided to send the opponents to experiment in the middle.
The pitch started showing off its true colours in the very second over, when Indian off spinner R Aswhin did beat Sharjeel Khan and Ahmed Shehzad with some unbelievable turn. The last delivery of Aswhin’s second over had deviated as much as 127 centimetres from its original direction by the time it reached the batsman.
Not only the spinners Aswhin, Ravindra Jadeja or Suresh Raina, but the Indian fast bowlers also have extracted some sharp turn from the pitch with slow paced cutters. Batsmen were forced to dance at the crease in order to find the direction of the ball.
After some steadying efforts by the openers and a quick dismissal of captain Shahid Afridi (8), it was the late-over heroics by Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal that took Pakistan to a total of 5/118. From 16 balls each, Malik has scored 26 and Akmal 22.
“It was a challenging wicket, that’w what you want as a cricketer,” said Virat Kohli after the match. “A good pitch, a good bowling attack and you pulling your team out of trouble.”
This win has helped India to remain a strong contender in the tournament, after losing to New Zealand in their first encounter. Pakistan lost the advantage it had after the first win against Bangladesh on the same venue.
What went against Pakistan
- Played a spinner less: Pakistan has included an extra fast bowler - Mohammed Sami - in the team at the expense of a spinner. Even though Sami has bowled extremely well - removing Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in consecutive deliveries - the absence of a quality spinner affected them. Shoaib Malik was not able to find the same turn as his Indian counterparts and Afridi was way below his best.
- Batsmen were confused: When the ball started turning miles in the very second over, the Pak openers looked baffled. They couldn’t decide on whether to attack or defend. Not a single six came in Pak innings . 55 runs came in the last five overs of Pak innings it didn’t prove enough at the end.
Today’s Games
In tonight’s matches, South Africa will play Afghanistan (3pm IST, 8.30pm AEDT) at Mumbai and Sri Lanka will face the mighty West Indies (7.30pm IST, 1.00am AEDT) at Bengaluru.
