India delivered a commanding performance to comfortably defeat arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in their latest encounter, as the much-anticipated clash failed to live up to its historic intensity.
Batting first in the absence of captain Babar Azam, Pakistan crumbled against disciplined Indian bowling and could only muster 127 for 9 in their 20 overs.
In reply, India chased down the target in just 15.5 overs, with captain Suryakumar Yadav leading from the front with an unbeaten 47.
The result puts India on the brink of securing a place in the Super Four after back-to-back wins, while Pakistan, with one win and one loss, must now wait for the outcome of their next fixture against the United Arab Emirates to learn their fate.
India’s chase was clinical despite the loss of three wickets. Suryakumar Yadav struck five fours and a six in his 47*, while opener Abhishek Sharma provided early momentum with a blistering 31 off just 13 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes.
Tilak Varma added another 31 off 31 balls, supported by Shubman Gill and Shivam Dube, who each contributed 10 runs.
Pakistan's lone bowling success came through Saim Ayub, who claimed all three Indian wickets for 35 runs in his four overs.
Earlier, Pakistan’s innings was in disarray from the outset. Saim Ayub was dismissed off the very first legal delivery, mistiming a short-of-length delivery from Hardik Pandya straight into the hands of Jasprit Bumrah at point. Mohammad Haris followed soon after, undone by Bumrah’s pace and swing, scoring just three runs from five balls.
Although Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman tried to steady the innings, the latter fell for 13 off 15 balls, and a middle-order collapse followed as Agha Salman, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Nawaz all failed to make an impact.
Farhan’s 40 off 44 balls stood as the only substantial contribution until a late flourish from Shaheen Shah Afridi salvaged some pride. Known more for his bowling, Afridi stunned India with the bat, smashing four sixes in an unbeaten 33 off just 16 deliveries to lift Pakistan to a somewhat respectable total.
India’s bowlers were ruthless, with Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav proving most effective. Bumrah’s opening burst rattled the top order, while Kuldeep’s spin wreaked havoc in the middle overs. Without Afridi’s late surge, Pakistan’s total could have been far lower.
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