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India vs Pakistan LIVE BLOG - Can arch rivals give Asia Cup its first close match?
By Sidharth MongaAxar 4-0-18-2
Axar Patel has bowled his four overs in a row, taking two wickets, both catches in the deep. It's 72 for 6 in 14 overs. That's 4 for 30 in eight overs post powerplay.
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Kuldeep among wickets as well
44 Number of balls in 12.4 overs, that have not been scored off. The 44th is a desperate slog-sweep by Hasan Nawaz, which results in a top edge and catch for Axar Patel, who runs from slip to short fine to complete the catch. It is followed by a googly that beats Mohammad Nawaz on the inside edge and catches him lbw. Kuldeep is on a hat-trick, Pakistan 64 for 6. Faheem Ashraf survives the hat-trick ball.
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Farhan ends boundary drought
33 Number of balls between boundaries, a drought ended by a six off Axar Patel as Sahibzada Farhan skips down the track and lofts him over long-on. Still, Pakistan are only 62 for 4 in 12 overs.
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Spin strangle
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Salman Agha, the Pakistan captain, has been absolutely handcuffed by India's spinners. The innings has come to a grinding halt after the powerplay, and to the last ball of the 10th over, he tries a hail mary: a slog-sweep off Axar Patel. He is caught. Pakistan 49 for 4 after 10 overs.
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Zaman falls to Axar Patel
Powerplay ends, the spinners tighten the crews, only three runs come in nine balls post powerplay, and then Fakhar Zaman tries the big shot against what is a good match-up: left-arm spin of Axar Patel. However, Axar doesn't turn the ball, and Zaman ends up skying it to long-on. It is 45 for 4 in 7.4.
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Farhan goes where no Pakistan batter has gone
Sahibzada Farhan might be one of the six to have hit two sixes off Bumrah in T20Is, but he has also the first Pakistan batter to hit a six off Bumrah in any international match. First in 400 balls. And what a shot it was: a sort of an aerial on-drive over mid-on to a hard length.
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Pakistan come back after double strike
6 Number of batters who have hit two sixes off Jasprit Bumrah in T20 internationals. Nobody has ever hit three. Sahibzada Farhan is one of those six with two sixes off Bumrah's three overs, all in the powerplay. After two early wickets, Pakistan are now 42 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. Farhan 19 off 19, Zaman 16 off 11.
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'Revoke your decision'
I don't think I have ever heard a third umpire tell the on-field umpire that he needs to 'revoke" his decision, but that is exactly what Afghanistan's Ahmed Shah Pakteen has told Ruchira Palliyaguruge after he has given Fakhar Zaman lbw to a really full Jasprit Bumrah delivery. The replay shows it has pitched just outside leg. Zaman survives, but Bumrah is looking dangerous with both seam and swing. It's 7 for 2 after two overs.
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c Pandya b Bumrah after c Bumrah b Pandya
Mohammad Haris has looked to attack almost every ball he has faced, but this pitch has no pace or bounce in it. Haris tries to drag a Bumrah length ball from outside off to over square leg, but toe ends it for a catch to Hardik Pandya running in from fine leg. Both of them have been involved in both dismissals. It is 6 for 2 in 1.2.
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Wicket with first legal delivery
India give the brand new ball to Hardik Pandya, but it chases Jasprit Bumrah at backward point. A second golden duck for Saim Ayub. The first ball was a wide down the leg side, the second and was short and wide, and Ayub threw his hands at it. Just found the man at point to perfection. Pakistan 1 for 1 after 0.1.
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Pakistan win toss, both sides get what they want
The toss has turned out to be a formality as Pakistan have surprisingly chosen to bat first after Salman Agha called it right. Dubai has usually been a venue for chasing under lights. Pakistan have beaten India twice in their last three T20I at this venue when chasing. Yet they have decided to bat first and trust their spinners to defend the total.
India were looking to bowl anyway. And they have retained the XI that they used in the first game, which means we get to see Kuldeep Yadav and Vaurn Chakravarthy together again. Pakistan stick with their XI as well, meaning Haris Rauf stays out.
The captains didn't shake hands nor made eye contact at the toss.
Pakistan 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Salman Agha (capt.), 5 Hasan Nawaz, 6 Mohammad Haris (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Sufiyan Muqeem, 11 Abrar Ahmed
India 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt.), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
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Almost toss time
The toss is upon us. Time to talk combinations. India will likely stick with Sanju Samson given he didn't even get a chance to bat in the last match. They went in with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya as the only two quicks in the last match. Will they do the same here? Given that Shivam Dube took wickets, they might just stick with the combination.
Will Pakistan bring back Haris Rauf? Or will they stick with two spinners and seam allrounders to partner Shaheen Shah Afridi? The toss is not far away.
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Tension around the match
Shashank Kishore, who is in Dubai, has seen the build-up for this game is different to any India-Pakistan encounter we remember. While the tickets were still available when last checked, there is still a feeling of walking on eggshells. You perhaps feel the worst for the players who will be under intense scrutiny not for their cricket but body language. See a sample from Kishore's piece.
They've had to ensure there is no room for words or gestures to be magnified, perhaps even more so, after a handshake between Suryakumar Yadav and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi at the captains' press conference was clipped, replayed and debated. Similarly, there's no telling how a simple moment could be scrutinised next. Like a laugh shared by the captains at the toss, for instance, could be replayed, slowed down and analysed frame by frame on social media, and perhaps even on news TV.
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New era, new subplots
There is no Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan in this match but there are still plenty of subplots. Afridi will be bowling for the first time to Gill and Abhishek in a T20 match. The reinforced Pakistan spin attack and India's established wizards. Danyal Rasool and Shashank kishore picked more of those to watch out for.
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Asia Cup looks to arch rivals
Welcome to the live blog for the first match between India and Pakistan since February 23 earlier this year when the two met at the Champions Trophy. The Asia Cup organisers will hope the arch rivals can provide the first close finish in what has been a lopsided tournament so far. Pakistan last beat India in an international in 2022, at this very venue, which is where India also beat them earlier this year. India lead the head-to-head 9-2 in the last 11 encounters between these two sides. They come here on an almighty roll and a 25-3 win-loss record since the start of the last T20 World Cup, which they went through undefeated.
Don't rule out Pakistan, though. They have tried to reimagine their T20 game under Mike Hesson, and also Dubai is a venue with heavy premium on winning the toss. Pakistan will be eager to get it right at the toss, put India in and ask Shaheed Shah Afridi to have a go to Shubman Gill for the first time.
About an hour to the toss, and a lot to talk about. So let's lock in.
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