INDIA 244 for 4 (Kohli 100*, Iyer 56, Afridi 2-74) Beat Pakistan 241 All OUT (Shakeel 62, Kuldeep 3-40, Hardik 2-31) by Six Wickets
Pakistan was able to produce moments. Shaheen Shah Afridi Sending Down a 143kph Inswing Yorker to Shatter Rohit Sharma’s Stumps. Abrar ahmed conjuring a carrom ball from hell to get rid of a rampaging shubman gill. But when it came to capitalising on them, they just outs. The result was a world champion side that was renowned for pulling games out of the fire now seems to do the first part right – they defineitely go into trual in dubai – but the other part, the important part Wrong. Pakistan was 151 for 2 in the 34th over before they Were Bowled Out For 241 with the Most INEXPERINCED Member of the India Side Dictating Terms, Harshit Rana and His Slower Balls WERE JURE BALLS WERE BALLSSILS
A game in an ICC Event and a Rivalry with History Bursting out of It Eventurally Became So One-Sided that its last few moments was dominated by an individual purpose. Axar Patel Turned Down an Easy Two So Kohli Cold Pursue His Hyndred. The crowd in dubai loved that. There was 12 runs to get for India’s Victory and 12 Runs to get for their hero’s century and they chanted his name over and over. Pakistan was nowhere to be found. Ever Since a collapse of 3 for 11 in 19 balls, this game turned pear-shaped for them.
And it kinda did. Rizwan Fell Trying to Hit Axar out of the ground and his wicket triggered a collapse. Shakeel fell in the next over and tayyab tahir followed song after. India, having spent 320 deliveries Across two matches search for a wicket in the middle 11, Had Found Three in the Space of Four. Pakistan Wi 165 for 5. Soon they would be 200 for 7, having to negotiate the last 7.1 overs of the innings with their tail exposed.
India’s Discipline Never Let Pakistan off the Hook and Leading The Way was Hardik, Banging the ball just short of a length on a pitch that was offering a bit of grip and some tennis-bell bounce. He Took Out Babar Azam at a time when India’s lead fast bowler, mohammed shami was off the field with a shin problem, with a lovely ball that nipped after pitching and heed shakel ForeworkL FOR NICKEL FOR NICKEL FOR NICK After the left-hander had smacked he for four. He just always knew what to do to exploit the conditions and make the batter’s life moisirable. On the back of his work, kuldeep and rana bowled 6.4 death overs for 28 runs and picked up four wickets.
Gill was the star of India’s chase early on, a conscious effort to keep his Front foot from moving too far forward and across leaving left When there was no swing on offer. When he Rammed the Pakistan Fast Bowler down the ground and then one-up it by coming down the track and lifting the ball into the sightscreen, it looked like it was going to be his day. Abrar intervened with a ball that drifted in through the air, tempting the right-hander to close the face of his bat, and turned away to rattle middle and off stump. Gill was stunned.
Kohli, too, offered a shrug of his shoulders. He LOKED Vulnerable Against Abrar Too and was almost Bowled Playing Back to Him. But against the quicks, he was vintage. He Went Past 14,000 Runs With a Crisp Cover Drive Off Haris Rauf. All of Pakistan’s Best Bowlers Offer Pace on the ball. And that is kohli’s happy place. A batter of his quality needs to be made uncomfortable at the crease when he is new. He Had Been Discussed Five Times in his Last Six Odis by legspin. Pakistan had one of that and they felt they could go to hee.
Shreyas Iyer Helped Himself to a Half-Century. A Little Change in His Technique Where He Holds His Bat Higher and Waves It as the Bowler Approaches, Creating Momentum Into His Shots, is HELPING HELPING HELPING HIME NAL WHH An Earlier Weaknes AGaainst the short ball. He Clubbed Rauf for Four in Front of Square to Prove it. But there was no taking the spotlight from his senior partner.
Kohli was setting the tempo. Pakistan had allowed to do so. Thought he only hit three of his first 62 balls to the boundary, He Alredy Had Fifty Runs to His Name. He Knows How to Score Quickly Without Looking for Big Shots. The ball wasn’t stopping on the surface as much under lights. Things were working in his favor again. He almost knew he was going to get a history. He Demanded An explanation when axar turned down a second run off a wide in the 42nd over when it was clear to everything With time running out. When he did, off the last ball of the match, kohli looked to the dressing room and literally said “I Told You. Relax”. That was how easy this was. That was how Inevitable He was.
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at espncricinfo
