India seeks sweet revenge over Pakistan

It was an all-round performance from the Indian side that saw the Pakistani team biting the dust in the curtain raiser of the second stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2014 in Bangladesh. It was an easy win for the Men in Blue in the end as they won the match with 7 wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare.

After being put into bat by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Pakistan put up a small total of 130/7 in their full quota of 20 overs. Umar Akmal was the only player in the Pakistani batting line-up who looked like scoring some runs and he did so but let his team down playing a poor shot just when Pakistan needed him to cut loose. Yet it was because of Umar Akmal’s 33 that Pakistan reached the total of 130. Sohaib Maqsood’s cameo of 21 from just 11 balls also turned out to be crucial for Pakistan. Indian spinners stole show as they picked up 3 wickets and also kept the run under control. Amit Mishra got the man-of-the-match award for his brilliant figures of 4-1-22-2.

India in reply made a solid start, thanks to Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma for never letting the Pakistani bowlers dominate over them. Dhawan even hit Saeed Ajmal 3 boundaries in his first over that saw the Pakistani spinner taken away from bowling. But India’s progress got thwarted when Dhawan played a poor shot to Umar Gul’s short ball to get out on 30. Rohit Sharma (24) playing well until then got out in the next over chopping Ajmal on to his stumps, only to be followed by Yuvraj Singh (1) within few balls. India suddenly lost three wickets and Pakistan was back in it again. But Raina (35*) and Virat Kohli (36*) made sure that India did not face any more trouble to get over the finishing line.

India with this comprehensive victory has made a great start in the tournament, just what teams look for in such big tournaments. It will surely give them the much-needed confidence for the rest of the tournament. India next is up against the mighty Caribbeans on Sunday. The only thing that needs a bit of improvement is in the fielding as too many catches slipped away, which they can’t afford against the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo.

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About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.