India dominate in the powerplay; Pakistan pin hopes on Malik and Azam 

Enter caption

The first ten overs of the match between India and Pakistan belonged to India. Pakistan, at the end of the 10th over, had managed to score just 25 runs for the loss of two important wickets, that of their openers, Fakhar Zaman and Imam Ul Haq. Bhuvi started off neatly, bowling with an accurate line and length. The game plan was clear for India as the opening bowlers didn't offer too much width and bowled wicket-to-wicket.

Bumrah set the tone perfectly for Bhuvi by bowling back-to-back maiden overs. Bhuvneshwar capitalized and bowled a short-pitched delivery that got him the wicket of Imam Ul Haq who tried going hard at the bowler. Similarly, the two bowlers trapped Zaman as they didn't allow him to get a single run off the nine deliveries he faced. All of the nine deliveries were bowled straight at Zaman's body, without providing any sort of width to him.

The Indian new-ball bowlers set a perfect platform for the rest of the bowlers. Though the pitch doesn't seem lively, Bumrah and Bhuvi have just shown that consistency is the key in such conditions. One more wicket for India and Pakistan would be in all sorts of trouble.

Now, the onus in on Rohit and his captaincy as well. It would be interesting to see when he'll introduce both the spinners. Rohit's captaincy pattern suggests that Kuldeep could be brought a bit later, after Chahal and Pandya complete their first few overs.

Pakistan have tough times ahead, as they will have to face the two magical spin-twins. However, if they try to rotate the strike properly without taking too much of a risk, Chahal and Kuldeep can be conquered.

The environment in the stadium is just electric and should remain the same throughout the mouth-watering encounter.

Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️

Quick Links