Player ratings – India vs Pakistan
In one of the most hyped cricket clashes of this year, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat keeping in mind the sapping UAE heat. Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah bowled a disciplined line and length and did not allow the Pakistani openers to cut loose in the powerplay. Imam-ul-Haq departed after playing a very poor slog and Fakhar Zaman soon followed trying to release the pressure by playing a pull shot.
Then the in-form Malik and Babar Azam combined for a decent partnership of 82 runs before Kuldeep broke the partnership with a peach of a delivery that turned past Azam’s flick and hit the top of off stump. A brilliant effort from Pandey resulted in the wicket of Sarfraz Ahmed and Pakistan were never really in the game after this dismissal as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Pakistan’s poor batting performance resulted in a score of 162 which is below par on a flat surface.
Chasing a modest target, Dhawan and Rohit got off to a rollicking start. Rohit was at his best as he destroyed Usman Khan with majestic front foot pulls. Rohit’s timing was impeccable as he made batting look so easy not for the first time in his career. He got to his fifty with a glorious lofted cover drive off Hasan Ali. But soon he departed as Shadab Khan bowled an unplayable leg-spinner which turned from the leg stump line and castled him. Dhawan also departed for 46 but Rayudu and Karthik did not do anything silly and ensured India went over the line comfortably. Here are the player ratings for the match.
#1 India
1. Rohit Sharma – 8.5
It was a Captain’s knock from him, which was filled with emphatic pulls and cover drives.
2. Shikhar Dhawan – 8
Gave Rohit decent company and did not try anything silly against Amir who bowled decently.
3. Ambati Rayudu – 7.5
Looked in great touch and maintained a calm head to ensure India finished the chase with ease.
4. Dinesh Karthik – 7.5
Might have cemented his spot in the upcoming matches with a solid knock.
5. MS Dhoni – 6
Dropped an easy catch but it was a decent outing for him.
6. Kedar Jadhav – 8.5
He was outstanding with the ball as he provided the vital breakthrough’s whenever the Pakistani batsmen looked set.
7. Hardik Pandya – 5
Could not contribute much as he was stretchered off the field after a freak injury.
8. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar – 8.5
Displayed outstanding discipline on a placid pitch with nothing for the bowlers and bagged 3 wickets in the end.
9. Jasprit Bumrah – 7.5
Along with Bhuvi, he was also responsible for the fall of Pakistani openers with some tight bowling.
10. Yuzvendra Chahal – 6
Was not as effective as Kuldeep but it was not a bad outing by any means.
11. Kuldeep Yadav – 7
Once again the batsmen struggled to deal with his variations which were quite deceptive.