Babar Azam top scored with 47 runs and Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the best figures of 3/15.
The much awaited India and Pakistan match in the ongoing Asia Cup 2018 had gathered a lot of hype and the intensity was much higher than the heat in Dubai.
Pakistan and India were playing each other for the first time in a year. Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and chose to bat first and went with an unchanged team. Meanwhile, India brought in Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah in for Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur.
Pakistan openers Fakhar Zaman (0) and Imam-ul-Haq (2) started off cautiously against Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah and the pressure became too much when Bhuvneshwar removed both the openers for just 3 runs on the board.
Shoaib Malik (43) and Babar Azam (47) added 82 runs for the third wicket, but Azam was bowled by Kuldeep and Malik Ran himself out. Kedar Jadhav was introduced to peg the batsmen down and he did just that and removed Sarfaraz Ahmed (6), Asif Ali (9) and Shadab Khan (8) to break Pakistan’s backbone.
Meanwhile, India lost Hardik Pandya to a lower back injury in the 18th over. Faheem Ashraf (21) and Mohammad Amir (18*) took Pakistan past 150, but Bumrah and Kumar came back to end the Pakistani innings at 162.
Bhuvneshwar (3/15), Kedar Jadhav (3/23) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/23) were the main wicket takers for India.
The Cricket Fraternity took to Twitter to applaud a clinical performance by the Indian bowlers against a formidable Pakistani batting lineup.
Here are some tweets:
Outstanding bowling performance from India. Have given the batsmen a gettable target. A day is a long time for bowlers!!
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) September 19, 2018
Why do Pakistan always struggle against India ?? #AsiaCup
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 19, 2018
India, who looked like were sleepwalking against Hong Kong y’day, have performed with gusto and purpose in the field todsy despite the 2 dropped catches. Pak batting terribly below par. Target seems easy to get
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) September 19, 2018
Pakistan make harakiri of a perfectly logical advantage o winning the toss...!! Trust our neighbours to allow atmospheric heat to get under their skin..for there was nothing hostile about Indn attack at all..pity the houseful n Dubai being served such ordinary stuff..!!
— Bishan Bedi (@BishanBedi) September 19, 2018
What an amazing bowling performance by Indian Bowling lineup esp the golden arm @JadhavKedar and @BhuviOfficial #IndiavsPakistan #INDvsPAK
— Sudiip Tyagi (@sudiiptyagi) September 19, 2018
Superb blowing by the Indian bowlers to restrict Pak to 162. They really have come back strongly in this game after slight hiccups last evening. #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2018
— R P Singh (@rpsingh) September 19, 2018
Great start by Indian side, must to applaud is the way they bowled. Outstanding given the warm conditions on a batting wicket. Hoping for a thrilling encounter, that our side also bowls exceptionally well - Big responsibility for the Pakistani pacers on their shoulders. #PakVInd
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 19, 2018