The two teams first met when Pakistan toured India for a five-match Test series in 1952. The hosts prevailed 2-1 in the series. Since then, the two countries have played a number of Test, ODI, and T20I matches. However, as political tensions and many wars between the two countries increased over time, cricket suffered as both sides were ordered to stop playing against one another. India and Pakistan have faced off against each other 203 times at the international level to date, with Pakistan outperforming India in Tests and ODIs.
In front of 90,000 spectators on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Virat Kohli's unbroken 82-run innings propelled India to a surprising last-ball victory over Pakistan, boosting their quest for their first ICC Men's T20 World Cup victory since 2007. With the help of superstar Kohli, the world's best Indian team kept their tough adversaries to 159-8 and won by four wickets following an extraordinary last over Things seemed to be going horribly wrong as India crawled to just 45-4 after 10 overs, halfway through their chase.
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The struggling Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40), though, started a comeback by putting up a century stand. India therefore needed 16 runs from Mohammad Nawaz's final over to complete their task. In a group that also features qualifiers South Africa, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands, winning was essential because only the top two teams advance to the semi-finals. Since the late 1990s, India has mostly dominated Pakistan, but they have lost two of their three prior meetings, including by a combined score of 10 wickets in the group stages of both the recent Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. On the strength of their batting lineup, India had been in strong recent form, winning home series against Australia and South Africa.
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The atmosphere was intense as Pakistan's innings stuttered after being put in to bat when skipper Babar Azam was out fielded and bowled by Arshdeep Singh for a golden duck. Few athletic rivalries are as heated as the one between India and Pakistan. Azam tried to review it, but it was right in front. In Singh's subsequent over, Mohammad Rizwan (#4) top-edged a rising ball to Bhuvneshwar Kumar at fine leg, adding to the devastation caused by Singh's swing. As he and Ahmed battled to rebuild the innings, Masood narrowly avoided being called for a run-out. At the halfway stage, they were up 60-2 when Ahmed suddenly changed the momentum by hitting Ravi Ashwin for six and swiping three more in one Axar Patel over. In the 19 runs that elapsed before Mohammed Shami's lbw catch of Ahmed, who had already reached his half-century, Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, and Mohammad Nawaz were all caught by Pandya.
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KL Rahul was dismissed by Naseem Shah in the opening over after dragging the ball against his stumps, and skipper Rohit Sharma (4) was also dismissed by Ahmed after taking a stunning catch at slip off Haris Rauf. Suryakumar Yadav, who is possibly the best T20 batsman in the world right now, was then sent to the crease. However, he only lasted eight deliveries before being caught behind by Rauf for a dizzying 16 as the Pakistani crowd erupted in jubilation. Patel was run out in the subsequent over, leaving India in difficulty at 31-4. After a difficult start, Kohli ultimately rediscovered his groove and launched a comeback against Nawaz by hitting three sixes in one over off Pandya. 60 runs are still needed in the final five over. India hadn't scored a six against the fearsome Pakistan pacers till the beginning of the 19th over. India's chances of reversing this uncommon trend were slim against Haris Rauf, the day's finest bowler. Virat Kohli hit two sixes on the final two balls of the game, which India won after the first four balls failed to produce a boundaryKohli blasted two sixes off Haris Rauf with 16 still needed from the penultimate over and 28 needed off eight balls. During the frantic, exhausting final over, Kohli hit another six over the fence off a no-ball before sprinting three before getting bowled off the ensuing free throw. Two runs are required. After Dinesh Karthik was stumped on the leg side, the score was evened up by a wide, and Ashwin scored the winning run on the last pitch.
WHAT MADE PAKISTAN LOOSE THE MATCH?
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Lacking a potent fourth seamer ultimately cost Pakistan, as India singled out Nawaz while keeping their pacemakers at bay. Shaheen Afridi was the player who inflicted the most damage with the bat in Dubai last year, but this time, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, two of his fellow quicks, upset India's top order. After Pakistan's speed trio restricted India to just 31/3 from their batting Powerplay, there was more carnage when Axar Patel, who had been promoted to No. 5 in the batting order, was run out while attempting to make a run that wasn't there on the first ball of the seventh over.
