Dubai, UAE — India’s chase of 172 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super 4 clash is off to a blistering start, thanks to a rapid half-century from opener Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed batsman reached his fifty in just 24 balls, the second-fastest by an Indian against Pakistan in T20Is. He achieved the feat with a boundary off Saim Ayub, putting India in a dominant position in the chase.
Sharma, along with his opening partner Shubman Gill, has launched a fierce assault on the Pakistani bowlers, with the duo putting up a century-plus partnership, the first of the tournament. The onslaught has left the Pakistan bowling attack, led by Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, looking clueless. The match has also seen some heated exchanges, with Gill and Sharma getting into verbal altercations with Afridi and Rauf.
Earlier, Pakistan posted a competitive total of 171/5, with opener Sahibzada Farhan top-scoring with a patient 58. For India, Shivam Dube picked up two crucial wickets.
The match is being played under a cloud of tension, a carryover from the previous encounter where Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his team chose to not shake hands with the Pakistani players. Yadav once again avoided a handshake with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha, at the toss, adding another layer of intrigue to the high-stakes contest.
At the time of this report, India is firmly in control of the chase, needing 66 runs from 59 balls. The match, however, was briefly halted as Shubman Gill received medical attention for cramps, with Gautam Gambhir rushing onto the field to check on the opener.