T20 World Cup 2021: 4 Man of the Match performances by Indian cricketers against Pakistan in T20 World Cup
India open their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against Pakistan on 24th October 2021. The said match will be played at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.
Captain Kohli ready for the BIG GAME on Sunday. 😎💪🏻
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India and Pakistan have played against each other on five previous occasions in the T20 World Cup and India have won all those games.
Overall, the two teams have played each other eight times in T20Is with India winning seven of the said encounters with Pakistan, winning just one game.
The first-ever game between the two teams in a T20 World Cup was won by India. The win came through a bowl-out at Kingsmead in Durban in 2007 after the match ended in a tie. Mohammad Asif was named the man of the match in that game.
The remaining four matches have witnessed man-of-the-match performances by Indian players. Here is a look at these performances:
#1. Irfan Pathan - 2007 ICC World Twenty 20 finals at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg
The 2007 ICC World Twenty 20 finals witnessed a match-winning bowling spell by Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan. The left-handed pacer was at his very best and was one of the architects for India's win in the finals.
Batting first, India scored 157 in 20 overs with Gautam Gambhir scoring 75. Pakistan were on course in the run-chase before Irfan Pathan changed the course of the game in the 12th over. He initially dismissed Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik and thereafter Shahid Afridi on the very next ball. Pakistan were reduced to 77-6.
Pathan also clean bowled Yasir Arafat in the 16th over. He finished with figures of three wickets for 16 runs from four overs. India won the match by five runs and Irfan was the man of the match. That was also the solitary title win for India at the T20 World Cup.
#2. Virat Kohli - 2012 ICC World Twenty 20 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
India beat Pakistan by eight wickets in a match in the 2012 ICC World Twenty 20. Batting first, Pakistan were bowled out for a modest total of 128 in 19.4 overs. Balaji was the most successful bowler, picking up three wickets in Pakistan's innings.
India lost an early wicket of Gautam Gambhir in the run chase. Thereafter, Virat Kohli came in to bat at number 3 and looked in sublime touch. He added 75 runs with Virender Sehwag and then had an unbeaten partnership of 54 with Yuvraj Singh.
Virat scored 78 runs from 61 balls that included eight boundaries and two sixes. He scored more than 60% of the runs in the Indian innings and was named man of the match for his knock.
#3. Amit Mishra - 2014 ICC World Twenty 20 at Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka
India recorded their third consecutive win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in 2014. Pakistan managed to score a modest 130 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs and could never really get going in their innings.
Amit Mishra spun his spinning web over the Pakistani batsmen and was the most successful Indian bowler. He picked up two wickets for 22 runs in four overs and dismissed Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik.
India chased the target with seven wickets in hand and with nine balls to spare with Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina at the crease.
#4. Virat Kohli - 2016 ICC World Twenty 20 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata
India defeated Pakistan for the fourth time in the T20 World Cup in 2016. Pakistan's innings never really got going and a tight Indian bowling unit restricted them to just 118 runs in 18 overs.
Rohit Sharma was dismissed early in the innings and India were reduced to 14 for 1.
Kohli walked in to bat at number 3 and played a mature knock. He raced to a brilliant half century (55*) from just 37 balls that included seven boundaries and a maximum.
Riding on Kohli's innings, India comfortably chased the target comfortably with 13 balls to spare. Kohli was named man of the match for his match-winning knock.