Pakistan on Sunday defeated India by 10 wickets in their Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai, bringing to an end India's near-three-decade domination of them on the world stage.
Intent on breaking their the run of losses, Pakistan restricted India to 151 for seven after electing to field in the T20 showpiece's blockbuster game.
Openers Rizwan (79*) and Babar (68*) didn't give any chance to Indian bowlers to come on top as the two batsmen dominated the proceedings. Pakistan chased down the target of 152 without losing a wicket as India looked clueless in their opening match. The duo changed down the target with 13 balls to spare.
Earlier, captain Virat Kohli led from the front with a half-century as India recovered from a disastrous start to post a challenging total.
Besides Kohli's 49-ball 57, Rishabh Pant slammed 39 in 30 deliveries.
Sent into bat after the coin landed in favour of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam at the toss, India were off to the worst possible start as they lost both their prolific openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul within three overs with just six runs on the board.
Doing most of the initial damage was the lanky left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/31 in 4 overs), who had Rohit trapped in front of the wicket for a duck and then bowled Rahul after the batsman had run three singes.
Kohli and Pant then joined forces to add 53 runs in quick time before the latter was caught out by leg-spinner Shadab Khan (1/22 in four overs) off his own bowling in the 13th over.
Meanwhile, Twitter users praised Babar Azam and his side after the win.
"Winning and losing are all part of the game. Rooting for you guys to bounce back and win the World Cup for India. All the best for the upcoming matches, #TeamIndia," tweeted Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
"Well played, #Pak Played all-round better cricket and that wasn’t just a win, it was a loud message to all the teams in the #T20WorldCup that they are a serious contenders for the trophy in these conditions," wrote former cricketer Aakash Chopra.
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(With ANI and PTI inputs)
