OTD 2014 India continued their dominance over Pakistan with win in World T20 opener

Pakistan have better head-to-head stats against India in Tests and ODIs. However, the Men in Blue are a long way ahead when it comes to meetings in T20I cricket. There have been 17 meetings between India and Pakistan in T20Is cricket. While the former have won 14 matches, the latter has emerged victorious on only three occasions.

In T20I World Cups, India and Pakistan have met each other in nine instances. The three-time champions have won seven matches and lost only once. During the recently concluded T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, the Men in Blue registered their seventh win against Pakistan at the marquee event. This game was played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

In the 2014 T20 World Cup, India and Pakistan met each other at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on March 21. Mohammed Shami made his T20I debut in this fixture. Kumar Dharmasena and Richard Kettleborough were the on-field umpires, with Nigel Llong being on the monitor. Ranjan Madugalle was the match referee for this all-important clash in Group 2 of the competition.

India had faced Pakistan thrice in T20 World Cups before this game: twice in 2007 and once in 2012, winning all three matches and were looking to make it four in four.

Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Pakistani batters struggled on a sluggish track as the Indian bowlers wreaked havoc. Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal got decent starts but could not convert them into substantial scores. Sohaib Maqsood played an entertaining cameo towards the back end of the innings to help Pakistan finish on 130/7 in their 20 overs. However, it was below-par total against a strong Indian batting line-up.

Amit Mishra was the pick of the bowlers for India as he finished with figures of 2/22 in his four-over spell. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, and Ravindra Jadeja bagged one wicket apiece.

In reply, India got off to a sedate start with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma adding 54 runs in eight overs. The former was the first Indian batter to be dismissed, as he made 30 off 28 balls. Rohit departed soon after, scoring 24 off 21 balls. In the following over, Yuvraj Singh departed as Pakistan gave themselves a glimmer of hope.

However, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina steadied the ship and took their team to victory. Kohli scored an unbeaten 36 off 32 balls, while Raina made 35 not out off 28 deliveries as India reached the target with seven wickets and nine balls to spare.

Amit Mishra was awarded Player of the Match for his brilliant spell of bowling in the first innings, which played a key role in restricting Pakistan to a paltry total.

Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

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