ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final: India vs Pakistan, Jasprit Bumrah's no ball that gave Fakhar Zaman a lifeline is the SK Turning Point of the Match

Going into the final of the ICC Champions Trophy, India were the favourites. That’s what we thought and that’s what everyone in the world except the Pakistani players believed. Who would have thought that the defending champions would be blown away by a side that made it to the tournament with extreme difficulty?

India had defeated Pakistan in a one-sided encounter earlier in the tournament during the league stage but Pakistan returned the favour when it mattered the most. The Kennington Oval was filled with the supporters from both sides but it was the Men in Green who celebrated all the way.

Virat Kohli won the toss and asked Pakistan to bat first. Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan skipper, called for a score in excess of 300 from the batsmen and that’s what he got.

However, that wouldn’t have happened had it not been for Fakhar Zaman’s luck.

The turning point

India’s new ball bowlers began well as they had done throughout the tournament. The ball was nipping around, making life difficult for Azhar Ali and Zaman up front. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah kept the score down to just seven after three overs.

Fakhar was tied down as the bowlers cramped him for room. He had faced seven deliveries and scored three runs when Bumrah ran in to bowl the 4^th over. The left-hander flashed hard at one slightly wide but only managed an outside edge that flew into the gloves of MS Dhoni.

The keeper threw the ball up in delight and Bumrah started celebrating as well. The batsman started making the long walk back but the umpire Marais Erasmus asked him to stay as he wanted to check for a no-ball.

The replays clearly showed that Bumrah had overstepped. India’s joy had suddenly turned into sorrow as the batsman was left to fight another day. It was not the first time that the Indian pacer had committed this mistake. The incident brought back the memories of the 2016 World T20 semi-final against West Indies where Bumrah was at fault as well.

Fakhar made the most of the reprieve

Fakhar scored a brilliant century

Zaman made full use of his extra life. He went on the attack and literally tore apart the Indian bowling line-up. Barring Bhuvneshwar, no other bowler could contain him. Fakhar kept whacking the pacers as well as the spinners to the boundaries on a consistent basis.

Along with Azhar, he added 128 runs for the first wicket. Azhar departed after scoring 59 off 71 balls in the 23^rd over. Fakhar was at fault for his partner’s dismissal but he was unflustered by that and instead continued with his aggressive stroke making.

The 27-year-old went on to score 114 off 106 balls that included 12 fours and 3 sixes. When he got out in the 34^th over, the scoreboard read 200/2.

Babar Azam made 46 and Mohammad Hafeez’s 57 off 37 balls took the score to a massive 338/4 at the end of 50 overs.

Amir’s knockout punch

Amir removed the top three who were in prime form

During the innings break, the experts believed that the Indian side possessed enough firepower to chase down the total. But Mohammad Amir put an end to all the speculations.

In the very first over, he trapped Rohit Sharma in front of the stumps for a duck. In his next over, he got Virat Kohli to edge one to first slip where Azhar Ali dropped a sitter. But Amir made sure the mistake didn’t hurt them. Off the very next ball, he induced the outside edge again and this time, Shadab Khan at point grabbed an easy catch.

Kohli had to walk back for just 5 runs and it was the final nail in the coffin. Shikhar Dhawan looked good for a while but he too fell prey to the left-arm pacer. The top three who had done all the damage for India throughout the tournament were back in the hut inside nine overs as the side were left tottering at 33/3.

India lost wickets at regular intervals from that point onwards. Only Hardik Pandya showed some fight with a blistering 76 off 43 but it turned out to be too little too late. India were bowled out for 158 in the 31^st over and lost the match by a massive margin of 180 runs.

Jasprit Bumrah, meanwhile, will live to rue that mistake for the rest of his life.