It’s not my place to speak of any other decisions.
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To give India a flying start, after being asked to bat, Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan hit half-centuries. Unfortunately though a poor game plan and shoddy execution, besides abysmal fielding, nullified the advantage. The IPL winning captain added 56 runs for the 2nd wicket with Virat Kohli as India kept the scoreboard ticking without looking to score big before an unfortunate run out saw an end to Rohit’s crucial 91 run knock. We dropped simple catches.
Pak skipper Sarfaraz, before the game had said that Pakistan are ranked number 8 in the team rankings and have nothing to lose. It is all wrong.
“Wahab Riaz twisted his right ankle in [Sunday’s] ICC Champions Trophy match against India”, a Pakistan Cricket Board statement read. The batting is fragile while the bowling is at best mediocre. But fellow left-arm fast bowler Wahab was hugely expensive, his wicketless 8.4 overs costing 87 runs.
“I was on commentary and was thinking to myself this could well be the death knell for Pakistan”. Pandya, faced 6 balls, hit three boundaries and scored 20 runs.
“A record crowd provided an electric soundtrack on a frustrating wet day as India’s batsmen pounded Pakistan into the ground”, The Hindu wrote.
“Everything was under control after 40 overs but we lost the plot in the last eight”, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said. “Except Shoaib Malik not one batsman showed intent”.
“But you’ve got to stay patient”. If you play dot balls then the game doesn’t go anywhere, you try a few shots and you lose wickets.
The Main Issue Happened for the Team PAK is the Lack of Partnership as Done by Team India in the Match at Birmingham.
Earlier, Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh stood out in an all-round batting effort, propelling India to 319 for three after rain halted proceedings twice in the marquee clash.
South Africa, however, have a nasty habit of not playing to their potential in ICC tournaments and de Villiers promised they were not about to “get ahead of ourselves”.
“Obviously, if you drop players like Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli”, Azhar Ali mused later, “they’re going to make you pay”. With Misbah and Younis having called it a day in the Test match arena, Pakistan will struggle in the five day format as well.
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Indian Sports Minister Vijay Goel said there was no chance of bilateral ties being resumed with Pakistan at this stage and gave the BCCI a tongue lashing for speaking to the PCB without consulting government first.
