India vs Pakistan: Rohit Sharma-Shikhar Dhawan opening stand holds key against arch-rivals

The Indian cricket team has arguably been the most dominant side in Asia Cup 2018 till now and a major reason behind the dominance has been the partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma at the top of the batting line-up. The duo was responsible for handing them a good start in all three matches till now and with 40+ stands, they have laid the foundation on every single occasion.

A look at the overall stats shows the kind of form that Rohit and Dhawan have enjoyed so far - They have scored 3636 runs in 81 innings at an average of 45.45 which is fifth best partnership average by an opening pair and when it comes to the Asia, the pair averages 47.06 which is third best in the list.

In the first match, they added 45 runs against Hong Kong and that helped India in posting a competitive total of 285/7. In the next two matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh, the experienced pair added 86 and 56 runs respectively for the opening wicket as India completed successful run chases in Dubai.

The record does not falter against Pakistan as the duo have scored 222 runs in 3 matches till now with one half century and one century stand. In the last game, they were dominant against the Pakistan pacers and thanks to their partnership (86 off 79 balls), India cruised to an eight-wicket victory.

With Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan both enjoying a good run of form, the onus will once again be on the openers to provide India with a good start when they take on Pakistan on Sunday.

First Published: Sep 22, 2018 20:21 IST