Virat Kohli's fifty in vain as Pakistan end World Cup jinx against India with 10-wicket win in T20 World Cup 2021Cricket

India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match result: Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were the heroes for Pakistan as the Men in Green defeated Virat Kohli & Co. by 10 wickets in T20 World Cup 2021 to end the World Cup jinx against Team India.

Cricket's biggest rivalry resumed at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as Virat Kohli & Co. took on Babar Azam's men in their opening match of ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021. 

While Virat Kohli and his men were the favourites to win the match, the Men in Green stunned the Men in Blue by 10 wickets to finally end the World Cup jinx against Team India. After 12 successive losses against India in World Cup history, Pakistan rode on the performances of Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to register a comprehensive 10-wicket win against their arch-rivals.

After Pakistan opted to bowl first, Shaheen Shah Afridi got the Men in Green off to a brilliant start as he removed openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul inside the first two overs. Afridi, who is known to bowl fast and full in the first few overs, trapped Sharma in front of the wicket for a first-ball duck and then bowled an inswinger to clean bowl Rahul in his second over.

After hitting a couple of good strokes, Suryakumar Yadav fell to Hasan Ali as he was caught behind the wicket. With the scoreboard reading 31/3, Rishabh Pant joined skipper Virat Kohli at the crease and the two rebuilt India's innings. After 10 overs, India were 61/3.

As wickets kept falling from one end, Kohli continued to play sublime strokes and reached his half-century off 45 balls in the 18th over. Soon after he reached his fifty, Kohli edged a bouncer from Afridi behind the wickets. At the end of 20 overs, India finished at 151/7.

In reply, opener Mohammad Rizwan made his intentions clear by scoring a four and a six off successive deliveries in the first over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Along with Babar Azam, Rizwan kept the scoreboard moving.

Indian bowlers looked helpless against the Pakistani openers - who scored boundaries at will once they were set. It was Azam who first reached his half-century with a six off Varun Chakravarthy while Rizwan pulled Bumrah for a boundary past midwicket to complete his half-century off 41 balls.

The two openers did not get complacent after reaching their half-centuries and finished off things in style by remaining unbeaten till the end. (KNS)

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