Highlights, IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2021 Full Cricket Score: Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets

Babar Azam, Pakistan captain: “This win is a team effort, and the early wickets were very helpful. It gave us confidence and spinners also bowled well. We executed the plans very well. We as openers like to keep things simple and as the wicket kept getting better, we wanted to bat till the end. We will take confidence from the win but the tournament is not going to become easy. Before the match, I told players that we need to forget the history.”

Virat Kohli, India captain: We did not execute the things we wanted to. Credit should be given where its due and Pakistan outplayed us today. We always knew we needed a total that is competitive. They did not give us any chances. It played pretty slow in the first half. Little bit of dew helps the ball come on better later. When you know conditions will change later, you need extra runs. Quality bowling from Pakistan upfront. With the dew coming in in the second half, the slower bowlers were not as effective. Just the start of the tournament, not the end, so important to stay composed. Certainly not the stage where we will be thinking what will we do moving forward.

Shaheen Afridi: “First time we’ve beaten India and it is because of the wishes from the Pakistanis. The plan was to bring the ball back in. It was not easy to bat against the new ball. Babar and Rizwan deserve a lot of credit. We need to carry forward this momentum.”

Shaheen Shah is the Player of the Match.

Hard luck India and United

After 17.5 overs,Pakistan 152/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 79 , Babar Azam (C) 68)

Shami’s final over also turns out to be the last over of the match as the Pakistanis finish off in style — Rizwan smacking a six and back-to-back fours to bring the equation down to single digit, followed by a single, with Babar coming back for a second to seal the deal. Pakistan thrash India by 10 wickets — the first time the Men in Blue have been handed a 10-wicket loss in Twenty20 Internationals — and end their winless run in World Cups in the process.

Some emotional celebrations out there at the moment, and Pakistan deserve every bit of joy right now for the clinical manner with which they’ve gone about business today.

Afridi’s class helps Pakistan beat India

Clinical win 

Terrific Pakistan

PAKISTAN HAMMER INDIA BY 10 WICKETS! India’s unbeaten run against their South Asian arch-rivals, a streak that stretches back to 1992, is finally broken! Skipper Babar Azam collects the winning runs, dashing back for a second run after guiding the ball towards long on. PAK 152/0

FOUR! A second consecutive boundary for Rizwan after the six at the start of the over, this time the keeper-batter targetting the square leg fence. PAK 149/0

FOUR! Pulled in front of square by Rizwan, who moves into the 70s now, off Shami and now less than 10 needed for Pakistan to win! PAK 145/0

SIX! Juicy full toss from Shami down the leg side, probably the result of the ball slipping out of the seamer’s hand, with Rizwan pulling it over the long leg fence for his third maximum. PAK 141/0

After 17 overs,Pakistan 135/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 64 , Babar Azam (C) 66)

Babar and Rizwan are doing it with the ones and twos right now, with a couple of wides only making it easier for them. Seven from the over, with Pakistan needing 17 from three overs. Can Rizwan or Babar finish things in style with three hits over the fence from here? They could use the extra boost in the Net Run Rate after all.

Record alert 

After 16 overs,Pakistan 128/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 62 , Babar Azam (C) 63)

Shami returns, and starts off with a slightly back-of-length ball that is easily pulled behind square by Rizwan for a boundary. Two singles and a leg bye added to the total in the remaining deliveries. Just the finishing touches left for Pakistan now, with 24 required off as many deliveries.

Bring back Bumrah

FOUR! Slightly short from Shami, and Rizwan has no trouble pulling this behind square. PAK 125/0

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was hit on his right shoulder while batting earlier during the game, and has been taken for scans since. Will that be it for the all-rounder in this T20 World Cup?

After 15 overs,Pakistan 121/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 56 , Babar Azam (C) 62)

Bumrah returns. And now Rizwan brings up his half-century, getting to the milestone with a boundary as he pulls a back-of-length ball through the midwicket region before collecting a brace off the very next ball. Nine from the over. Pakistan need 31 off 30.

FOUR! Mohammad Rizwan brings up his half-century in style, going for a short-arm pull through the midwicket region off Bumrah. The wicketkeeper-batter has taken 41 balls to get to his ninth fifty in T20Is, hitting three fours and two sixes along the way. PAK 116/0

After 14 overs,Pakistan 112/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 48 , Babar Azam (C) 61)

Expensive end to Jadeja’s spell as the left-arm spinner ends up conceding a couple of boundaries, both to Babar, to finish his quota with figures of 0/28. Babar, meanwhile, moves to 61 with his partner two short of his half-century. Pakistan need 40 off 36.

FOUR! Second boundary for Babar in Jadeja’s final over, this time placing it wide of Chakravarthy at short fine. PAK 112/0

FOUR! The boundaries are flowing for the Pakistanis right now! Babar makes room, and pulls the ball thorugh the midwicket region! PAK 106/0

After 13 overs,Pakistan 101/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 46 , Babar Azam (C) 52)

Huge over for the Pakistanis, one that may have sealed the game in their favour, as Rizwan and Babar collect a six each off Chakravarthy, the Pakistan skipper bringing up his 21st T20I half-century in the process! Also the 100 partnership comes up in this over. Pakistan need just 51 off 42 from here.

Well done openers

100 partnership up between Babar and Rizwan for the first wicket, the former collecting a single right after bringing up his half-century. PAK 100/0

SIX! What a way for Babar Azam to bring up his half-century — his 21st in T20s — pulling over the midwicket region off Chakravarthy! Started slow earlier in the innings, but has since muscled his way through and is very much dominating the Indian bowlers. PAK 99/0

SIX! Rizwan gets down on one knee and goes for the slog sweep, just about beating the fielder standing at the square leg boundary! PAK 92/0

After 12 overs,Pakistan 85/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 38 , Babar Azam (C) 44)

Tidy over from Jadeja with fiive coming from it, including a brace to Rizwan in the penultimate delivery as he muscles the ball towards the cow corner region, moving to 38 in the process. Pakistan need 67 off 48 with 10 wickets in hand.

After 11 overs,Pakistan 80/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 35 , Babar Azam (C) 43)

The runs continue to flow on the other side of the drinks break even as Kohli brings Bumrah into the attack, with nine coming off it including a boundary to Babar off the second ball as he lofts the ball over mid off. Pakistan need 72 off 54 from here.

FOUR! Lofted over mid off by Babar off Bumrah! Fourth boundary for the Pakistan skipper! PAK 77/0

After 10 overs,Pakistan 71/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 35 , Babar Azam (C) 34)

Babar slashes hard at a short, wide delivery from Chakravarthy to get a thick edge that sends the ball running away to the third man fence. The Pakistan skipper then darts back to the non-striker’s end two balls later to help Rizwan complete a double, making it back in the nick of time. Rizwan too escapes a run out scare while collecting a quick single in the fourth delivery. Nine from the over.

Pakistan cruising at the halfway stage in the chase, needing another 81 off 60 with all 10 wickets intact.

FOUR! Babar slashes hard at a wide delivery from Chakravarthy, and ends up putting the ball out of short third man’s reach as the ball rolls away to the fence. PAK 66/0

After 9 overs,Pakistan 62/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 32 , Babar Azam (C) 28)

Single off each of the first three deliveries of this over. Jadeja spots Babar charing down the track in the fourth ball, and shortens his length right away to catch him off guard. Just when a bit of pressure was starting to build on the Pakistanis, Babar deposits the ball in the stands beyond the midwicket fence, collecting his first six, before collecting a single to retain the strike. 10 from the over. Partnership worth 62 right now.

SIX! Babar rocks back and smokes the length ball from Jadeja over the midwicket fence for his first six! PAK 61/0

Dew disaster 

Stat alert! 

After 8 overs,Pakistan 52/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 30 , Babar Azam (C) 20)

Chakravarthy’s back. The towels are starting to come out quite frequently right now with dew starting to set in, and making it slightly difficult for the spinners to grip the ball. Rizwan and Babar continue to nudge the ball around for singles, with the fifty partnership coming up in the fourth delivery of this over. Six from the over, including a wide.

Fifty partnership up between Rizwan and Babar for the first wicket, the former collecting a single in the eighth over to complete the milestone. Rizwan has played the aggressor so far in the innings. Has come at nearly run-a-ball, with the pair consuming 48 balls so far. PAK 50/0

After 7 overs,Pakistan 46/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 27 , Babar Azam (C) 18)

Ravindra Jadeja brought into the attack right away after the powerplay. Tidy start to the left-arm spinner’s spell as he gives away just three singles from it. Both batters looking well settled at the moment, flourishing particularly against pace. Can spin do the trick for the Men in Blue?

India need wickets

After 6 overs,Pakistan 43/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 25 , Babar Azam (C) 17)

Bhuvneshwar’s back. Starts off with a wide down the leg side. Rizwan then works a slower ball behind square on the leg side, getting enough time to come back for a second. Single off each of the next two balls. Rizwan and Babar then keep the scoreboard ticking with a single off each of the next three balls. Babar clips a length ball through midwicket for a brace off the fifth, followed by a dot. Excellent powerplay for the Pakistanis with 43 coming off it, with the two openers still at the crease. India, in contrast were 36/3. The Men in Blue desperately need a wicket or two at this stage if they are to stay in the hunt.

After 5 overs,Pakistan 35/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 21 , Babar Azam (C) 14)

Ishan Kishan’s on the field at the moment, and it looks like Hardik Pandya has had to leave the field for a bit. Meanwhile, Shami’s back, replacing Bumrah as Kohli continues to shuffle his bowlers around. Pressure back on the Indians in this over as Babar and Rizwan collect a boundary each, with Shami proving too expensive for Kohli at the moment. The two openers are going nicely at the moment, with one more over left in the powerplay.

FOUR! Shami leaking too many runs at this stage. A touch short, and Rizwan adjusts beautifully for the short-arm pull through square leg. PAK 34/0

FOUR! Full and aimed at his pads, Babar lofts this towards the cow corner fence with ease to move to double figures! Much needed just when some pressure was starting to build. PAK 29/0

Good over indeed! 

After 4 overs,Pakistan 24/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 15 , Babar Azam (C) 9)

Spin introduced early with Chakravarthy, preferred ahead of Ashwin, replacing Shami. Some sharp fielding on display from the Indians in this over as they leap around to stop the singles, and build pressure on the two openers. Loud appeal for LBW off the last ball against Babar, but he was struck quite high on the pad. Excellent over to start things off for Chakravarthy, with just two coming from it.

After 3 overs,Pakistan 22/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 14 , Babar Azam (C) 8)

Kohli turns to Bumrah, who replaces Bhuvneshwar after that expensive first over. Rizwan collects a single at the start of the over followed by a couple of dots. Babar clips the ball through midwicket off the fourth, coming back for a third as SKY saves a boundary in the deep. Ends the over with a sharp yorker to Babar. Four from the over.

Beautiful batting! 

After 2 overs,Pakistan 18/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 13 , Babar Azam (C) 5)

Mohammed Shami from the other end. Babar Azam gets off the mark right away with a single at the start of the over. Rizwan grabs a double two balls later, tucking a length ball off his hips behind square, before collecting an easy single off the fourth. Babar then collects his first boundary with a supreme punch through cover off the backfoot. Confident start so far from the Pakistanis, with 18 from two overs.

FOUR! Glorious punch through cover by Babar off Shami! First boundary for the captain. PAK 18/0

After 1 over,Pakistan 10/0 ( Mohammad Rizwan (W) 10 , Babar Azam (C) 0)

Kohli decides to bring in the swing specialist Bhuvneshwar at the start of the Pakistan innings, though he ends up getting hit for a four and a six off consecutive deliveries by Rizwan. Not quite the start the Men in Blue would have imagined.

SIX! Even better from Rizwan this time as the in-form Pakistan keeper-batter pulls over the square leg region off Bhuvneshwar right after the four. PAK 10/0

FOUR! Rizwan is off the mark in style! Clips this through the midwicket region, with Chakravarthy putting in a slide in the deep but his left arm’s brushing against the boundary cushion at the time of trying to throw the ball back inside. PAK 4/0

Right then, Kohli has a quick pep talk with the Indians in a huddle before they take their fielding positions. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan walk out to open the innings, a strong start paramount to their chances of pulling off a victory today. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to begin the proceedings with the ball in hand.

Almost a 50-50 game from hereon

Pakistan need 152 to win! 

Maybe India have got to the par score here but dew will be a big factor. There’s no doubt the pitch is a bit sluggish and stroke-making was difficult. Virat Kohli’s excellent fifty, under pressure and when wickets were tumbling around him, has helped India get to 151. Let’s see what the bowlers can do now…

After 20 overs,India 151/7 ( Bhuvneshwar Kumar 5 , Mohammed Shami 0)

Haris Rauf bowls a brilliant last over. He has been very good with his slower balls today. Does the same in the last over as Hardik Pandya gives away a catch at deep cover trying to go for a straight six. Seven runs from the final over as India get past 150.

OUT! Hardik Pandya c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf 11 (8)

Slower length ball outside off. Pandya wanted to clear the straight boundary but skied it to deep cover where Babar takes a good catch.

After 19 overs,India 144/6 ( Hardik Pandya 9 , Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1)

It’s all happening out there! Shaheen called back into the attack. He starts off with a wide followed by a dot ball. Next ball is a briliant yorker but Pandya somehow manages to squeeze it to the third man for a four. Kohli gets the strike. Attempts a pull shot but ends up edging it to the keeper. He goes back after playing a hugely crucial innings. Pandya guides the last ball to third man fence for a four. It was a full toss. It was also a no ball as well. Shaheen bowls the free hit. Pandya misses on the pull shot but overthrow gives India five runs in total.

Wide full toss. Shaheen was aiming for a yorker but it slipped out of his hands and Pandya steered it to the third man fence. It is a no ball. Free hit coming up.

OUT! Virat Kohli c †Mohammad Rizwan b Shaheen Shah Afridi 57 (49)

Excellent bowling by Shaheen. Goes for the slower bouncer. Kohli was too early in his shot, ended up edging it to the keeper. Kohli departs after playing a massive innings from India’s point of view.

Shaheen almost got a wicket there but Pandya got his bat down just in time against the yorker to squeeze it to the third man.

After 18 overs,India 128/5 ( Virat Kohli (C) 57 , Hardik Pandya 0)

India lose Jadeja but after adding two boundaries off Hasan. Kohli got the first one with a lofted cover drive as Hasan bowled a slower short ball. Jadeja added another one with a flick over short fine leg. But Hasan strikes back with a slower ball that Jadeja swipes to mid-wicket. Hardik Pandya is the new man in. 13 from the over.

OUT! Jadeja departs.

Ravindra Jadeja c sub (Mohammad Nawaz) b Hasan Ali 13 (13)

Slower ball from Hasan does the trick as Jadeja flicks it to mid-wicket who takes a good catch after covering some distance.

Bad bowling by Hasan. Length ball, onto the pads and Jadeja flicks it over short fine.

Another feather in Kohli’s cap

Good shot. Slower shot ball and Kohli goes inside-out over cover to add a welcome boundary.

A crucial innings by India captain Kohli as he gets to yet another half-century against Pakistan in a T20 World Cup. 50 off 45.

After 17 overs,India 114/4 ( Virat Kohli (C) 48 , Ravindra Jadeja 9)

Single on the first ball by Jadeja to mid-off. Kohli stays leg-side on the next ball for a cover drive but it goes to the field. One run added. Jadeja defends a slow ball and collects a single. Two dots to Kohli. Excellent bowling by Haris. Good use of slower length balls. The last ball is flicked to square leg for a single. Just four from the over.

After 16 overs,India 110/4 ( Virat Kohli (C) 46 , Ravindra Jadeja 7)

Hasan bowls. Kohli was looking to walk down on the first ball. Hasan spotted it and bowled short making sure no run was scored off that ball. Kohli stays deep in the crease on the next ball to play a pull shot for a four. Another dot followed by the exquisite cover drive. Shot of the match from Kohli. Two more singles added.

The Kohli cover drive! That beautiful shot where he leans forward and crashes it through the cover. Brilliant.

Good placement. Kohli places his pull shot off Hasan just wide of short fine leg to get a much-needed boundary.

After 15 overs,India 100/4 ( Virat Kohli (C) 37 , Ravindra Jadeja 6)

Jadeja pulls away from his stance just when Shadab was about to deliver the first ball. Never mind, the spinner starts off with two dot balls. Two singles then for India. And two more on last two balls. Jadeja is still trying to get a feel of the pitch. Kohli is not at his fluent best, and India keep moving slowly. 100 up for India.

After 14 overs,India 96/4 ( Virat Kohli (C) 35 , Ravindra Jadeja 4)

Haris Rauf is back. A good over except for that fuller leg-side ball that Kohli tucked to fine leg fence for a four. Nine in total from the over.

Welcome boundary. Too full on leg from Haris and Kohli tickles it fine behind the wicket.

Why India-Pakistan matches are a jackpot for broadcasters

After 13 overs,India 87/4 ( Virat Kohli (C) 30 , Ravindra Jadeja 1)

A dangerous-looking stand is broken. Pant departs just when he was looking at his best. But India need the shots here. He went for a sweep shot against the tossed up ball but the wrong’un led to a top edge that Shadab took off his own bowling. Ravindra Jadeja has come in to bat ahead of Hardik Pandya. Six from the over.

Pant falls! 

Rishabh Pant c & b Shadab Khan 39 (30)

Wrong’un does the job for Pakistan and Shadab. Huge wicket this as the dangerous stand is broken. A slow tossed up ball. Pant went for a lofted sweep but only managed a top edge that Shadab took wide of non-striker’s end.

After 12 overs,India 81/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 28 , Rishabh Pant (W) 37)

Big over for India. First time today they have put a Pakistani bowler under pressure. Hasan began with a dot ball but the next one was swiped over square leg by Pant for a six. One-handed wonder that was. Another one-handed shot and another six. This one goes down the ground by Pant. He takes a double and adds one more after two back-to-back sixes. Dot ball to end the over. 15 from the over.

Another six for Pant! This one goes down the ground but one-handed again. Hasan pays the price for outside off length ball.

That is some shot by Pant. A one-handed swipe over deep square leg off Hasan Ali. Top shot.

Talk about searing pace

After 11 overs,India 66/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 28 , Rishabh Pant (W) 22)

Haris Rauf has been asked to bowl. The first ball is short and outside off. Pant cuts it over the circle for a single. A wide down the leg-side after this. Kohli gets off the mark with a leading edge going down to the third man. Another single for Pant with a drive on off. Kohli pushes the next ball to mid-on for one more. Single form the last two balls. Six from the over. India need to look for a move on.

After 10 overs,India 60/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 26 , Rishabh Pant (W) 19)

Hafeez bowls. Another good over for India. Pant is helping India turn the tide in their favour. He got a half-tracker from Hafeez and cut it with force past the short third man for a boundary. Four singles added. Drinks break taken. India in a lot better position now.

Hafeez was guilty of bowling short and Pant was quick to it cut it past short third. Good shot.

After 9 overs,India 52/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 24 , Rishabh Pant (W) 13)

Shadab bowls. Good over for India. Nine form the ninth over. Pant was beaten on a googly trying a swipe across the line but then he clobbered the offisde ball to deep point. A certain boundary is cut off by a diving Haris Rauf. Good fielding. A toe-end slog down the ground gets Pant one run. Kohli adds another single and Pant finishes the over with a four over short fine leg.

Typical Pant shot. Goes low against the leg-side ball from Shadab and flicks it over short fine leg.

After 8 overs,India 43/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 22 , Rishabh Pant (W) 6)

Experienced Mohammad Hafeez into the attack. He starts with a dot ball to Pant. Pant takes one with a sweep. Kohli flicks the third ball for a single followed by an appeal for caught behind against Pant. Rizwan was confident Pant edged on the reverse sweep but UltraEdge goes against Pakistan. Review lost. Two more singles added.

REVIEW AND NOT OUT! Rizwan appeals loudly for caught behind against Pant as the batter was attempting a reverse sweep. Rizwan was confident but flat line on UltraEdge. Pakistan lose a review.

After 7 overs,India 39/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 20 , Rishabh Pant (W) 4)

Shadab Khan now bowls for Pakistan. They are bossing the game right now with India dealing in singles and doubles. Also dot balls. Just three from the over.

After 6 overs, India 36/3

Hasan Ali replaces Imad Wasim. India three down now. Surya departs after edging a length ball to the keeper. Rizwan did very well with his dive to left to take a stunner. The over began with a dot as Kohli who walked down for a shot to midwicket. Next ball is steered to third man for a single. Dot to Surya before he loses his wicket. Kohli finishes the over with a four. Six from the over.

Excellent shot! Kohli opens the face of the bat at the last moment to push this outside off ball past point.

SKY departs! 

Suryakumar Yadav c †Mohammad Rizwan b Hasan Ali 11 (8)

Keeper Rizwan dives to his left to pull off a brilliant catch. The length ball straightened just a bit as Surya tried to play the cut. It resulted in a thick outside edge and Rizwan responded excellently.

After 5 overs,India 30/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 15 , Suryakumar Yadav 11)

Kohli breaks the shackles with a six down the ground. He was waiting for the length ball. Moved across to create room and slapped the ball over long-on. He took two runs on the first ball with a flick to midwicket as he walked down against Afridi. He is employing that strategy to counter the inswing. A single on the last ball. Nine from the over.

Six down the long-on! Kohli gives himself room and dispatches the length ball off Afridi into the stands.

Some discipline showed by Afridi today

After 4 overs,India 21/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 6 , Suryakumar Yadav 11)

Imad Wasim continues. There was a big appeal for LBW against Surya as he attempted a reverse sweep but he was hit outside off. He finishes the over with a sweep shot four to square leg. Seven from the over.

Boundary to backward square leg by Surya. Confident sweep shot off Imad Wasim.

After 3 overs,India 14/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 4 , Suryakumar Yadav 7)

Another big breakthrough for Pakistan. Afridi is making the ball talk and that has forced both openers back to the hut. After Rohit, Rahul goes back after being bowled. The length ball nipped back in to beat bat-pad and clean up the stumps. This was the first ball. Two dots to Suryakumar who gets off the mark with a single to mid-on on the fourth ball. Kohli takes one and Surya smashes the last ball for a six. A flick-pull over square leg.

What flick shot six by Suryakumar. More like a flick-pull to square leg against Afridi. There was a man in deep but it went just over him.

Top praise from the legend himself

Co-incidence? I think not

OUT! KL Rahul b Shaheen Shah Afridi 3 (8)

Afridi is on fire! A fuller inswinging delivery removed Rohit. Another inswinging delivery, this time from length, has cleaned up Rahul. The batter was committed on the front foot but the ball came back in to beat the bat-pad gap. Terrific bowling.

After 2 overs,India 6/1 ( KL Rahul 3 , Virat Kohli (C) 3)

Pakistan’s regular powerplay over Imad Wasim gets the ball now. A sedate start for India with both Rahul and Kohli collecting two singles each. Big moments this for India. Should they build the innings patiently or go for big hits. We will know soon.

Rohit part of an exclusive club, an unwanted one one might add

After 1 overs,India 2/1 ( KL Rahul 1 , Virat Kohli (C) 1)

The perfect start for Pakistan! Shaheen Shah does exactly what Pakistan would have wanted. Rohit Sharma has this weakness against fuller delivery that comes in and Shaheen does exactly the same after Rahul gets off the mark with a single. The ball was full and struck Rohit on pads in front of stumps to dismiss him for a golden duck. Virat Kohli now joins Rahul. He gets off the mark with a single to mid-wicket. Two from the over.

What a start for the Pakistanis!

WICKET! Rohit Sharma lbw b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 (1)

Shaheen Shah strikes in the first over. Rohit Sharma gets out for a golden duck. Fuller delivery, tailed in to trap India vice-captain.

The big game is about to start! India’s openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are making their way to the middle. Pakistan team has also got onto the field. Shaheen Afridi will bowl for Pakistan.

A milestone in the Indo-Pak cricketing rivalry

Hold the emotions!

Scenes outside the Dubai International Stadium!

India XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

Virat Kohli: To be honest, we would have bowled first. Toss is not in our control. Thanks to our balance, we can adapt to any situation regardless of the toss. We need to stay focused on the field. The fans have a great atmosphere and vibe, but as players we need to detach ourselves from it. Looks very different. Much more evenly rolled. No grass at all, which was the case during the IPL. We expect the pitch to play really nicely. Four not playing are Kishan, Ashwin, Thakur and Chahar

Babar Azam: We’ll aim to take early wickets and put pressure. Dew will also be a factor, so we will bowl first. We have had good practice sessions and am confident about our preparations. Pakistan’s bowlers are known for troubling other teams but I am confident about our batters too.

Pakistan XI: Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

TOSS: Pakistan win toss and Babar Azam takes the call to bowl first with dew in mind.

We are moments away from the toss. Virat Kohli and Babar Azam have made their way to the middle.

Virat Kohli loves Pakistan 

Kohli has never got out in the three T20 World Cup matches against Pakistan.

In those three matches, his scores have been: 78*, 36* & 55*

India’s unbeaten record

India have a 100% win record over their arch-rivals in the World Cups. In total, India have won all 12 matches against Pakistan in ODI and T20 World Cups. In T20 World Cups, the record for India stand at 5 wins from 5.

Nasser Hussain feels lack of Plan B can hurt India

“Their record of late in the ICC tournaments is not good and that’s something they are going to have to deal with with the weight of expectations of the Indian audience and fans heavy on their shoulders when they get to a knockout game, all of a sudden you cannot afford a mistake and that’s going to be a thing for them.”

“When they get to a stage you look at the last World Cup against New Zealand and suddenly it’s a low-scoring game and they don’t have a Plan B. They got rolled over a very good New Zealand side. So that’s going to be an issue for them,” Hussain said.

Pakistan 12-man squad

Pakistan has already announced a 12-man squad for the India match: Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Haider Ali

Probable XI

There are reports that Suryakumar could bowl off-spin for India today, so he gets into our playing XI.

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c) Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

An India-Pakistan meeting in a World Cup is always an occasion to look forward to, and the five contests between the two across the six T20 World Cups before the 2021 edition have produced plenty of thrill and entertainment.

We take a quick look at the past encounters between the two arch-rivals in the biggest event in cricket’s shortest format.

Read: From the bowl-out to winning inaugural title, looking back at India-Pakistan clashes in tournament

Just another game of cricket

India captain Virat Kohli, in his final assignment as T20I captain, has played down the hype surrounding the highly-anticipated clash against Pakistan by saying that it’s just another game of cricket for the players involved from either side, even if some outside the dressing room liken it to a war and news anchor waged pitched battles in their studious with their counterparts from the other side of the border.

Read: ‘Another game of cricket’, Virat Kohli plays down hype of India-Pakistan encounter

Atul Wassan has predicted another Indian victory today that will stretch their World Cup record against Pakistan to 13-0. The former India cricketer, however, says his claim does not come from jingoism, but is based on facts and recent record.

Writing for Firstpost, the cricketer-turned-commentator further explains his stance. Read it here

“Players have always looked at India-Pakistan matches differently than fans but both sides are well aware that a defeat in the first match of the tournament against their arch-rivals could make a massive dent in their psychology and campaign”

Ujwal Singh previews the high-voltage contest between India and Pakistan. Read it here

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the eagerly-awaited weekend blockbuster that is India vs Pakistan. The two South Asian neighbours lock horns in what is one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes of the T20 World Cup, the excitement of which can be gauged from the fact that tickets for the game were sold out within hours after they were made available. The two sides haven’t faced each other since the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup in Manchester, which the Men in Blue won by 89 runs. The last time these two sides faced each other in the UAE was in the 2018 Asia Cup, in which India won both contests against their arch-rivals.