25 October,2021 07:45 AM IST | Dubai | Santosh Suri
India skipper Virat Kohli wears a dejected look against Pakistan at Dubai yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
It was the 13th time India and Pakistan were clashing in a World Cup game and India had never lost to the arch-rivals. The unlucky number was going to be lucky for one, and it turned out to be lucky for Pakistan as they registered a thumping 10-wicket win to begin their T20 World Cup campaign with a bang at the Dubai Stadium on Sunday.
It has taken Pakistan almost 30 years and 13 matches to break the jinx of never having beaten India in a World Cup game. Beginning from the 1992 World Cup in Australia when the two teams met for the first time on the World stage, Pakistan were at the receiving end all times, seven in 50-over World Cup and five times in T20 matches.
The Indian supporters will wonder what went wrong for their team. The crucial difference between the two teams was while the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were back in the pavilion in first three overs. Pakistan captain Babar Azam (68 not out) and Mohammed Rizwan (79 not out) put the result beyond doubt by putting on a brilliant match-winning, unconquered partnership while pursuing a moderate target of 152.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (left) celebrates his half-century with teammate Mohammad Rizwan at the Dubai Stadium yesterday
We have heard a lot about new India, but there can be no denying that this is a new Pakistan. They were far from overawed by their poor record against India and approached the high-voltage game with supreme confidence. They took the right call to chase the target in cooler, night weather and picked the right balance of youth and experience, including the veterans Mohammed Hafeez and Shoaib Malik in the XI.
India, on the other hand, gambled a lot while picking their XI, going with just five bowlers, including just two spinners and opting to play Hardik Pandya despite knowing that he would not be able to bowl due to fitness problems. In this crucial game, India needed the experience of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and the handy Shardul Thakur which could have been more beneficial in getting the balance right.
India were under the pump right away as they lost two early wickets on the same pitch on which West Indies were bundled out for 55. Suddenly, there were visions of a similar debacle. But it was not to be as captain Virat Kohli batted with controlled aggression to navigate the innings with a well-compiled half-century from a very precarious situation and helped India post a fighting total.
Once Shaheen Shah Afridi got rid of Rohit and Rahul in his first two overs, the Indian batting was right away under pressure. Both the Afridi deliveries were pitched up and both batsmen played across the line and paid the penalty. The Indian openers ought to have been watchful as the lanky Pakistan fast bowler has a reputation of getting early wickets. Afridi, after an excellent three-over opening spell, returned to get the India captain after Kohli had top-scored with 57 from 49 balls with five fours and a six. But in the end, it was not enough.
