Babar (50) and Rizwan (49) added 82 runs for the third wicket.
India chased down the 192-run target in 30.3 overs thanks to 86 from Rohit Sharma and 53* from Shreyas Iyer. India captain Rohit Sharma gave a flying start to the team hammering 6 fours and 6 sixes in his 63-ball knock.
Earlier, Pakistan, who were asked to bat first were set for a huge score at 155/2 with Babar Azam on 50 and Mohammad Rizwan looking dangerous as well. The duo had scored briskly against pacers, but once the spinners came on, Babar and Rizwan went into a shell. They milked singles and doubles but surprisingly didn’t go any aerial shots.
It looked like they tried to minimize the risk against Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. This resulted in a massive momentum loss as the duo added just 80 runs in the 18 overs. Then Babar fell to Mohammed Siraj and Rizwan was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah as Pakistan collapsed to 191 all out.
India vice-captain Hardik Pandya, speaking to broadcasters after the match, credited the timid and slow batting by Rizwan and Babar for keeping India in the game at all times.
"Babar and Rizwan were timid. They didn’t take any chances, which is why we thought we were always in the game. There wasn’t much in the pitch for the bowlers. They didn’t try going for shots or attacking us, which is why we were able to bowl dot balls. I have seen that if two players bat in the same way if one gets out, then it opens up a lot of doors," Pandya said after the match to Star Sports.
With this, India maintained their unbeaten run and is now at the top position in the league table with three wins from three games. Only New Zealand matches India in a number of wins but they have a slightly lower NRR than the home team.
India will next take on Bangladesh on 19 October in Pune.