Asia Cup 2018: After Hong Kong hiccup, India outclass Pakistan by 8 wickets

Dubai: Just a day after surviving a scare against minnows Hong Kong, India cruised to a thumping 8-wicket victory against arch-rivals Pakistan in their second Asia Cup 2018 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Sarfraz Ahmed’s men could only muster up a total of 162 on board as the Indian bowling attack wreaked havoc.

The Men in Blue made light work of the chase with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan providing a fiery start. Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf removed the attacking openers but it proved to be a little too late as Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik steered India to victory.

Rohit Sharma and co now face Bangladesh in their next encounter on Friday.

India 106-2 after 17 overs:

CAUGHT! Ashraf bowls it short and wide and Dhawan pounces in a snap. Cuts it towards point but Babar Azam times his jump to perfection as India lose their second wicket.

India 92-1 after 14 overs:

BOWLED! Introduction of spin and Shadab Khan gets the big fish, Rohit Sharma. The India captain fails to pick up the googly which goes right through the gates and crashes into the stumps.

India 86-0 after 13 overs:

HALF CENTURY! Rohit Sharma brings up his fifty with India firing on all cylinders. Has timed the ball well and his ability to counter the short delivery has been impressive.

India 58-0 after 10 overs:

FIFTY! India get off to a flyer with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan sparking fireworks in Dubai. Both batsmen are looking in good rhythm.

1st innings:

The Indian bowlers put up a spirited performance in their second match of the Asia Cup 2018 as Pakistan skittled out for a paltry total of 162 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided a dream start for the Men in Blue, dismissing openers Imam Ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman for a duck. But after being jostled from the Indian pacers early on, Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam responded with a solid partnership.

Kuldeep Yadav joined the party with the wicket of Azam and from there on Sarfraz Ahmed’s men lost the plot. Their downfall saw them go from 85-2 to 121-7 with part-timer Kedar Jadhav tearing apart the middle order.

Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Amir battled with intent but the Indian pacers carried on from where they left and cleaned up the tail.

Pakistan 162-10 after 43.1 overs:

BOWLED! Jasprit Bumrah knocks Usman Khan's timber and Pakistan are all out for 162

Pakistan 162-9 after 43 overs:

POOR SHOT AND CAUGHT! Hasan Ali tries to play Bhuvneshwar Kumar's off-cutter over the infield. Makes contact with the toe end of the bat and Dinesh Karthik takes a dolly at mid on.

Pakistan 160-8 after 42 overs:

CAUGHT! Round the wicket, Bumrah deceives Ashraf with a slower delivery. The ball goes high and lands safely in the hands of Shikhar Dhawan.

Pakistan 121-7 after 33 overs:

STUMPED! Kedar Jadhav gets another wicket as Shadab Khan perishes. India's Midas is proving to be the key man once again.

Pakistan 110-6 after 29 overs:

WICKET! Kedar Jadhav, the man with the golden arm is turning things around for India. Bowled it short and flat, outside off stump. Asif Ali slashes hard and Dhoni takes a sharp catch.

Pakistan 100-5 after 27 overs:

100 UP! Pakistan reach the century mark but having lost half their side, can they starve off the Indian bowling attack?

RUN OUT! Ambati Rayudu produces a brilliant direct hit and Shoaib Malik is gone. Pakistan are crumbling apart.

Pakistan 96-4 after 25 overs:

WICKET! Manish Pandey takes a stunner in the deep, near the boundary line to get rid of Sarfraz Ahmed. Kedar Jadhav gets the big fish.

Pakistan 93-3 after 24 overs:

CHANCE! Shoaib Malik slogs Kuldeep Yadav for a big one but Bhuvneshwar Kumar over runs at the last moment. The young chinaman has a grumpy look on his face!

Pakistan 86-3 after 22 overs:

BOWLED! Babar Azam dances down the track, aiming for a flick towards the onside but fails to read the googly from Kuldeep which crashes the off-stump.

Pakistan 73-2 after 18 overs:

OH NO! Hardik Pandya bowls a length ball that is flicked towards the leg side by Azam but the bowler hits the ground after his followthrough. He lies in pain and after being attended by the physio, is stretched off the ground. Worrying signs for the Men in Blue.

Pakistan 55-2 after 14 overs:

Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam bring up the fifty for Pakistan, making a strong recovery after the early blows. Can they make a comeback here?

Pakistan 25-2 after 10 overs:

Introduction of spin. Some tight bowling from the pacers resulted in two wickets with pressure taking a toll on the Pakistan openers. A big partnership will be needed here and the experience of Malik will play a huge role.

Pakistan 4-2 after 5 overs:

DREAM START! Pakistan 3-2 and Indian fans are ecstatic. Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes again as dangerman Fakhar Zaman is out for a duck. Cramped for room and the southpaw gets a top edge as he tries to break the shackles. Yuzvendra Chahal at mid on takes it as cool as ice.

Pakistan 3-1 after 3 overs:

WICKET! Edged and gone. Imam Ul Haq perishes for a duck as Bhuvneshwar Kumar draws first blood for India. The batsman jumps down the track and pulls a short delivery that takes the edge, collected by MS Dhoni.

Toss:

Sarfraz Ahmed has won the toss and Pakistan have elected to bat in the in the Asia Cup 2018 group stage encounter against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.

While Pakistan have made no changes to the side which beat Hong Kong on Sunday, India, who have made two changes to the team which played against Hong Kong on Tuesday, have brought in Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in place of Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur.

Preview: The stage is set, the wait is almost over as the arch-rivals India and Pakistan square off in the United Arab Emirates.

While India have been without the services of Virat Kohli, there has not been any lack of interest as the teams face each other for the first time since the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final.

Both the teams have a chance to go head-to-head at least twice in this tournament, and thrice if they make it to the final.

However, India will have to defeat Hong Kong on Tuesday before meeting their arch-rivals on Wednesday.

While the Men in Blue are missing the services of regular captain Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni returns to cricket after a two-month break.

Dhoni had retired from Tests in 2014.

There will be a newcomer in the Indian squad in uncapped Khaleel Ahmed, who was called up for the multi-nation tournament, while Ambati Rayudu is making a comeback to the team after two years.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma(Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, K Khaleel Ahmed.

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (Captain and wicketkeeper), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi.

Match-timings:

The match is scheduled to start at 5 P.M. IST.

Live streaming:

The live streaming of the Indo-Pak clash will be available on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app.

Live telecast:

The live telecast of the match will be available across various Star Sports channels.