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! India 14-2 (3)
Six or out? SIX! The first boundary of the evening and just enough on the hook from Suryakumar Yadav, who sways back quickly and releases the wrist as he pulls for a short boundary on the legside.
It just about beats a leaping fielder on the fence, but not by much.
India 8-2 (2.5)
Shaheen Shah Afridi is absolutely storming in, roared on by the Pakistan fans in the crowd, beautiful bouffant bouncing on the top of his head as he tries to breach the defences of new batter Suryakumar Yadav.
Yadav does well, and hands the strike over to his captain to get off the mark from his second ball. Virat Kohli takes guard outside of his crease in a bid to beat the swing of the ball and looks in decent touch, again able to manipulate a single to the leg-side.
OUT! KL Rahul b Shaheen Shah Afridi 3 (8b 0x4 0x6), India 6-2 (2.1)
HE CAN! UNPLAYABLE FROM SHAHEEN!
It’s another inswinging exocet, nudging 90 mph as it arcs for KL Rahul’s pads. Inside edge into the meat of the thigh and onto the timber beyond: the bails flash and fly, and both of India’s openers have been sent on their way by a brilliant new-ball bowler.
India 6-1 (2)
Shaheen will continue at the other end. He was utterly rampant at times during the recent domestic T20 competition in Pakistan, which is a high-quality event, and he settled in straight away to a major tournament at which he could star. Babar Azam would love to get one of these two early on, as well - can Shaheen snare another?
India 6-1 (2)
A tidy start otherwise from Imad, who also concedes two singles to long-on as the Indian pair begin to rotate the strike. Expect plenty of that from these two.
India 4-1 (1.3)
Imad’s first ball strays down the legside and Kohli is able to nudge a single to fine leg. Rahul does similarly two balls later. A bit of zip from the surface from Imad, who, true to form, isn’t turning the ball a jot.
India 2-1 (1 over)
Kohli gets his first run with a mis-timed shot that draws pursed lips from Shaheen after it takes the inside half of the bat into the leg-side. A brilliant start from the leader of this strong Pakistan attack.
At the other end, as was always likely, will be the top-knotted Imad Wasim. Virat Kohli can be vulnerable against balls sliding in to him from spinners like Imad, who will target the stumps.
India 1-1 (0.5)
To the crease in the first over - Virat Kohli. International icon, domestic superhero, and into the fire against a sensational swing bowler.
On a length, outside off... left alone.
OUT! Rohit Sharma lbw b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 (1b 0x4 0x6), India 1-1 (0.4)
GOT HIM FIRST BALL! BRILLIANT FROM SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI!
Full, straight, swinging in, and thumping into the back pad as Rohit Sharma’s front leg skews away to the leg-side, defeated by some vicious in-movement. Sharma plays right around an outstanding ball first up and he’s on his way for a golden duck.
What a start from Pakistan!
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