Indian captain Rohit Sharma was in the mood against Pakistan as he smashed a half-century in the Super 4 clash of the Asia Cup in Colombo, on Sunday, September 10. The ‘Hitman’ smashed two back-to-back sixes followed by a boundary against Shadab Khan before completing his 50th fifty in ODI cricket.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bowl first however the decision proved to backfire as Indian openers Rohit and Shubman Gill stitched together a stand of 121 runs to put the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah under immense pressure.
The pace trio of Shaheen, Naseem and Harris Rauf struggled to impact the game early on, as Shubman and Rohit continued to go for the big hits, once the Indian batters were in their zone, they proved to be unstoppable.
IND 147/2 in 24.1 overs vs PAK, India vs Pakistan Live Score Asia Cup 2023
Shubman became the first batsman to hit six boundaries against Shaheen Shah Afridi in an ODI outing, before completing his half-century.
Rohit started with caution before he too joined the party and smashed Shadab Khan all over the park. The Pakistan all-rounder conceded 19 runs in his 13th over, including three back-to-back big hits.
The 36-year-old dispatched the two short balls into the stands for back-to-back sixes, with two pull shots on the leg side before finding the boundary ropes towards the offside with a cut shot on the googly as well to close out the over.
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6️⃣, 6️⃣, 4️⃣#TeamIndia openers on the charge! 💥@ImRo45 & @ShubmanGill are in exceptional touch, bringing up a terrific 💯 stand!Tune-in to #AsiaCupOnStar, LIVE NOW on Star Sports Network#INDvPAK #Cricket pic.twitter.com/wV7xJQVZQF
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 10, 2023
Shadab would play a key role in Rohit’s dismissal as the all-rounder provided his side with the key breakthrough. The Pakistani bowler’s googly did the trick as Rohit ended up giving away a catch to Faheem Ashraf as the Indian captain’s inning came to an abrupt end at 56 off 59 balls, having smashed six boundaries and four maximums.
Shubman Gill departed in the next over, Shaheen Afridi got the crucial wicket as both Indian openers were sent packing with Pakistan looking to make inroads in the game before the heavens opened up.
Rain delayed proceedings when the score was at 147/2 after 24.1 overs as both sides awaited the decision about play’s resumption as the umpires scheduled an inspection for 7:30 PM IST.