India’s spin wizards turned the tables on Pakistan in a thrilling Asia Cup Group A match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. With their clever spin-heavy strategy, the Indian bowlers choked Pakistan to a modest 127/9 in 20 overs, setting up what looks like an exciting chase ahead.
Captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first, sticking to just one frontline pacer—Jasprit Bumrah—while unleashing the spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakaravarthy. This move paid off big time, as the spinners grabbed six wickets combined on a slow Dubai pitch that suited their skills perfectly. Kuldeep led the charge with impressive figures of 3/18, while Axar chipped in with 2/18. Both bowled at an economical 4.50 runs per over, keeping Pakistan’s batsmen on a tight leash. Varun added 1/24 to the mix, ensuring no easy runs flowed.
Pakistan’s innings kicked off shakily. Hardik Pandya struck early, dismissing Saim Ayub for a golden duck with a catch at point. Bumrah joined the party in his first over, sending Mohammad Haris packing after a mistimed heave to deep backward square leg. That left Pakistan at 2/2 inside the powerplay.
Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan tried to steady the ship. Zaman flicked Pandya for boundaries and drilled Varun for four, while Farhan smashed Bumrah for two massive sixes. They raced to 41/2 by the end of the powerplay, but India’s spinners soon tightened the screws.
Axar Patel broke the partnership by having Zaman caught at long-on. He followed up by removing Salman Agha with a top-edged sweep to deep square leg. Kuldeep Yadav then took center stage, first getting Hasan Nawaz with a miscued slog-sweep to leg gully, then trapping Mohammad Nawaz lbw with a sneaky googly for another golden duck.
Farhan fought hard, top-scoring with 40 runs. He lofted Abhishek Sharma for six and pulled Axar for four, but Kuldeep outsmarted him with a wide googly that went straight to long-on. Varun wrapped up the middle order by bowling Faheem Ashraf lbw.
Late drama came from Pakistan’s lower order. Shaheen Shah Afridi unleashed a fiery unbeaten 33 off 16 balls, smashing Hardik for two sixes to push the score past 120. Sufiyan Muqeem hit Bumrah for back-to-back boundaries before a perfect yorker from the pacer knocked out his stumps. Shaheen’s fireworks gave Pakistan some respectability, but it wasn’t enough against India’s dominant bowling attack.
This clinical performance highlights why India’s spin strategy shines in Asia Cup 2023 matches. Pakistan will now hope to defend 128, but India’s batsmen look ready to chase it down in style.
Brief scores: Pakistan 127/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 40, Shaheen Shah Afridi 33*; Kuldeep Yadav 3/18, Axar Patel 2/18) vs India.
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