Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave Team India a magnificent start in the Super Four match against Pakistan on Sunday (September 10) at the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first in this high-octane contest. It looked like a sensible decision as their pacers caused trouble to the Indian top order in the previous clash one week ago, where both the Indian openers also failed to make an impact.
Rohit and Gill rectified their mistakes and delivered a stunning reply to the famed Pakistan pace trio. The former set the tone by smashing Shaheen Afridi for a six off the final delivery of the very first over of the match.
After scoring 10 (32) in the group stage match against Pakistan, Gill played with authority from the onset and displayed his class. Due to his onslaught, Shaheen Afridi leaked 31 runs in his first three overs. Naseem Shah troubled Rohit for a couple of overs with excellent outswing bowling.
Rohit weathered the storm and then launched a stunning assault on leg-spinner Shadab Khan, hitting him for three sixes and two fours. Gill was the aggressor in the powerplay, but Sharma made up quickly in a couple of overs and overtook his partner's strike rate.
Just as the duo looked in cruise mode at 121/0, Rohit Sharma (56) departed in the 17th over after misplacing an inside-out shot towards long off fielder. Shubman Gill (58) followed his partner to the pavilion in the next over after being deceived by a slower delivery from Shaheen Afridi.
Fans were elated after witnessing an aggressive opening partnership between Rohit and Gill against Pakistan. They expressed their reaction by sharing intriguing memes. Here are some of the best ones:
Rain interrupts game after Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill give a great start to India vs Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 match
Pakistan clawed their way back into the contest after seeing the back of Indian openers with a few quiet overs. Virat Kohli (8* in 16 balls) and KL Rahul (17* in 28 balls) took some time to get in, which allowed Men in Green to wrest some control over the proceedings.
After 24.1 overs, rain made an unwelcomed appearance and paused the play in Colombo. At the time of interruption, India were 147/2, with Rahul and Kohli at the crease.
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