Watch – The Indian bowling union shines again to assert authority over Pakistan
It was an absolute belter of a day for the Indian bowlers who crackled and sizzled and eventually found their way to the finish line in a very closely contested encounter. However, it was all but easy. The victory felt like the Indian cricket team navigating the treacherous cross-currents of precarity while keeping them alive constantly.
Jasprit Bumrah spearheaded the Indian charge as he started his spell on a pretty fine note, pushing Pakistan to a point of reticence in the Powerplay. It was in his second over that Babar Azam was caught by surprise and Suryakumar Yadav clinched an absolute pearler at first slip.
On a pitch where spinners didn’t really leave their mark, Axar Patel kept things really tight while claiming the all-important wicket of Usman Khan who didn’t seem confident at all during his residence in the center. The Indian fast bowlers didn’t let Pakistan walk away with the momentum in the middle overs either.
Also constant chipping away at the wickets left the Men in Green apprehending a possible decline. Hardik Pandya struck the important wicket of Fakhar Zaman who looked bold in his approach and a few moments later, Bumrah rocked through the defences of Mohammad Rizwan as the Indian concourse erupted.
Pandya struck again in quick succession as Shadab Khan couldn’t last long either, bamboozled by a nasty short ball. If the fall of wickets were the key notes for the Indian bowlers, the way they kept things tight, barely conceding boundaries seemed to be a key component of fear for Babar and his men.
Bumrah bowled an electric 19th over that saw him conceding just three runs while claiming Iftikhar Ahmed, a spell that completely changed the narrative of the game. Arshdeep, Hardik and Mohammed Siraj kept up their end of the deal as India rode high on their fast-bowling brilliance to leave Pakistan gobsmacked from an almost comfortable victorious position.
NEXT
