Tweet in your thoughts, ideas, reasons for elation and absolute frustration to @PrakashG_CB during the #INDvPAK game. We'll feature the best (and quirkiest!).
England Women vs West Indies Women, 16th Match, Group B - Live Cricket Score, Commentary
Series: ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2020 Venue: Sydney Showground Stadium, Sydney Date & Time: Mar 01, 07:00 PM LOCAL
Babar Azam gets one over Kohli in the T20 World Cup © Cricbuzz
All over! Pakistan win by 10 wickets
What a way to start your World Cup campaign. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have fashioned a 10-wicket win to end India's dominance over them in T20 World Cups. You've got to doff your hat to this performance that was absolutely calm, clinical and calculative. It was one of those days where India have just got to accept they were a distant second-best against an all-round side that didn't put one foot wrong.
Milestone for Rizwan too
What a performance this is turning out to be form Pakistan. Both their openers now have half-centuries and their stand is the highest for any wicket for a Pakistan pair against India in this format.
Fifty for Babar Azam!
He's not one for comparisons but he's brilliantly matched his opposite number with a fine, 40-ball half-century here. More importantly, he's driven Pakistan's chase alongside Rizwan, who is also just a few runs away from his fifty. At this stage, Pakistan are headed for a 10-wicket victory here.
Towel's out, dew's on!
Not good news for India as the towel has been brought out regularly in the middle overs here. If dew takes effect this chase, which has already begun very well, could be over very soon.
Solid start for Pakistan
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan - the two leading run-getters in T20Is this year - have given Pakistan a commanding and comfortable start against India's three quicks. Only Varun Chakravarthy's over was played with a bit of circumspection as they got just two runs off it. They've reached 43/0 in 6 overs, very much on course in this chase. Massive middle-overs coming up for India here.
Mohammad Rizwan fan club members unite...
India have expectedly started off by picking three fast-bowling options in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Hardik Pandya is picked - Kohli said you can't just find another player easily that can do what he does at No. 6 - but won't bowl tonight. He is expected to be eased in as far as bowling duties go.
There's no room for Ravichandran Ashwin - it could be down to unfavourable match-ups as Fakhar Zaman is the only left-hander in Pakistan's top-order. Rahul Chahar sits out too as Varun Chakravarthy comes in to shoulder the spin duties along with Ravindra Jadeja. If dew stays out, the middle-overs tussle could be fun.
Starting XI:
India:Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan:Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
TOSS: Pakistan opt to bowl.
As we wait for the big game to get underway, here's a superb reading list to whet your appetite:
- A data-driven analysis on why Pakistan could add T20 World Cup title #2 this year
- The fascinating tale of Hasan Ali's redemption
- India's changing T20 stratagem
- And finally, a heart-warming collection: The rivalry you know, the friendships you don't
Prelude - Bring out that popcorn tub
Hello all, the ICC most obvious scheduling quirk is here! It's India vs Pakistan, the most-hyped, highly-anticipated and unrivalled fixture in coloured kits in the sport today.
Despite the tension and the drama of the occasion, it's perhaps safe to say we've come a long way from dressing room whispers that involve 'you don't lose to this lot'. The competitive spirit is of course still very high, but there's reason to keep things real and level-headed.
After the last round between these two in the T20 World Cup, the then captain MS Dhoni was asked when will Pakistan ever beat India in an ICC event - almost like a desperate plea, to which the Indian captain gave the sort of pragmatic response that only he could've. He'd played down India's grip on this fixture and said at some point this jinx will be broken, this hoodoo will be overcome. And just a year later, Pakistan got one over India in the biggest game - the final - of the Champions Trophy.
It must be said that it's a shame that these two sides haven't crossed paths more often, pitting their unique strengths against each other. Anyway, they're up against each other tonight - and as our man Kaushik bills it - this is the apex predator (India) vs the ultimate survivors (Pakistan). Forget the history and histrionics involved in this emotionally charged fixture and strip it down to just the cricketing abilities, and you'll see there's a really exciting game with great subplots about to unfold tonight.
© Cricbuzz
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