Asia Cup Super 4: India, with ball, register unwanted record against Pakistan

Pakistan made their most explosive start in T20Is against India, racing to 55/1 in the Powerplay during the Asia Cup Super Four clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The total bettered their previous best of 54/0 against India in Ahmedabad back in 2012. This came after India won the toss and chose to bowl first, hoping to put on early pressure. Despite Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal in the third over when he was caught by Sanju Samson off Hardik Pandya for 15 off nine balls, the scoring momentum was never halted. Sahibzada Farhan led the way and raced to a half century, while Saim Ayub kept the tempo high as well, until he was dismissed by Shivam Dube. India’s fielding errors added to the setback. Abhishek Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav both put down straightforward chances, allowing Pakistan to keep the boundaries flowing. The dropped opportunities meant that more runs were added to Pakistan's scoreboard. It also turned out to be an off day so far for Jasprit Bumrah. Conceding 34 runs from his three overs in the Powerplay, he recorded his most expensive spell in the phase across all T20s. His previous highest was 31 runs against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2016, during just his second T20 international. By ten overs, Pakistan were firmly in control. India now face the challenge of recovering quickly to prevent the game from slipping away after an opening phase dominated by their rivals in this important match.