IND vs PAK: India open in style

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill tackle Pakistan’s four-pronged pace attack led by Shaheen Afridi to give team solid platform with 121-run opening stand

India’s mantra was “take the bull by its horns” or “fight fire with fire.” These are cliché statements, but need to be implemented in the field of play. After the Indian top order had repeatedly failed against the Pakistani pace bowling attack, and in the shadow of the flop show in their previous clash at Pallekele, which was abandoned after India’s innings, the focus was on how Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill would tackle the four-pronged pace attack, led by Shaheen Afridi and supported by Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Faheem Akhtar.

Faheem comes in

Thinking the Indian top order was suspect against their pace attack, the Pakistan team management not only included a fourth seamer in Faheem in place of left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz, but that also influenced their decision to bowl first. Despite it being bright and sunny when India batted, the fans waited with bated breath to see how the Indian openers would fare. Rohit made India’s intentions clear when he flicked the last ball of the opening over by Shaheen over square leg for a six. His partner, Gill, who usually is circumspect to begin with, was on the ball too, as he repeatedly played his patent semi-horizontal shot, which is half-cut, half-drive piercing the infield and picking up boundaries at will.

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While the Indian spectators were going ga-ga, there was utter silence from the stunned Pakistani supporters. For once the Indian batters had the measure of Shaheen, who went for 31 runs in his first three overs and was promptly removed from the attack. That was a moral victory for the Indians, who not only kept the star pacer at bay, but also attacked him with vengeance, with Gill once showing the audacity of stepping out and playing a superb straight drive to the boundary. The way Gill had confidently tackled a barrage of probing questions from the media on the eve of the match, showed the confidence and determination of the Men in Blue to set the record straight. 

Shaheen smashed

Shaheen’s yorkers were thumped either down the ground or square of the wicket and for once the lanky pace bowler was made to look ordinary. Rohit too was not far behind Gill and looked in fluent touch. The 121-run opening partnership was what the doctor had ordered after India were asked to bat first. But sadly, the rain finally arrived in the 25th over to play spoilsport. After Gill and Rohit had done their job, Virat Kohli and the now-fit KL Rahul were getting into the groove, when the heavens opened and sent the players scampering back into the pavilion.

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