Virat Kohli made a T20I record 32nd score of fifty plus.
Babar Azam won the toss and chose to bowl first. Indian opener Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul went after the bowling from the start and added 54 runs in 5.1 overs when Rohit got out to Haris Rauf for 28 in 16 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes.
After a scratchy inning against Hong Kong, KL Rahul showcased a return to form as he slammed 28 in 20 balls with 2 sixes and 1 four. Then it was Virat Kohli who held the innings together, with others playing around him.
Suryakumar Yadav made 13, Rishabh Pant made 14, and Hardik Pandya fell for a duck. Deepak Hooda played a cameo of 16 runs.
But Virat Kohli continued his return to form as he stroked an amazing fifty, a record-setting 32nd score of fifty or more for him in T20Is. He was ultimately run out for 60 in 44 balls with 4 fours and 1 six. India finished on 181/7 thanks to two fours off the last two balls by Ravi Bishnoi.
For Pakistan, it was the spinners Shadab Khan (2/31) and Mohammad Nawaz (1/25) who stifled runs in the middle overs. Rauf, Naseem, and Hasnain picked one wicket each and bowled at pretty good speeds.
The cricket fraternity was all praises for Virat Kohli’s knock as India posted a challenging target for Pakistan in this crunch match.
Here are the tweets: