India vs Pakistan World T20: Pak fail to break World Cup jinx against India

India maintained their impeccable World Cup record against Pakistan after Virat Kohli's fluent 36 not out powered them to a seven-wicket victory against the arch-rivals in a group two super 10 stage match of the World Twenty20 on Friday.

Put into bat, Pakistan did not get the flying start they were looking for and could not mount a late assault either against India's disciplined bowlers who restricted them to 130-7 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

India made a strong, if not spectacular, start to their chase with their openers adding 54 runs in eight overs before Shikhar Dhawan (30) fell to Umar Gul to trigger a mini-collapse.

Rohit Sharma (24) dragged a Saeed Ajmal delivery on to his stumps while Bilawal Bhatti rearranged Yuvraj Singh's stumps as India slumped to 65-3 in the 11th over.

Kohli displayed the kind of form that has made him the mainstay of Indian batting, playing with characteristic ease and grace to add 66 runs with Suresh Raina (35 not out) to win the match with nine balls to spare and prolong India's unbeaten record against Pakistan in 20-over and 50-over World Cups.

Wary of the dew factor and confident of his team's ability to chase under floodlights, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni earlier asked Pakistan to bat first and opened with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

Kamran Akmal warmed up with a couple of boundaries before running himself out in the second over following a comical mix-up with Ahmed Shehzad.

Shehzad featured in another confusion in the very next delivery but was fortunate as Dhoni's direct throw missed stumps as the batsman hurried back abandoning his pursuit for a non-existent single.

Hafeez also had his share of luck as Yuvraj, usually a safe catcher, dropped him at deep midwicket off Mohammad Shami when the Pakistan captain was on five.

Hafeez (15) could not make the most of the reprieve and fell to Ravindra Jadeja's third delivery after Bhuvaneshwar Kumar ran from deep cover to take a low, diving catch.

Shehzad (22) joined him in the pavilion in the next over, having charged out only to be completely foxed by leg-spinner Amit Mishra's prodigious turn.

Umar Akmal (33) added 50 runs with Shoaib Malik (18) but fell to Mishra just when he looked set for a late assault to push the score.

Much depended on Shahid Afridi when he walked in but the all-rounder fell for eight as Raina took a diving catch in the deep to snuff out Pakistan's hopes of a late surge.

INDIA INNINGS

Virat Kohli (36 not out) and Suresh Raina (35 not out) shared an 66-run stand as India trounced Pakistan by seven wickets in the Group 2 match of the World T20 in Dhaka on Friday.

Needing 131 to win, India were never threatened as openers Rohit Sharma (24) and Shikhar Dhawan (30) laid a strong foundation.

Though India lost a few quick wickets in the middle, Kohli and Raina put things back into perspective as India chased down the target in the penultimate over.

Earlier, Indian spinners did a commendable job to restrict Pakistan to 130 for six in 20 overs.

Wickets kept falling at regular interval before Umar Akmal (33) and Shoaib Malik (18) revived the innings with a half century partnership.

Sohaib Maqsood fired in the final over who got a 11-ball 21 as Pakistan achieved a challenging total.

For India, Amit Mishra claimed two wickets.


It's all over quite easily for India. Fans celebrate as Raina gets the winning run. Ind 131-3 in 18.3 overs.

India need only seven from 12 balls. Kohli and Raina have done it for India. Ind 124-3 in 18 overs.

Partnership reaches 50 as India are 115-3 in 17 overs.

Partnership is on 48 as Kohli reaches 32 and Raina makes 22. Ind need just 17 from 24 balls. Ind 114-3 in 16 overs.

Kohli takes on Afridi to blast two boundaries. India cruising to victory. Ind 106-3 in 15 overs.

Raina and Kohli look all settled. They just saw off Ajmal's over without much of fuss. Ind 94-3 in 14 overs.

Raina is unstoppable. He blasts Bhatti for two boundaries and it's now looking all easy for India. Ind 91-3 in 13 overs.

Kohli gets a six to ease India's scoring rate while Afridi adds to the woes by dropping a catch in the slips. Ind 81-3 in 12 overs.

India are 72-3 in 11 overs.

India lose Yuvraj Singh. What a ball from Bilawal Bhatti. He has rattled the stumps. Ind 65-3 in 10.1 overs.

Yuvraj Singh b Bilawal Bhatti 1 (2b 0x4 0x6)

Pakistan will need more such wickets. Two dangerous batsmen Yuvraj and Kohli in the middle. Ind 65-2 in 10 overs.

Ajmal returns to does what he is best known for. Gets the settled batsman Sharma out. Ind 64-2 in 9.3 overs.

Rohit Sharma b Saeed Ajmal 24 (21b 1x4 2x6)

Afridi bowled a fine over before his wide fetched three runs and Kohli followed it up with a neat boundary. Ind 63-1 in 9 overs.

Dhawan finally loses his wicket attempting to hit a short ball off Gul. But he has given Indian a good start. Ind 54-1 in 8 overs.

Shikhar Dhawan c Saeed Ajmal b Umar Gul 30 (28b 5x4 0x6)

Afridi keeps it tight but easy singles being given away. Pakistan need to stop them. India in a good position at the moment with Rohit on 17 and Dhawan on 24. Ind 41-0 in 7 overs.

Indian openers doing well. Not a big target to chase and keeping the wickets intact can be crucial. Ind 38-0 in 6 overs.

Dhawan was struggling all the while before he cuts loose in Ajmal's over. He gets three fine boundaries and that should give him some confidence. Ind 31-0 in 5 overs.

A good over for India as Rohit gets aggressive. He hammers a boundary and a six. Ind 19-0 in 4 overs.

Pakistan bowlers continue to do well. Hafeez finishes his second over giving away only two runs. Ind 7-0 in 20 overs.

Another superb over for Pakistan. Only two runs off Junaid Khan's bowling. India being cautious not to lose any early wickets. Ind 5-0 in 2 overs.

A fine start for Pakistan. Skipper Hafeez begins the proceedings giving away only three runs. Ind 3-0 in 1 over.

India open with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma as Mohammad Hafeez prepares to bowl.

PAKISTAN INNINGS

A good final over for Pakistan with Maqsood getting some big shots. He is run out in the final ball but did the job well. Pak 130-7 in 20 overs.

Sohaib Maqsood run out 21 (11b 2x4 1x6)

Suresh Raina takes his third catch and this one the most important one of Afridi. Pakistan need a good final over to put something competitive on board. Pak 114-6 in 18.5 overs.

Shahid Afridi c Raina b Kumar 8 (10b 1x4 0x6)

Brilliant bowling from Shami. Just two runs and a wicket. Pakistan have just two overs and Afridi has to come up with something magical. Pak 104-5 in 18 overs.

Akmal goes as Pakistan again seem to be in a situation of bother. All eyes now on Afridi. He has done it in Asia Cup. Pak 103-5 in 17.2 overs.

Umar Akmal c Raina b Mohammed Shami 33 (30b 2x4 0x6)

A fantastic spell from Jadeja. He gives away only 18 runs from his four overs with a wicket to his credit. Pak 102-4 in 17 overs.

Huge cheers from the crowd as Afridi enters the ground. He has come at the right time and a lot will be expected of him. Pak 100-4 in 16 overs.

Malik does not time it this time and holes one in the deep. Raina takes a simple catch. Pak 97-4 in 15.2 overs.

Shoaib Malik c Raina b Mishra 18 (20b 1x4 1x6)

That was bad fielding again from Kumar. Malik's pull went wrong but Kumar failed to latch on to it. Pak 96-3 in 15 overs.

Another tight over from Jadeja giving away only six runs. Pak 89-3 in 14 overs.

Akmal on 23, Malik on 14 as the partnership reaches 36. Pakistan should be eyeing at least 150 from here. Pak 83-3 in 13 overs.

Pakistan getting into the groove. Another big over and Malik making his intentions clear. Gets a big six. Pak 76-3 in 12 overs.

A big over for Pakistan with 13 runs coming off it. Kumar's misfield adds to it. Yuvraj not happy at all. Pak 63-3 in 11 overs.

Half way into the innings and Indian spinners doing a brilliant job. Shoaib Malik has played seven balls to get just one run. Pak 50-0 in 10 overs.

A superb over from Mishra. Just six runs from his two overs including a wicket maiden. Pak 47-3 in 9 overs.

Pakistan lose another important wicket as Shehzad is stumped. That was a big turn for Mishra. Pak 47-3 in 8.2 overs.

Ahmed Shehzad st Dhoni b Mishra 22 (17b 2x4 0x6)

A fine over for Jadeja to start. Just seven runs and a wicket. Pak 47-2 in 8 overs.

Jadeja strikes in his first over. A great catch from Kumar in the deep as Hafeez returns. Pak 44-2 in 7.3 overs.

Mohammad Hafeez c Kumar b Jadeja 15 (22b 1x4 0x6)

Pakistan slowly building on. Mishra bowls a good first over giving away just six runs. Pak 40-1 in 7 overs.

Eventful over this. Hafeez got lucky as Yuvraj Singh drops a catch in the deep and then both Shehzad and Hafeez get a boundary each. Pak 34-1 in 6 overs.

India's best bowler Yuvraj drops a catch off Hafeez in the deep.

Boundaries seem to be evading Pakistan at the moment. Great stuff from Indian bowlers. Another tight over from Kumar who has given just 10 runs from his two overs. Pak 22-1 in 5 overs.

A fine over from Shami. Just two runs off it. Pakistan are still struggling with runs between the wickets. All confused. Pak 17-1 in 4 overs.

Shami comes in to bowl.

Ashwin bowled well before Shehzad comes down the line to crack a fine straight boundary. Pak 15-1 in 3 overs.

That could have been another but Dhoni misses the stumps at the non-striker end. Shehzad was desperate for that run. Pak 9-1 in 2 overs.

It's heart breaking for Pakistan. Akmal had began so well dominating the proceedings and he is run out. Pakistan fans in complete shock as Indians celebrate. Pak 9-1 in 1.5 overs.

Kamran Akmal run out 8 (10b 2x4 0x6)

Kamran gets a boundary and that's all in Ashwin's opening over. A good start for both the teams. Pak 4-0 in 1 over.

Kamran Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad open for Pakistan as Ashwin prepares to bowl. So Dhoni opts for a spinner to open the attack.

Indian players cuddle up. Team discussion on as Dhoni prepares the field.

Players are in the ground and the national anthems begin.

India are playing three spinners - Amit Mishra, Ravindchandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. They have kept the pace options also well packed with Bhuvanshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. Looks like a good toss to win.

Playing XI:

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami

Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhatti, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan.

Here we are minutes away from the big match. India have won the toss and chose to bowl.

PREVIEW

Leading a side teeming with all-rounders, Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez enjoys an embarrassment of riches that he believes will give the 2009 champions a definite edge in the World Twenty20.

"We do believe we have good all-rounders in our side," Hafeez told reporters on the eve of Friday's Super 10 opener against arch-rivals India at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

"With Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, myself and Kamran Akmal as the wicketkeeper-batsman we are blessed to have players like that. Hopefully it will help us."

Afridi was in spectacular form in the recent Asia Cup, also in Bangladesh, and Hafeez predicted the flamboyant all-rounder would continue in the same fashion even though he was "not 100 per cent" fit.

"He's in good form, we've seen that in the Asia Cup. This is a good sign for us because we always want him to bat lower in the order and finish the game for Pakistan," Hafeez said of the maverick leg-spinner who is also one of the most hard-hitting batsmen around.

"It's always good to know he's in good nick and a good frame of mind. It's always great your senior player is always looking forward to challenges."

Hafeez's India counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni was envious of Pakistan's riches.

"The more all-rounders you have the more difficult it gets for the opposition," Dhoni said.

"If you have players who can bat and bowl and if they are proper all-rounders, spinning or fast bowling, they add to the strength of the team."

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