India vs Pakistan LIVE: T20 World Cup final score, result and reaction today
Pakistan beat great rivals India in T20 World Cup showdown
Captain Babar Azam led by example as Pakistan beat India in a World Cup showdown for the first time ever with a 10-wicket romp in a Super 12 blockbuster at the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.
Virat Kohli played a captain’s knock of 57 to rescue India from a top-order wobble and help them post a competitive 151-7 in a rematch of the inaugural 2007 final.
His counterpart Babar combined with Mohammad Rizwan to get Pakistan off to a flying start and then overwhelmed the target with 13 balls to spare to snap India’s 100% win record against them in limited-overs World Cups.
Babar remained not out on 68, while Rizwan made an unbeaten 79.
Wary of the dew factor, captains have preferred to field and Babar too followed that trend after winning the toss.
Pakistan did not have to wait long for a breakthrough as Shaheen Afridi (3-31) struck twice in his first seven deliveries to rattle India.
The left-arm pacer fired in a searing yorker-length delivery to dismiss Rohit Sharma lbw for a golden duck and, in his next over, rifled one through KL Rahul’s gate to rearrange the stumps.
Suryakumar Yadav hit Afridi for a six but Rizwan took a diving catch behind the stumps to dismiss the batsman and reduce India to 31-3 in the sixth over.
Kohli and Rishabh Pant calmed nerves in the Indian camp and guided the team to 60-3 at the halfway stage of the innings.
Pant then decided to counter-attack and hit Hasan Ali for back-to-back sixes but his ultra-aggression ultimately did him in.
Shadab Khan foxed Pant with a googly to induce a skier which the spinner caught himself to dismiss the batsman for 39.
Kohli fell in the penultimate over of the innings trying to accelerate but India still made the 150-mark.
Pakistan, in their reply, not only kept their wickets intact in the powerplay overs but also scored briskly with Babar and Rizwan effectively killing off the contest with their rock-solid stand.
Babar brought up his fifty in style, hitting spinner Varun Chakravarthy for a six, while Rizwan reached his own fifty with a pulled boundary off Jasprit Bumrah.
SIX! Pakistan 10-0 (0.3)
A six to follow! That’s not that short, but Rizwan is swiftly latching on to it, squatting in his stance to get underneath a ball that may have grazed the top of the bails and unleash a compact pull over the short square leg boundary. A lovely little number.
FOUR! Pakistan 4-0 (0.2 overs)
A hint of away-movement to the right-handed Mohammad Rizwan through the air as Kumar immediately finds a good area.
That’s a nice shot, though - Rizwan clips a leg-side length ball between midwicket and mid-on, with Varun Chakravarthy just about able to scoop the ball back and prevent a boundary. We check with the third umpire - has he still got the ball when he slides into the advertising triangle? Ah, he has - four runs it is!
Taking the new ball...
...Will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a mightily effective bowler when there’s a bit of swing of nip. Can he find it?
How do Pakistan go about chasing 152?
Much may rest on Pakistan’s excellent opening pair. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have evolved into one of the world’s most consistent partnership, neither the fiercest ball striker but each perhaps the perfect sort of player for a surface like this.
If they are able to get them close, Asif Ali might be key - he’s the true power-hitter in this side and will likely be given the finisher’s role at six. The usage of Fakhar Zaman will be interesting, too - he’s the sole left-hander in the top order who may try and target Ravindra Jadeja. Remember that with Hardik Pandya unable to bowl, Virat Kohli (!) is India’s sixth bowling option.
A good bowling showing from Pakistan
An off-day for Hasan Ali, who went at eleven an over, but otherwise a pleasing day at the office for Pakistan’s bowling attack. Shaheen led the charge with his superb new-ball burst but Haris Rauf was outstanding, conceding just 25 from his four and bowling some tough overs, while Shadab Khan and the combined might of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez tied India down well in eight economical overs of spin.
About even?
You would say that 151 is just about par on a surface upon which it looks tricky to score freely. Having been rocked by a brilliant new-ball spell from Shaheen Shah Afridi, India, led by Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli, battled well to a competitive score but missed out on the late acceleration to propel themselves to something slightly more imposing.
The surface looked particularly devilish when Pakistan’s seamers used their cutters late on, and there was a bit of turn and bounce for the spinners. It won’t be easy for Babar Azam’s side to track it down, but they’ll be pleased to have limited India as they did. Might dew have a role to play - the ball could well skid on slightly better under the lights?
India 151-7 (20)
This time it is a raunchier number from Bhuvneshwar, throwing his bat all over the place like a crazed conductor’s baton as he tries to manipulate Haris Rauf behind the stumps. Rauf drags the ball wide of off in response to an initial attempted scoop, and Bhuvneshwar can’t make contact as he tries to reverse the shot and beat short third man.
Shami nonetheless calls him through for a bye as Mohammad Rizwan is forced to his knees in gathering Rauf’s slower ball, and India will finish up on 151.
India 150-7 (19.5)
Just about home! India hurry two as new man Mohammed Shami beats the throw of the fielder despite a direct hit.
And again! India reach 150 as Hasan Ali fumbles his pick-up after another Bhuvneshwar Kumar leg-side nudge allows his partner to use his sprinting spikes. Two more.
OUT! Hardik Pandya c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf 11 (8b 2x4 0x6), India 146-7 (19.3)
Lobbed to extra cover! This has been a death bowling master-class from Haris Rauf, executing his plans perfectly on a pitch favouring cutters and slower balls. Another sticks in the surface from short of a good length and Hardik, like all of the batters tonight, is ahead of the curve in his short, skewing an attempted slog up and to the off-side.
Babar Azam calls off the dogs as he steadies himself and takes a calm catch moving to his right and towards long-off.
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