Indian captain Rohit Sharma along with his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan displayed a batting exhibition against arch-rival Pakistan to register a massive nine-wicket victory in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2018 at the Dubai International cricket stadium on Sunday.
Indian bowlers displayed a disciplined attack to restrict Pakistan to 237/7. Spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal scalped two wickets each while pacer Jasprit Bumrah (2/29) displayed brilliant bowling in the death overs.
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Meanwhile, for Pakistan, all-rounder Shoaib Malik (78) played a well-composed innings to help his side reach a decent total. Malik’s 90-ball knock was laced with four boundaries and two hits over the fence. Opting to bat first, Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq (10) was sent back by Yuzvendra Chahal early.
However, fellow opener Fakhar Zaman (31), on the other hand, got off to a good start but again failed to convert it into a big score. Unperturbed by the dismissal, Malik along with skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (44) forged a 107-run for the fourth wicket. Later, Asif Ali (30) off 21 balls played a brilliant cameo knock to contribute crucial runs in the middle-order for Pakistan.
In the second innings, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan notched up a century each to impose dominance on Pakistan from the onset of the match. Sharma scored his 19th One-Day International (ODI) ton while Dhawan smashed his 15th century. The duo was also involved in 210 runs opening wicket stand, which is the highest in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Congratulating the duo, former Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar wrote, “Congratulations on your 100s @ImRo45 and @SDhawan25. Such clean hitting! Always a joy to watch you both in full flow.”
Congratulations on your 100s @ImRo45 and @SDhawan25. Such clean hitting! Always a joy to watch you both in full flow. #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/yxzFEGtDak
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 23, 2018