Abhishek, Gill steer India to clinical victory over stuttering Pakistan

Openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill put up a mesmerising batting performance to enthrall the crowd as India crushed Pakistan by six wickets in their Super Four match of the Asia Cup on Sunday.

After restricting Pakistan to 171/5, India achieved the target with seven balls to spare to register their seventh successive win with T20Is and ODIs combined together.

The opening duo of India shared a century partnership for the first wicket not only to set the tone for a successful chase but also seal the fate of the match.

Both the players launched an unprecedented attack on struggling Pakistani bowlers. The carnage which started with the onset of India's first ball did not stop until the 10th over.

They amassed a whopping 105 runs in just 9.3 overs to tilt the match in India’s favour. They pulled, cut, sliced, steered and drove elegantly. Both the batsmen played copy-book shots and took the score to 105 for no loss.

Pakistani bowlers were clueless as they were reduced to mute spectators. Abhishek was the more brutal of the two as he sprinted to his fifty off 24 balls with the help of six fours and four sixes.

Pakistan did make some in-roads through their bowlers but it was futile as the match was over long before the formalities were completed.

Fahim Ashraf clean bowled Gill and Suryakumar Yadav was taken by Abrar off Haris Rauf before Abhishek holed out to Rauf off the bowling of Abrar.

India were reduced to 123/3 from 104/0. But it was too late as the damage was already done.

Abhishek smacked a 39-ball 74, peppered with six hits to the fence and Sanju Samson and Tilak Verma took the match deeper before Rauf uprooted the stumps of the Indian wicket-keeper. 

Verma and Pandya combined together to take India over the line without any more hiccups.

India started the chase on a positive note as Abhishek used the pace of the ball to hit Shaheen for a six off the first ball at the third man.

Both Abhishek and Gill continued to plunder runs on their will. Gill took 10 and 12 runs off Ayub and Shaheen in the next two overs before Abhishek hit Abrar for a six and four on successive deliveries as India sprinted to 50 in just 4.4 overs without loss.

The pressure was back on Pakistan. Their bowlers were struggling not only to take the wickets but also stop the flow of runs. India’s plan was simple to crush the spirit of Pakistani bowlers inside the power play itself.

Earlier, Farhan was dropped on naught by Abhishek at the deep third man in the first over of Pandya. Farhan slogged a delivery outside the off, it took the leading edge and went high up in the air. Abhishek ran in but could not judge the ball.

That was an ominous sign, signaling something inauspicious is in store for the defending champions. Zaman took 11 off Bumrah in the next over as Pakistan got the highest opening partnership in the tournament.

Zaman played a cracking square cut to collect another boundary before Pandya got him caught with an outswinger. He could not get in the line of the ball and played it away from his body, nicking it to the wicket-keeper Sanju Samson.

The ball just carried to the gloves as the third umpire ruled it out. Zaman’s cameo of 9-ball 15, peppered with three boundaries, came to an abrupt end as Pakistan lost the first wicket for 21.

After the departure of Zaman, Farhan stepped up to lead Pakistan’s charge. Ayub pulled Pandya for boundary as he got off the mark for the first time in the tournament in the fourth game.

India seemed to have come with butter fingers as they dropped two catches in just five overs. Ayub swept Chakravarthy but the ball took the leading edge and Kuldeep came underneath it.

But the ball popped out of his hands as Ayub got a life line on four. Lady luck was smiling on Pakistani batsmen as they took the innings forward.

Farhan smashed Bumrah for two fours in the next over to collect 13 off it as Pakistan raced to 55 in 6 overs for the loss of one wicket – their best power play in the tournament. They also registered their highest ever score in a power play against India ever.

Abhishek put down Farhan again at the long on as the Pakistani opener slogged Chakravarthy over the top. Abhishek got his hands on the ball but lost his control, parrying it over the rope for the maximum.

Farhan was simply unstoppable as he tonked Kuldeep for two sixes in the next over before bringing up his first fifty of the tournament with another six off Axar Patel in just 34 balls, which featured five fours and three sixes – 76 per cent of his runs came in boundaries.

Shivam Dube led the fight back as he broke the dangerous-looking partnership. Abhishek redeemed for his mistake by taking a stunning catch to send back Ayub as Pakistan lost the second wicket with 92 runs on the board at the half-way mark.  Ayub and Farhan shared a 72-run stand for the second wicket.

After the dismissal of Ayub, Kuldeep and Dube pulled it back for India as they put a brake on the free flow of runs. Pakistani batsmen could not hit a single boundary in three overs. Pakistan kept on losing the wickets at regular intervals. Hussain Talat holed it out to Chakravarthy at short third man while trying to play a sweep shot to end the boundary drought.

Farhan played a reckless shot as he tried to slog Dube with a horizontal bat, the ball took the top edge and Suryakumar scooped an easy catch. Pakistan lost three wickets in 3.4 overs, scoring 22 runs.

Pakistan could not hit a single boundary before Agha came down the track and smashed a six over Kuldeep's head to break the jinx.

Mohammad Nawaz was caught napping while trying to scramble for a cheeky single as Suryakumar dislodged the bails with a direct throw.

Faheem Ashraf was dropped by Shubman Gill off Bumrah. The ball bounced back off his hands and went over the line as the Indian pace spearhead conceded a whopping 45 in his four overs, without picking up any wicket.