In a thrilling encounter at the Asia Cup, it was Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya who emerged as the saviors for the Indian team in their opening Group A match against arch-rivals Pakistan. When they came together, India was in dire straits at 66/4 during the 15th over. With sheer determination and skill, Ishan, currently batting at 43 not out, and Pandya, who’s also unbeaten at 30, orchestrated a remarkable partnership, amassing 61 runs for the fifth wicket. This resilience has taken India to a more promising total of 127/4 after 25 overs.
The match had its fair share of twists and turns. Captain Rohit Sharma, who won the toss and chose to bat, fell early for just 11 runs, courtesy of Shaheen Afridi. Shortly after, Virat Kohli, with a mere 4 runs to his name, experienced the misfortune of playing onto his own stumps off Afridi’s delivery. Shreyas Iyer, another key batsman, managed to put up 14 runs before being dismissed by Haris Rauf, with India’s total at 48. Rauf also accounted for the loss of opener Shubman Gill, who contributed 10 runs to India’s score, further exacerbating India’s precarious situation at 66/4.
In terms of team selection, India deployed Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer in their playing XI. Notably, the Men in Blue opted for a strategy with three all-rounders in the form of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur. Meanwhile, Pakistan fielded an unchanged XI from their previous victory against Nepal, where they won by a substantial margin of 238 runs.
As the match unfolds, the stakes are high for both teams. The top two teams from this group will advance to the Super 4 stage, making every run and wicket crucial in this electrifying contest.
Here are the lineups for both teams:
Pakistan:
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
India:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Stay tuned for more exciting cricket action at the Asia Cup!
Post Your Comments