India in a fix as they lose both Rohit and Rahul earlyIndia vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2021 Live Score Updates: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and elected to field against arch-rivals India in the Super 12 game of the ICC T20 World Cup on Sunday. Pakistan left out Haider Ali from the 12 named on Saturday while Hardik Pandya finds a place in the Indian playing XI which also has Varun Chakravarthy as the second spinner.
India Playing XI: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan Playing XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
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Hafeez comes in to bowl the 8th over. Rizwan is convinced he has Pant caught behind. Erasmus says no. Pakistan have reviewed immediately. It's ultimately not out. India 43/3 after 8 overs.
Kohli finishes off the last over of Powerplay with a 4 as Pakistan rocks India. India need to buck up. India 36/3 after 6 overs. This is brilliant bowling till now without doubt. A couple of good looking shots as well. But the pitch looks slow. Hitting through the off looks very difficult. This might turn into another low score thriller between these 2 teams.
Now, SKY is also gone as it's taken by Rizwan behind the wicket. Yadav's cameo ends as India keep losing wickets. India 31/3 after 5.4 overs.
And Kohli takes charge now. Hits a 6 off Afridi. After SKY hit a 4 and a 6 in the last ball of the last two overs, India has started to set a pace for themselves. India 30/2 after 5 overs.
ANOTHER. Afridi has taken another. An in form Raul departs. India off to a very rocky start. Lose their second wicket. India 6/2 after 2.1 overs.
Imad Wasim comes in to bowl the second over. Pakistan have really stifled India as they look to pile the pressure on. And the pressure is mounting. India 6/1 after two overs.
Rahul finally off the mark in the third ball. And that's a wicket. Rohit Sharma is gone. Bang on the money. India lose first wicket. What a start for Pak. India 1/1 after 0.4 overs.
Rahul and Rohit are at the crease. Rahul is on strike. Shaheen Afridi will open the attack
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan (Playing XI): Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
Coin goes up. Kohli calls tails but it lands on head. Pakistan win toss, opt to field first.
If one more former Pakistan player advises Babar Azam and his boys to not let pressure impact their skill-set they are likely to collectively snap. Like for most much-talked about games, inane and obvious sound bytes have been hitting the air for a while but most have been directed to the Pakistan dressing room. Lack of international exposure, the stagnation of their domestic cricket and fund crunch are said to be factors responsible for the decline of Pakistan cricket and their poor record against an ever-improving India. But most previews emerging from Pakistan, have the word "pressure" in every other sentence. News is PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, on zoom today, spoke to the team. The crux of the conversation ... you guessed it right: "Don't need to take extra pressure". He also told them not to "worry about the results". This after Raja, while speaking to a Senate Standing Committee days before the World T20, had mentioned about a "strong investor who was ready with a blank cheque for the PCB if Pakistan beat India". Which conversely means, in case they don't win that unnamed "strong investor" becomes weak. So the revival of Pakistan cricket solely depends on the 11 on the field. But well, "don't take extra pressure". Wasim Akram's pre-game gyaan was on similar lines. "It is a battle of the mind, nerves and a lot more when Pakistan and India play each other in a World Cup. Whoever handles the pressure and makes lesser mistakes will do well. Team strengths and weaknesses go out of the window when these two sides clash, pressure is the keyword." Shoaib Akhtar, meanwhile, worded it differently. His tweet: "Important baat @babarazam258. Sab se pehle, Aap nay ghabrana nahi hai :)."
The India and Pakistan team on their way to the ground.
- Virat Kohli hasn't been dismissed in a T20 World Cup match against Pakistan. His scores: 78*, 36* & 55*
- Md. Rizwan (1462 @ 133.4 SR) and Babar Azam (1363 @ 134.7 SR) are the two highest run-getters in T20s in 2021
- In T20Is since July 2019, Pakistan have the worst balls per six ratio (24.9) among the eight teams directly qualified for Super 12.
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Last 5 completed matches
India: LLWWW
Pakistan: WLLWW
As we wait for the epic clash to begin, the Dubai International stadium prepares itself.