Dubai: Indian batsmen sparkled in the rain through four half centuries and produced an impressive 124 runs victory (Duckworth-Lewis method) over Pakistan in the fourth match of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Edgbaston in Birmingham.
India posted an impressive 319 for 3 with opener Rohit Sharma top scoring with 91 runs off 119 balls with seven fours two sixes and his partner Shikhar Dhawan scoring 68 runs off 65 balls with six boundaries and a six. They put on 136 runs in 24.3 overs.
Indian Skipper Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh then accelerated the run rate through a 93 runs partnership in 9.4 overs. Yuvraj cracked a whirlwind 53 off 32 balls with eight fours and one six while Kohli remained unconquered on 81 runs off 68 balls with six boundaries and three sixes.
Hardik Pandya with three successive sixes off Imad Wasim remained unbeaten on 20 off six balls. With his skipper, Pandya added 34 runs in the last 1.4 overs. Interestingly, 23 runs were scored off the final over from Wasim and 72 runs came off the last four overs.
Pakistan’s main pacers, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz could not complete their quota of overs and limped off the field due to injuries.
As per the Duckworth Lewis Method Pakistan needed to chase 324 runs in 48 overs. Soon after Pakistan began their chase, rain stopped the match and the revised target became 289 in 41 overs. Pakistan, who were 22 for no loss in five overs needed another 267 runs in 36 overs. They could muster only 164 runs in 33.4 overs with Umesh Yadav taking three wickets for 30 runs backed by Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja with two wickets each.
Pakistan began well but the surrendered meekly. Openers Azhar Ali and Ahmad Shehzad put on 47 runs in nine overs before Bhuvneshwar Kumar trapped Shehzad leg before with a delivery that angled in for 12. From there on Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Babar Azam gifted his wicket slashing at Umesh Yadav to Ravindra Jadeja at backward point for 8. Ali got a lucky escape on 39 when Kumar, running in from long on, dropped him off Hardik Pandya. He reached his half century in 64 balls and then swept into the hands of Pandya at deep square leg off Jadeja.
Shoaib Malek walked in with Pakistan needing 198 runs from 20 overs. He lasted just nine balls to score 15 runs before being brilliantly run out by Jadeja from backward point. Mohammad Hafeez too perished, hitting Jadeja high to Kumar at deep mid-wicket for 33. Pandya struck two vital blows to remove Wasim and skipper Sarfraz Nawaz in quick succession to end Pakistan’s challenge.
India played like defending champions and maintained their supremacy over Pakistan in ICC tournaments.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss but opted to field. Amir began by bowling a maiden first over. Wasim too bowled a good second over giving away three runs. The first boundary came only in the fifth over when Sharma hooked Amir past fine leg. He also punched Wasim for a boundary past cover point for another boundary.
Dhawan picked his first boundary only in the 10th over when he swept Wasim for a boundary. After rain, runs continued to flow with Dhawan catching up with Sharma through some elegant ground shots. In the first 15 overs, India were 66 for no loss.
Sharma hit two boundaries off Wahab Riaz, both were beautifully played. For the first boundary, he drove elegantly through extra cover and for the next, he cut past backward point. Sharma reached his half century in 71 balls pulling Shadab Khan for a six. The pair recorded their 100 runs partnership in 19.3 overs with Dhawan hitting Riaz for three successive boundaries in the over. When Dhawan too lifted Shadab Khan for his first six, Pakistan bowlers looked absolutely helpless. The run rate too kept accelerating with every over.
Shadab gave the breakthrough by making Dhawan hit a full toss into the hands of Azhar Ali at deep mid-wicket. Kohli joined Sharma and India went past the 150 run mark in the 28th over.
At the score on 173 for 1 in 33.1 overs, rain stopped play and was converted into a 48 over per side contest. The run flow dipped after start before Sharma hit Riaz for a boundary and a six in the 36th over. Sharma-Kohli 56 runs partnership form 12.1 overs ended when Sharma got run out for 91 to a throw from Babar Azam at backward point. Though Sharma dived and slid his bat inside the crease at the point of stumping his bat was in the air. Yuvraj Singh began with a boundary off Riaz and India reached the 200 run mark in the 38th over.
Hasan Ali at long off dropped Yuvraj’s mistimed loft of Shadab when he was on eight. Yuvraj celebrated his luck by going for his shots. He hammered Hasan for a straight boundary and pulled him for a six. The pair put on 50 runs with Yuvraj hitting 37 of those runs. Kohli reached his half century off 58 balls with a six off Hasan and Yuvraj too reached his half century in 29 balls.
