India’s T20 World Cup campaign has gotten off to a strong start thanks to legendary captain Virat Kohli, who led his team to victory over Pakistan in an incredible last-ball drama.
After his side had fallen to 4/31 early in their run chase, Kohli finished with an unbeaten 82* from 53 balls and saved his team.
Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, among others, were playing beautifully with the ball as Pakistan appeared to be cruising to victory, but they couldn’t withstand the magnificence of King Kohli.
One of the best T20 games in history was completely covered by The Sporting News.
T20 World Cup score between India and Pakistan
Team’s opening inning
Islamabad 8/159 (20)
India 6/160 (20)
A T20 World Cup summary of India vs. Pakistan
In the 20th over, India had won! In one of the best T20 matches ever, Ravichandran Ashwin goes over the top of the field to secure the victory. 6/160 after 20.
20th over: The scores are equal! Nawaz throws a wide ball. 159 overs later, 6/159.
twentieth over: WICKET! The second-to-last delivery of the innings has thrown Dinesh Karthik for a stumping. India now needs one run for a super over or two runs off the final delivery to win. 19.5 overs later, 6/168.
Nawaz bowls a wide in the twentieth over on a free-hit. Despite being BOWLED OFF THE FREE HIT, Kohli continues to run and gives India three more runs. 168 overs later, 5/168.
The legendary Kohli is put on strike in the 20th over by Dinesh Karthik, who takes a single. Kohli smacks the ball down the ground for two runs. Despite the Pakistan fielder’s best attempts on the rope, Kohli smacks a full-toss for six over mid-wicket. The umpire then signals a no-ball for height, infuriating Pakistan captain Azam.
twentieth over: WICKET! Nawaz has returned to bowl the last over. Pandya smacks it directly into the air and is stopped. 19.1 overs later, 5/144.
19th over: Rauf returns to complete his spell and has an excellent opening three balls, yielding just three singles. For six runs, Kohli delivers a picture-perfect stroke to the ground. They are now only 16 runs away from winning into into the final over when Kohli again goes over fine-leg, this time for a horn. This is the height of intensity! 4/144 after 19.
In the 18th over, Kohli hits a pull shot for a boundary to reach 50 before Afridi smacks the ball down the leg side for a wide delivery. Following a full-toss over cover for an additional four runs, Kohli pierces the off-side gap for two runs. In order to complete the over, Kohli leaps on a loose ball that Afridi has thrown, and he drives it over short fine-leg for another boundary. With two overs left, the tide is turning in favour of India. 4/129 after 18.
Shah returns for his final over in the seventeenth over. Only two runs on the off-side can be scored by Kohli when he gives himself some leeway to try to go over the top. Pandya engages in two leg-side runs. Excellent over from Shah. 4/112 after 17.
Rauf is back on to bowl in the sixteenth over. Pandya attempts a play outside the off-stump but fails, so he takes a single to third man. Rauf smacks the ball down the leg-side for three wides, but Rizwan’s hand stops it at a specific boundary. 4/106 after 16.
Shah, who is back in the attack for Pakistan in the fifteenth over, would be eager to increase his number of wickets throughout the course of this innings. Prior to slipping the ball past the player at short fine-leg for another run, Kohli makes two runs on the leg-side. boundary. This game will be decided in the final five overs. 4/100 after 15.
14th over: Shadab continues, but Kohli promptly sends him to the boundary with a spectacular cut shot that rolls away to the rope. After the first four, he responds brilliantly with three singles. 4/90 after 14.
In the thirteenth over, Pakistan’s Afridi restarts the attack. For two runs, Pandya flicks it through the leg-side. Shadab at cover makes a good catch to deny four runs, but Kohli grabs a leg-side delivery later in the over and flicks it for a boundary. 4/83 after 13.
12th over: Pandya throws Nawaz into the stands over cow-corner before taking the next ball well for a single to the ground. Pakistan appeals for a catch, but the third umpire determines that Kohli merely struck his thighpad and not the ball. The following delivery, Kohli hits a lofted straight drive down the ground for six runs. Pandya completes the over by throwing another enormous horn directly over the bowler’s head. This alliance will be essential to India’s possibilities as they are starting to soar in this market. 4/74 after 12.
After the drink break, Pakistan’s Shadab continues in the eleventh over. After India gives the guy at deep cover three singles, Pandya smacks the ball cleanly down the ground for a boundary. To end an effective over, Kohli flicks a full-toss through midwicket for two runs. 4/54 after 11.
In the tenth over, Nawaz is batting at the opposite end and Pakistan’s spin is really working. Pandya flicks it to the leg-side, and they get two runs. However, India must step it up and start launching some long-range shots soon as the necessary run-rate increases. 4/45 after 10.
9th over: Shadab gave Pakistan another outstanding over, allowing just three runs to be scored. 4/41 after 9.
Mohammad Nawaz is now Pakistan’s attacking option in the eighth over. India only manages five singles from the total, failing to find the boundary. 4/38 after 8.
7th over: YET ANOTHER OUT! Axar Patel exits due to a major blunder. The ball nearly provides a meal for Azam and Rizwan, but it makes contact with the stumps before the keeper’s gloves. India is in a complete mess here. 4/33 after 7.
The sixth over: WICKET! In order to score four runs, Surya leaps on a short ball and hooks it all the way to the boundary. The following delivery, he attempts a ramp shot but is caught behind while attempting to keep up with Haris Rauf’s fierce speed. With two runs, Axar Patel gets off to a strong start. 3/31 after 6.
Surya starts his inning quickly by scoring three more runs in the fifth over, bringing his total to nine. To put the hot hand back in play, Kohli runs for a single. 2/22 after 5.
Over four: WICKET! Haris Rauf edged the Indian captain outside, and Ifitkhar Ahmed made a superb catch in the slips to remove Sharma from the game. From his first ball at the crease, Surya Yadav plays the game-winning stroke, slamming a straight drive down the ground for a boundary. For an additional three runs, he follows it up with a superb back-foot drive through the off-side. This game is taking on a beautiful appearance. 2/17 after 4.
Afridi continues for Pakistan in the third over. Sharma quickly singles, handing the ball to Virat Kohli, who drives it through cover for two runs. Afridi requests LBW, but the umpire rejects his request. 1/10 after 3.
Next up: WICKET! Rahul chops onto his stumps as Pakistan’s Naseem Shah joins the attack from the other end and strikes in his first over. Pakistan got off to the defence they required. 1/7 after 2.
First over: Pakistani opener Shaheen Shah Afridi nearly suffers a caught and bowled on his first delivery. The over is started by KL Rahul’s inside-edge for a single, followed by his skipper Rohit Sharma’s push through the off-side for two runs. 0/5 after 1.
FINAL MINUTES – Pakistan 8/159
Pakistan recovered from a disastrous start to post a very defendable score of 159. With his half-century, Shan Masood did a wonderful job of supporting the innings, while Ifitkhar Ahmed’s power hitting gave the team a boost. With three wickets each, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya stood out as India’s two best bowlers. Pakistan has given themselves a fighting chance, but they will need to bowl very effectively.
twentieth over: WICKET! In the last over, Kumar completes India’s bowling innings before a wild pitch invader briefly halts play. Kumar makes a straightforward catch after Afridi attempts to pull a nice length ball and hits it straight back to him. After hitting the first ball for a six, Haris Rauf frantically swings the next two balls and misses. 8/159 after 20.
Arshdeep returns for his final over in the nineteenth over. With a single, Masood completes his half-century and caps a crucial innings for his team. For a huge six, Shaheen Afridi walks down the track and slogs it over mid-wicket. The following pitch, he strikes again, slamming the ball through mid-off for an additional four runs. 7/149 after 19.
In the 18th over, Masood edges a ball from Shami down to the area of the third man for a boundary. The following ball, he follows it up with an explosive on-drive that blasts past a diving Ashwin and scores another four runs. 7/135 after 18.
OVER 17: WICKET!!! Returning to the assault, Arshdeep cuts it short while Asif Ali struggles for space. The ball securely lands in Dinesh Karthik’s hands after the Pakistani batsman tries to duck beneath it but is unable to do so. Due of some shoddy fielding, Pakistan is able to scramble for two runs. 7/125 after 17.
sixteenth over: WICKET! Mohammad Nawaz slaps Pandya for a boundary over point, and two balls later, the left-hander creams it over extra cover for another four runs. Nawaz is crowded for space by Panyda’s shorter ball placement, and as a result, he edges the ball to the keeper and is ejected. 6/116 after 16.
In the fifteenth over, Masood mishits the ball in the air, but it hits the spider-cam, making India furious. Ashwin misses a difficult catch off his own bowling as Pakistan keeps up its aggressive batting. 5/106 after 15.
fourteenth over: TWO WICKETS! Shadab lofts the ball to deep mid-wicket, where Surya Yadav takes an easy catch, and Pandya scores on his return. For two runs, Haider Ali chips the ball over the plate to start his inning. Later, he flies the ball to the same man in deep territory, and Yadav makes no error. Pakistan’s poor batting in the last two overs completely destroyed their chance of scoring a respectable total. 5/98 after 14.
In the 13th over, Shadab Khan capitalises on a Shami delivery that was pitched too high to score a boundary with a brilliant off-drive. To end the over, Shadab dashes off for a fast single. 3/96 after 13.
thirteenth over: WICKET! As he was beginning to move, Ifitkhar suddenly disappeared. When Shami catches the right-hander on the pads, the umpire doesn’t think twice before raising his finger. after 12.2 overs, 3/91.
In the 12th over, Ifitkhar makes another overhead catch, knocking down Axar Patel for six runs on the first pitch. Two balls later, he repeats the manoeuvre directly over the bowler’s head for another loud horn. Ifitkhar sends the ball over the rope for three runs off of four balls, adding six more runs. The right-batting hander’s is excellent, and he adds a cut shot to reach his fifty-first run. 2/91 after 12.
In the eleventh over, Pakistan is aiming to pick up the pace, as they should, and Iftikhar knocks a huge six over mid-on to enliven the crowd. 2/70 after 11.
Pandya switches ends and bats for India in the tenth over. Before Ifitkhar smacks it through backward point for a boundary, Pakistan add a couple singles. His team urgently needs more boundaries. 2/60 after 10.
In the ninth over, Ravi Ashwin joins the attack, giving Pakistan their first opportunity of the evening to use spin. Masood dances down the wicket and scores two runs by going over extra-cover. Ifitkhar singles against the outfield with a late cut, giving Pakistan 50 runs. 2/50 after 9.
In the eighth over, MASOOD EXITS! The Pakistani batsman again uses a top edge that goes to hand, but this time, Ravi Ashwin was unable to get his fingertips under the ball on the fine-leg boundary. Immediately from Shami. 2/44 after 8.
Hardik Pandya is on for the guys in blue in the seventh over. Iftikhar capitalises with a hook shot after Pandya slips it short to score three runs. A second blunder nearly results in a run-out, but Masood rushes back just in time. The last ball of the over is top-edged by Masood, but it lands safely and rolls away for a boundary. 2/41 after 7.
Mohammad Shami joins the attack for India in the sixth over. Masood hits a beautiful cut shot for a boundary and then flicks it across midwicket for three runs. After a rough start, Pakistan is making their way back into the competition. 2/31 after 6.
Kumar continues for a third over in the fifth over. Iftikhar Ahmed makes a quick start with a flick through the leg-side for two runs before launching a pull-shot over midwicket for a boundary. 2/24 after 5.
Over four: WICKET! Rizwan top-edges another one, and this time it lands in the man at fine-hands leg’s without incident. Pakistan is already down two. 2/15 after 4.
Singh bats for India in the fourth over, but the first ball of the over results in a boundary. The ball is top-edged by Rizwan and misses a diving Virat Kohli at mid-on.
Third over: Kumar bats for India and strikes Masood in the thighpad before the umpire rejects an appeal for LBW. Masood scores twice but is uneasy in the crease. 1/10 after 3.
Next up: WICKET! With his very first delivery, Arshdeep Singh caught Babar Azam on the pads, and the skipper is gone! The decision was reviewed by Pakistan, but it was discovered that it had hit a leg-stump. a crucial period for India early on in the game. Early in his spell, Singh is producing a lot of swing, which is unsettling the Pakistani batters. Pakistan would have been in serious trouble had Virat Kohli not blown a straightforward run-out opportunity. Off the last ball of the over, Rizwan flicks the ball well for a boundary. At the MCG, everything is happening! 1/2 after 2.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bats first for India in the first over. Mohammad Rizwan is clearly uncomfortable after being struck on the glove by a ball that has a terrific bounce off the wicket. The doctors have now given him the all-clear to go on. Rizwan swings at a few deliveries that are outside of his stumps but is unsuccessful. Kumar’s wide down leg-side delivery allowed just one run to be scored in the over. 0/1 after 1.
7 o’clock: The anthems are over, the MCG is shaking, and the show is about to begin!
Just ten minutes remain till kickoff at 6:50 p.m., and players from both teams are warming up on the field.
6.30 p.m.: Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, has chosen to bowl first in front of a boisterous crowd at the MCG after winning the toss.
The whole T20 World Cup score between India and Pakistan
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