India are 37 for no loss at the end of the sixth over against Pakistan in the Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Sunday.
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As five overs are up, the Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill on display are two completely different beasts than what Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah encountered last time around. They are confident, assured and hitting well-placed shots with impeccable timing. Babar’s decision to field first was to ensure a repeat of the first match. Will the bowlers get a breakthrough to ease the pressure and ensure that outcome?
Gill came down the pitch on the second ball of Shaheen’s third and dispatched him over long-on for a boundary. Afridi decided to come around the wicket to the Indian batter and dispatched for two consecutive fours over the cover region. Indian batters are really breaking free against Shaheen. India are now 37 for the loss of no wickets.
Wide from Naseem off the fifth ball gives a single from the fourth over. Babar reviewed a not-out decision from Naseem’s fifth ball after the ball clearly missed the edge of Rohit Sharma. The TV umpire agreed with the onfield umpire. India are now 24 for the loss of no wickets.
Shaheen was dispatched for back-to-back boundaries of the first two balls by Shubman Gill. A thick inside edge of an attempted flick over the mid-on region gave Gill his second boundary of the game. He went after the southpaw again on the fifth ball, driving the pacer towards the straight boundary. The Indian score is now at 23 after 12 from the third over.
2nd over
The ball flew over to third man of Shubman Gill’s edge of the bat falling just short of Shaheen. A tremendous stroke over the covers by Rohit ends the over for five runs. India are at 11 for the loss of no wicket at the end of two overs.
First over
Five dots and a six on the last ball ruin a perfect first over. Shaheen Shah Afridi is bowling full and straight first up. Rohit is visibly wary of the Pakistani pacer. India are at six for the loss of no wickets at the end of the first over.
Pakistan win toss, opt to field
A hazy sun shone as captain Babar Azam and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stood for the toss on the pitch as commentator Ravi Shastri looked on.
After captain Babar Azam announced his plan to bowl first, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said they would have batted anyway.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a photo of clear skies at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on its X (formerly Twitter) account.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) also put up a photo exclaiming: “The skies are clear as we all gear up for an exciting contest!”
However, there could be rain interruptions at the beginning of play and in the second half, according to The Weather Channel’s forecast. When the match begins at 3pm local time (2:30 PST), there is a 90pc likelihood of thunderstorms, which will abate by 4pm (3:30 PST).
Rain had washed out their previous encounter last week at the Pallakele Stadium, bringing an anti-climatic end to the match that left the Green Shirts waiting for their chance at the bat after dominating India with their aggressive bowling lineup.
India was bowled out for 266 in the 49th over against Pakistan and had set a target of 267. Both the teams had shared points for that match.
A reserve day has been introduced for the Asia Cup Super Four contest between Pakistan and India amid the possibility of rains interrupting the match. Multiple weather forecasts had predicted a high probability of rain on Sunday, particularly during match hours.
ESPNcricinfo had also reported that it is the only match apart from the final to have a reserve day. According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), a “reserve day has been incorporated” for the high-voltage tie.
Pakistan side
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.
Indian side
RG Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan†, KL Rahul, HH Pandya, RA Jadeja, SN Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, JJ Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
