In the 16th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, India defeated Pakistan by four wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne.
After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma elected to bowl first. The decision worked as there was a swing with the new ball which helped Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh immensely in the initial overs. Even Hardik Pandya bowled amazingly well in the middle overs and thus aided India to restrict Pakistan to 159/8 in 20 overs.
While chasing, India lost both openers in quick succession and faced the same faith as their opponents. It was Virat Kohli (82*) who came in and changed the whole complex of the game with his unbeaten knock. Kohli smashed six fours and four sixes in his inning and to get these many boundaries at the MCG is just impeccable. Along with Kohli, Hardik Pandya (40) also contributed important runs in the chase. The duo scored 114 runs together for the sixth wicket partnership. In the end, after a six off a debatable no-ball and a wide, it was all clear for the Men in Blue. The Rohit Sharma-led side won the game on the final delivery courtesy of Ravichandran Ashwin‘s shot over the infield.
In the first innings, Pakistan lost both their outstanding batters, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam quickly in the powerplay. Shan Masood (52) and Iftikhar Ahmed (51) then continued the inning and took Pakistan to a respectable score.
With the ball, Hardik Pandya claimed three wickets and that too when it mattered the most. With him, Arshdeep Singh also redeemed himself with three wickets. Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also picked one wicket each.
For Pakistan, two wickets each were taken by Mohammad Nawaz and Haris Rauf. Naseem Shah also got one wicket.
Virat Kohli was adjudged Man of the Match for his exceptional batting performance. With this win, India have commenced their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 on a winning note.
Scorecard:
Pakistan: 159/8, Overs 20, Shan Masood 52, Hardik Pandya 3/30
India: 160/6, Overs 20, Virat Kohli 82*, Haris Rauf 2/36