India vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2022: Men in Blue suffer yet another batting collapse after being set 160 to win

Team India were off to a horrid start after being set 160 to win by Pakistan in their opening game of the T20 World Cup in Melbourne on Sunday.

India lost skipper Rohit Sharma and vice-captain KL Rahul, both departing for 4, while talismanic batter Suryakumar Yadav (15) was dismissed after getting off to a promising start, with the Pakistani pace attack once again breathing fire, boosting their chances of making it two-in-two against their arch-rivals in T20 World Cups.

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Rahul was the first to depart, chopping the ball onto the stumps much like he did last year in Dubai. This time, however, it was Naseem Shah who drew first blood for the Pakistanis in the second over. Rohit would then depart in the fourth over, nicking the ball to the slip region where Iftikhar Ahmed held on to a low chance off a 90 mile-per-hour delivery from Haris Rauf, with India losing their second wicket with 10 on board.

SKY would get off to a confident start, collecting two fours before becoming Rauf’s second wicket of the day, getting cramped for room by a quick, short-of-length delivery that he ended up nicking to wicketkeeper Babar Azam.

 

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The slider continued as Axar Patel, sent ahead of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik, was run out for 2 after a mix-up with Virat Kohli, with India crumbling to 31/4 at the start of the seventh over.

At the halfway stage, India were struggling at 45/4, needing another 115 to win off just 60 balls at over 11 an over.

Pakistan earlier recovered from a shaky start, thanks to half-centuries from Shan Masood (52 not out) and Iftikhar Ahmed (51) and a cameo from Shaheen Shah Afridi (16), posting 159/8 after being invited to bat by India skipper Rohit in front of a sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground in the blockbuster Group 2 clash.

Hardik Pandya (3/30) and Arshdeep Singh (3/32) led the way among the Indian bowlers, the latter dismissing both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the powerplay.

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