T20 World Cup Archives - Lokmarg

ICC Announces 2024 T20 WC Schedule, India VS Pak On June 9

By LokMarg 5th January 2024

A new chapter will unfold in one of the oldest rivalries in cricket history as India will square off against Pakistan on June 9 in New York as the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced the schedule for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

ICC announced the schedule for the competition on Friday.

The tournament will kick off on June 1 and will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the US. India have been placed in Group A alongside Ireland, Pakistan, Canada and the US.

Ten of the 20 teams will play their first match of the 29-day tournament in the USA, with 16 contests to be held in Lauderhill, Dallas and New York and the blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan scheduled for the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island on 9 June.

The US will play Canada in the opening game on June 1 while fellow hosts the West Indies will play Papua New Guinea in Guyana on the second day of group play.

The Men in Blue will open their campaign against Ireland on June 5. Their second game of the tournament will be against arch-rival Pakistan on June 9. The final two games will be against Canada and USA on June 12 and June 15 respectively.

This time 20 teams will take part in the T20 World Cup which is more than the 16 that took part in the 2022 tournament in Australia. The top two teams from each group will proceed to the Super 8 stage.

The 55 games of the competition will be played across six different venues in the West Indies (Kensington Oval, Barbados; Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad; Providence Stadium, Guyana; Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua; Darren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia; Arnos Vale Stadium, St Vincent) and three venues in the USA (Eisenhower Park, New York; Lauderhill, Florida; and Grand Prairie, Texas).

The Group Stage will be played from June 1 to June 18. The Super 8 stage will be played from June 19 to June 24.

The final four stage – semi-finals will be played on June 26 and June 27. The tournament will conclude on June 29.

Group B consists of the last two winners of the Men’s T20 World Cup in England and Australia, with the pair to take on Namibia, Scotland and Oman.

The West Indies are placed into Group C alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda and Papua New Guinea, while Group D sees South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal fixtured against each other.

T20 World Cup Groups:

Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, USA

Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman

Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea

Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepa.l (ANI)

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Pant Would Have Made Huge Impact: Hardik

By LokMarg 3rd January 2023

India’s T20 captain Hardik Pandya feels that Rishabh Pant’s presence would have made a huge impact on the Indian team and noted that he was very much a part of plans for the ICC World Cup 2023.

India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant escaped a near-fatal accident on Friday with burn injuries among others that will require plastic surgery and he could be airlifted to Delhi if required. He met with a serious accident while returning from Delhi to Roorkee as his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal on Friday.
“Coming to the point, obviously he was a very important part of (Team India’s plans in the world Cup year). But, now everyone knows the situation,” said India’s T20 captain Hardik Pandya about Rishabh Pant.

ICC Under-19 World Cup 2016 captain Ishan Kishan, who recently scored a double ton against Bangladesh in the third ODI in Chattogram, could be considered a replacement. During his knock in Bangladesh, Ishan Kishan broke the record of Chris Gayle for the fastest double ton in ODIs.

Sanju Samson is also in the fray to fill in the shoes of Pant while KL Rahul also contributes as a wicket-keeper.

“There are a lot of people who can get opportunities. I am seeing that if Rishabh also would have been there, he could have made a huge impact. But now, let’s wait and see what the future holds for us,” said Hardik Pandya.

The mishap took place while the cricketer was on his way to Roorkee from Delhi, and his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal.

According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement, Rishabh has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back. Rishabh’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment.

Wicket-keeper and batter Pant has represented India in 33 Test matches scoring 2271 runs at an average of 43.67 with five Test tons to his name with his highest score being 159 not out. Pant has 119 catches and 14 stumpings to his name.

In ODIs, he has 865 runs to his name in 30 matches at an average of 34.60 with five half-centuries and one ton with a strike rate of 106.65. With the gloves, Pant has 26 catches and one stumping to his name.

In 66 T20I the wicket-keeper batter has scored 987 runs with three half-centuries to his name at an average of 22.43 with a strike rate of 126.37. (ANI)

India Wins Series Against NZ As Third T20I In Napier Ends In A Tie

By LokMarg 22nd November 2022

Heavy rain interrupted play with Team India scoring just enough for a tie in the final T20 against New Zealand here and walking away with a series win in the three-match series.

The Duckworth-Lewis method was employed as the rain did not allow play after India had scored 75/4 in 9 overs chasing a target of 161 runs.
With the first match having been washed away due to rain and India having won the second match, the Hardik Pandya led-team clinched the series 1-0. This is the second time India has won a T20 series under the leadership of Pandya. India had earlier won a series against West Indies under his leadership earlier this year.

Chasing 161, the visitors did not get the best of starts losing opener Ishan Kishan dismissed by Adam Milne for 10 in the second over as they lost the first wicket with only 13 runs on the board.

Rishabh Pant looked dangerous in his short stay but was dismissed in the very next over by Tim Southee for 11 of 5 balls. In the very next ball, Shreyas Iyer was sent packing to leave India tottering at 21/3.

India desperately needed a partnership and skipper Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav did just that by taking India’s total beyond the 50-run mark in 4.4 overs.

India went on to score 58 runs with the loss of three wickets in six overs of powerplay. Ish Sodhi was introduced into the attack and he broke the 39-run partnership.

Deepak Hooda walked out to join his skipper Hardik Pandya and the duo took India’s total to 75/4 in 9 overs. Rain then interrupted the play and it started pouring heavily forcing the umpires to call off the match.

India’s score of 75/4 in 9 overs was on par with the Kiwis as per the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Mohammed Siraj was declared as ‘Player of the Match’ while Suryakumar Yadav was named ‘Player of the Series.

Earlier in the day, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. New Zealand faced a jolt in the second over as pacer Arshdeep Singh trapped Finn Allen leg-before-wicket for just three runs off four balls. NZ was 9/1 in 1.3 overs.

Mark Chapman joined Devon Conway, the other opener. Both started to hit Indian bowlers with some clean strikes. Conway in general looked aggressive, smashing Arshdeep for two fours and a six in the fourth over.

The duo was slowly building a good partnership but Chapman found Arshdeep at mid-on on Mohammed Siraj’s second delivery of the spell. Chapman was back for 12 off 12 balls. Kiwis were reduced to 44/2 in 5.2 overs.

Glenn Phillips joined Conway. At the end of six overs, NZ was at 46/2, with Phillips (1) and Conway (23) unbeaten.

Phillips and Conway brought up their fifty-run stand in 43 balls. In the second half of the innings, Phillips upped his run rate, smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Harshal Patel for fours and sixes. Conway brought up his half-century in 39 balls, while Phillips brought up his eighth T20I fifty in just 31 balls.

At the end of 15 overs, the Kiwi’s scorecard was much healthier at 129/2, with Phillips (53) and Conway (54) still on the crease.

The 86-run partnership between the duo came to an end as Siraj dismissed Phillips for 54 off 33 balls. New Zealand was at 130/3 in 15.5 overs.

Arshdeep also took another wicket quickly, sending back Conway for 59 off 49 balls. Kiwis were at 146/4 in 16.4 overs.

India continued to make a comeback in the match. As the pair of Siraj and Pant dismissed a dangerous James Neesham for a duck. In 17.1 overs, NZ had lost five wickets for 147 runs.

Mitchell Santner was Siraj’s fourth wicket, he was back in the pavilion for just one.

Kiwis’ collapse continued as all-rounder Daryl Mitchell was dismissed for 10 off five balls and Ish Sodhi was also dismissed. Arshdeep got both wickets, taking his wicket tally to four. NZ was at 149/8.

Adam Milne was run out by Siraj for zero. Kiwis finished their innings 160 all out, with Harshal Patel taking the last wicket, dismissing Tim Southee for six.

Mohammad Siraj was the pick of the bowlers, taking four wickets for 17 runs in four overs. Arshdeep also took 4/37. Harshal took a wicket.

Brief Scores: New Zealand: 160 in 19.4 overs (Devon Conway 59, Glenn Phillips 54, Mohammad Siraj 4/17, Arshdeep Singh 4/37) vs India 75/4 in 9 overs (Hardik Pandya 30*, Suryakumar Yadav 13; Tim Southee 2/27). (ANI)

T20I: IND-NZ Match Abandoned Due To Rain

By LokMarg 18th November 2022

The first game of the three-match T20I series between India and New Zealand officially has been abandoned due to heavy rain at Sky Stadium in Wellington without a single ball being bowled on Friday.

India’s tour of New Zealand starts with a washout, with both teams eager to move on from their World Cup exits. Both teams will move to Mount Maunganui for Sunday’s second T20I of the three-match series.
The play was eventually called off just after 20:51 (Local Time). Following the three-match T20I series, New Zealand and India will be squaring off against each other for a three-match ODI series, starting from November 25. The 2nd T20I between New Zealand and India will be held at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Sunday while the 3rd T20I will take place on Tuesday at Mclean Park, Napier.

There was approx a 90 per cent of chance at 7 PM Wellington Time that the match was scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM IST. The rain gets significantly increased as the day progressed and left no option for the umpires to call off the match.

Team India were hoping to put the disappointment of their departure from the T20 World Cup behind them against New Zealand in the first of three T20 Internationals on Friday. Like India, New Zealand too were eliminated in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after bagging the top spot in their group.

New Zealand’s transition into a new era as their selectors opted against picking two of their stalwarts in Martin Guptill and Trent Boult, the latter because he no longer has a central contract.

There have been opportunities for people like Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, and Umran Malik, among others in Indian team. Shubman Gill is another young person who has been selected for the team.

India squad for New Zealand T20Is: Hardik Pandya (C), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Surya Kumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), W Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik.

New Zealand squad for T20Is: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee and Blair Tickner. (ANI)

T20 WC: India Eye Summit Clash With Pak, England Aim To Deliver Their Best

By LokMarg 9th November 2022

The stage is set for a high-octane second semifinal clash between India and England at the ICC T20 World Cup in Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

India finished their Group Stage at the top of their group’s table, winning four out of their five Super 12 matches. A defeat to South Africa was the only blip in Men in Blue’s consistent performances during the group stage.
Indian batters have been solid for the most part. Suryakumar Yadav (225 runs in five matches with three fifties), Virat Kohli (246 runs in five matches with three fifties) have carried the line-up.

KL Rahul has gained form, scoring two consecutive fifties in his previous two matches, bringing his run tally to 123 runs in five. Rohit Sharma has largely been inconsistent and only 89 runs have come out of his willow in five matches, with his best being 53 against the Netherlands. These two will have to be at the top of their game to lessen the pressure on the middle order.

All of India’s frontline pacers, Bhuvneswar Kumar (4 wickets), Mohammad Shami (6 wickets), and Arshdeep Singh (10 wickets) have been impressive so far. The spin veteran Ravichandran Ashwin and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (six and eight wickets respectively) have delivered well with the ball, though Pandya has not found much success with the bat, other than his knock of 40 against Pakistan.

Axar Patel is Men in Blue’s sole concern in bowling, with his economy rate exceeding nine. It would be interesting if Yuzvendra Chahal gets a chance in the high-stake semifinal.

England has had an up-and-down journey in Super 12. After a win over Afghanistan, their qualification chances dimmed after a loss to Ireland, and the match against Australia was abandoned. But strong showings against New Zealand and Sri Lanka brought them back into the competition and now they’re set to take on India.

England’s deep batting line-up, running down to number 10 is their strength. Their lineup has some power hitters like Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Harry Brook who can whack bowlers from ball one. They can be lethal at Adelaide, where batting-friendly conditions prevail and boundaries are short.

England’s bowling unit has stepped up drastically, despite not being rated high initially. Sam Curran is England’s leading wicket-taker with 10, while Mark Wood has nine. Ben Stokes has also proved to be useful, having picked up five scalps at an economy rate of 5.90 per over.

They do have some concerns though, be it the fitness of left-hander Dawid Malan or pacer Wood or the performance of Chris Woakes, who has been expensive throughout the tournament. Spinners have also been disappointing. Though Adil Rashid has been a miser while bowling, he has taken only one wicket in four matches. (ANI)

T20 WC: Kohli 28 Runs Away From This Career-Defining Milestone

By LokMarg 30th October 2022

Former India captain and star batter Virat Kohli are just inches away from adding another record to his tally.

Kohli will need just 28 runs to overtake ICC Hall of Famer Mahela Jayawardena as the most prolific run-scorer across T20 World Cups when he takes on South Africa in Perth on Sunday.
With 989 runs already scored throughout all T20 World Cups, Kohli needs 28 more runs to surpass all previous record-holders. Mahela Jayawardena, a former captain of Sri Lanka, currently owns the record with 1016 runs.

Despite a lagging start to the year, the 33-year-old found his rhythm in the Asia Cup and in the bilateral series matches against Australia and South Africa that preceded the competition. He also got off to a fast start in the eagerly anticipated match against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of over 90,000 spectators in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

Australian legend and former Indian head coach Greg Chappell on Saturday said that Virat Kohli’s innings of 82* against Pakistan in their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 match at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) legitimized the shorter format as an art form and added that late spin great Shane Warne would have been proud of star batter’s knock had he been alive.

Chappell called Virat Kohli the “most complete Indian batsman” of his time and further went on to term Virat’s recent ICC T20 World Cup matching winning knock against Pakistan a “song by God.”

If slamming his much-anticipated 71st international ton after over a thousand days during Asia Cup 2022 was not enough, Virat silenced all the criticism and talks of his place in India’s T20I set-up with this knock, that helped Men in Blue snatch an improbable four-wicket win from the jaws of defeat.

It was a knock that left Chappell mighty impressed. Writing in his Sydney Morning Herald column, “None of the greats of bygone eras could have dismembered an opponent so brutally without compromising the niceties of the art of batting than Kohli did on the last Sunday night.”

“Kohli is a complete Indian batsman of my time. Only the greatest of champions have the courage and the intelligence to transport their imagination beyond the mortal plane. Kohli has that. Perhaps only Tiger Pataudi has come close to transcending a similar stratosphere.” (ANI)

T20 WC: Zimbabwe Holds Nerve To Upset Pak By One Run

By LokMarg 27th October 2022

Pakistan’s over-reliance on their opening batting pair came back to haunt them as Zimbabwe pipped them in a low-scoring thriller by one run to clinch their first Super-12 win of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Thursday at the Perth Stadium.

Pakistan made a mess of a paltry chase as they suffered a batting collapse and left their bowlers to chase and win the match for them. All-rounder Sikandar Raza took three wickets in a short span to dismantle the chase.
Shan Masood was the top-scorer for Pakistan but failed to see his team over the line.

Chasing the target, Pakistan were off to a slow start after Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were watchful of the new ball and scored just three runs from the first two overs. Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani bowled the first and the second, respectively, and stuck to tight lines with both bowlers extracting bounce from the surface.

Babar and Rizwan struck a boundary each in Ngarava’s second over to get the inning going but the Pakistani captain was dismissed by Brad Evans in the fourth over, sending him back for a paltry score of 4 (9).

Rizwan too followed suit as he was sent back by Muzarabani for 14(16), exposing the middle order of the Pakistani team.

Pakistan ended the powerplay at 28/2 with the top scorers from the previous match, Iftikhar Ahmed and Shan Masood at the crease.

However, the partnership did not last long as Luke Jongwe removed Iftikhar in the eighth over to deepen problems for the Pakistan team further.

Masood kept the scoreboard ticking and took his team to 54/3 at the end of the 10 overs, striking some picturesque shots during his stay.

The batting duo of Masood and Shadab Khan looked set to take the team across the line but a twist in the tale began after the introduction of spinner Sikandar Raza in the 14th over.

Raza dismissed Shadab and Haider Ali in two consecutive deliveries to turn the match around for his team, giving them a shot at victory.

The set batter, Masood was the third victim of Raza’s off-spin in the 16th over as the Zimbabwe players now believed they had a genuine chance at victory. This wicket saw tailender Wasim Jr join Mohammad Nawaz for the run-chase.

The pacers then bowled with their tails up as they could sense victory within grasp. Ngarava then bowled a three-run 16th over to tighten their screws on the Pakistani team.

Needing 29 from the last three overs, the batters swung and miss under pressure. Nawaz tried his best to make his team get across the line and hit a six in the 19th over to reduce the equation to 11 from the last overs.

Brad Evans conceded a boundary on the second ball of the over and it looked like Pakistan would bag the match but Evans bowled superbly to dismiss Nawaz on the fifth ball, and then held his nerve to defend three off the last ball to help Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by one run in a nail-biting encounter.

Earlier, Pakistani bowlers unleashed hell upon the batting lineup of Zimbabwe to trigger a batting collapse, restricting them to just 130/8.

Pakistan’s decision to play an extra pacer in Mohammad Wasim Jr worked wonders for the team as the youngster ended with his best T20I bowling figures (4/24) to restrict Zimbabwe to a below-par total. Sean Williams and Brad Evans helped the team cross the 100-run mark.

Sikandar Raza was declared the ‘Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling performance.

Brief Score: Brief Score: Zimbabwe 130/8 (Sean Williams 31, Brad Evans 19; Mohammad Wasim Jr 4/24) vs Pakistan 129/8 (Shan Masood 44, Mohammad Nawaz 22; Sikandar Raza 3/25) (ANI)

Kohli Helps India Beat Pak In A Cracker Of T20 World Cup Match

By LokMarg 23rd October 2022

An explosive half-century by star batter Virat Kohli and a century stand with Hardik Pandya helped India defeat Pakistan by four wickets in their Group 2, Super 12 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

With this win, India is at top of Group 2 with two points.

Chasing 160, India got off to a terrible start as opener KL Rahul was sent back to the pavilion by the pacer Naseem Shah for just four of eight balls. The opener disappointed in a crucial match once again, with an inside edge landing straight into the stumps. India was 7/1 at this point.

India received a second jolt when captain Rohit nicked one straight into the slips to Iftikhar Ahmed. The skipper lost his wicket for just 4 off 7 balls to pacer Haris Rauf. India was two down at 10 runs in 3.2 overs.

Eyes were on Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli once again to stitch another partnership. Suryakumar started with a silky straight drive and took three on the very next ball.

Suryakumar was looking really good, but Rauf got the big fish after he nicked one to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. India endured another huge blow as Suryakumar was back in the pavilion for just 15 off 10 balls. India was 26/3 in 5.3 overs.

Axar Patel was the next batter on the crease. At end of the powerplay in six overs, India was 31/3, with Virat (5) and Axar (2) at the crease. Patel also walked back after an unfortunate run-out for just 2. India had sunk to 31/4. Patel’s dismissal though involved Rizwan fumbling the runout and not hitting the stumps with the ball fully, but he got away with it.

Pandya and Kohli took India safe halfway through their innings, though singles continued without any boundaries. India was at 45/4 in 10 overs, with Virat (12) and Pandya (7) at the crease.

India reached the 50-run mark in 10.3 overs. Pandya hit Mohammad Nawaz for a huge six at the start of the 12th over, hitting the first six of the innings. Nawaz was hit for two more sixes, including a straight hit by Virat, giving India a valuable over which gave them 20 runs.

The duo brought up their 50-run stand in 40 balls.

At the end of 15 overs, India touched the 100-run mark. India was at 100/4, with Virat (42) and Hardik (32) at the crease. Thanks to these two, Men in Blue made a solid recovery, getting 55 runs in the last five overs.

Rauf swung some momentum to Pakistan’s side with an economical 16th over, conceding six. India needed 54 off 24 balls. Six runs came from the next over, reducing the equation to 48 off 18 balls.

Virat reached his half-century in 43 balls. The star batter swung the tides in favor of India once again, helping India get 17 more runs. Men in Blue needed 31 off 12 balls.

After Rauf dominated the 19th over, Virat swung things into India’s favor with two sixes in two balls. India needed 16 in the final over.

This pair of beloved players had to strike big in the last over, having scored 113 off 77 balls in their 77 balls. Pandya departed to Nawaz’s first ball, scoring 40 off 37 balls. India needed 16 off 5 balls and the ‘Finisher’ Dinesh Karthik was at the crease with Kohli. However, he was also stumped with two runs left and one ball to go.

Ashwin finished the match with a single, helping India clinch a four-wicket win. India finished at 160/6, with Kohli scoring an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls, with six fours and four sixes, and Ashwin unbeaten at 1.

Rauf (2/36) and Nawaz (2/42) were the picks of the bowlers for Pakistan. Naseem took a wicket too.

Early, fiery and top bowling spells by Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh helped India restrict arch-rivals Pakistan to 159/8 in the high-voltage clash of the Super 12 stage of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on Sunday.

For India, Arshdeep Singh bagged three wickets Hardik Pandya returned with a stunning figure of 3-30.

Shan Masood top-scored for Pakistan with 52 not out while Iftikhar Ahmed played a crucial knock of 51 runs.

Opted to bowl first, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fiery bowling gave an excellent start to India as he restricted Pakistan batters from scoring runs. In the second over of the innings, Pakistan suffered a huge blow as their star batter Babar Azam was sent packing for a first-ball duck by Arshdeep Singh without scoring a run.

New batter Shan Masood then came out to bat. In the fourth over of the innings, Arshdeep struck again as he dismissed Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan for 4 runs off 12 deliveries, leaving Men in Green tottering at 15-2. Arshdeep Singh the left-arm pacer removed both the Pakistani openers inside the powerplay to provide India with the upper hand in the match.

Iftikhar Ahmed then came out to bat. Iftikhar and Masood both opened their hands and slammed boundaries at regular intervals. After the powerplay, Pakistan’s score read 32-2.

Despite being under pressure the duo of Iftikhar and Masood took their team’s total beyond the 50-run mark in the 9th over of the game. After 10 overs of the game, Pakistan’s score read 60/2.

Iftikhar shifted gears and slammed back-to-back two huge sixes, hammering Axar Patel for 21 runs in the 12th over of the innings. While slamming the Indian bowlers all around the ground Iftikhar brought up his half-century in 32 deliveries.

Mohammed Shami was brought back into the attack and he removed dangerman Iftikhar for 51 off 34. Pakistan’s 76-run stand for the third wicket was finally broken.

Shadab Khan then came to the crease but the batter could not do much as he was sent back to the pavilion by Hardik Pandya after scoring 5 runs off 6 balls in the 14th over. In the same over Pandya struck again as he dismissed the new batter, Haider Ali, for 2 runs, the Pakistani batter was caught out by Suryakumar Yadav.

Mohammad Nawaz welcomed Pandya’s spell with a stunning four, however, his stint was cut short after scoring just 9 runs in 6 deliveries. At this point, Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Arshdeep then delivered a stunning delivery to remove Asif Ali who was caught behind the wicket by Dinesh Karthik.

While hammering Indian bowlers all around the ground Shan Masood brought up his third T20I fifty in 40 balls. In the penultimate over of the innings, Shaheen Afridi slammed one four and one six on the delivery of Arshdeep.

In the last over, Bhuvneshwar sent Afridi packing after scoring 16 runs in 8 deliveries. New batter Haris Rauf then came to bat and he slammed a huge six to guide his team to a competitive total of 159/8 in 20 overs.

Brief score: Pakistan 159/8 (Shan Masood 52, Iftikhar Ahmed 51; Hardik Pandya 3-30) vs India: 160/6 (Virat Kohli 82, Hardik Pandya 40, Haris Rauf 2/36). (ANI)