It is very much a rivalry when India, as the best T20I side in the world, found itself under pressure chasing a paltry 148.
NOT a rivalry? Well, still very much a rivalry.
It is very much a rivalry when the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is filled to capacity to witness its spectacular nature. It is very much a rivalry when Indian faces on the ground, in the stands and in the dressing rooms fall in disappointment when a Pakistan player hits a six or takes a wicket.
It is very much a rivalry when Gautam Gambhir, who went on record saying India shouldn’t play against Pakistan, bangs the table like a maniac in the dressing room when Shivam Dube breaks the shackles to get India back into the match. It is very much a rivalry when India’s top broadcaster wants the country to play the maximum number of matches against Pakistan in the face of calls for “boycotting” the contest.
It was very much a rivalry when India as the best Twenty20 International side in the world found itself under pressure chasing a paltry 148 before India’s Tilak Varma’s brilliance with the bat, and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf’s meltdown with the ball, stood out in the former’s five-wicket victory in the Asia Cup final on Sunday. Although India won — and full credit to them for it, the country’s government’s unsporting narrative, communicated by its mouthpiece Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav over the 20-day course of the tournament lost.
India had convincingly won the two previous matches between the two rivals at the Asia Cup. Pakistan, meanwhile, had admitted ahead of the final that they had yet to play the “perfect” match. And when openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman were owning the Indian bowlers until the former fell in the 10th over, it looked like the day Pakistan had waited for had arrived.
But the team’s decision to replace power-hitter Hasan Nawaz with conventional batter Hussain Talat came back to sting them a week later. After a good start by the openers, none of the Pakistan middle-order batters — including the captain Salman Ali Agha — looked equipped with the skill of capitalising on it. A collapse proved inevitable hence as India licked their lips at the sight of a small total to chase.
But Pakistan walked on to the ground to field with their fighting spirit running high and Faheem Ashraf’s fist pumps after removing India dangerman Abhishek Sharma and Shubhman Gill symbolised it perfectly. So did Salman’s dive forward to take an acrobatic catch to complete Suryakumar’s dimissal off Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf’s arms stretching out to send back Gill.
But — no matter how much denied — the occasion was big, and Varma rose up to it. The left-hander would go on to play a chanceless, unbeaten knock of 69 off 53, pouncing on each and every loose delivery — with Haris bowling the most of them for Pakistan.
Haris was also punished by Shivam Dube, whose power was evident with two sixes and as many fours as he stroked away his match-winning 33 off 22. By the time the left-hander became Faheem’s third wicket, India had all but won the match, before Rinku Singh hit the winning shot.
