ICC World Twenty20 Match Updates India v/s Pakistan: Virat Kohli's masterclass takes India to victory

Virat Kohli has won this game for India, simple. At 23/3 on this wicket, India were in deep trouble again. But Virat Kohli looked like he was batting on a different pitch. With a shaky Yuvraj he built an important stand that took India close, and then he saw it through to the finish with MS Dhoni. India have won a high-pressure, high-voltage game, and once again beaten Pakistan in a world tournament. 

Over 16

FOUR. Short, bit of room from Mohammad Irfan and Kohli cracks it through point for four. Only 8 more needed now.

Ah, he was saluting/ thanking Sachin Tendulkar after getting the fifty.

Wow. That Kohli-Sachin moment. A better love story than Twilight.

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) March 19, 2016

 SIX. Slower ball just outside off, Dhoni goes big down the ground, muscle and all that, and the ball sails over the fence. This is over.

Slower short ball now, Dhoni pulls it through the midwicket region, India run the required single and they have won. 

Game over, @TheRealPCB . Thanks for participating.

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) March 19, 2016

Over 15

FOUR. Flighted delivery outside off from Afridi, and Kohli drives with ease through covers. Beats two fielders again, moves to 49.

Ball 3: Single to the off side, and Kohli has got a fifty! The crowd is ecstatic, and Kohli does a funny celebration thanking - the crowd it seems. This is a great fifty, under pressure, with three early wickets down, on a deadly track.

Is Virat Kohli is playing on a different pitch? More likely, he's batting on a different level to the rest. #INDvsPAK

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) March 19, 2016

India 106/4 after 15 overs.

Over 14

LOL, Pitch badal gayi. 

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 19, 2016

Don't mourn because Yuvi is out. Rejoice because Dhoni will come.

— June Paul (@journojuno) March 19, 2016

 Mohammad Amir is back. "He's the only hope" says Wasim Akram.

They have milked Amir for 4 runs off 4 balls so far.

Brilliant seam movement from outside off off the 5th ball, Kohli beaten playing away from his body.

FOUR. Brilliant timing, just a touch, Kohli leans into the ball and caresses it through covers for four. 

India 99/4 after 14 overs, 20 needed off 4 overs.

Over 12

SIX! Yuvraj Singh has hit the six that lights up millions of Indian hearts. Short from Wahab Riaz, and Yuvraj massacres the ball over deep midwicket for six.

As usual Pakistan having terrible trouble with Indian boundary.

— IM2SecC4U (@sidin) March 19, 2016

OUT! Yuvraj Singh is gone. He goes for another one of his trademark sixes over the on side, seems to have connected well, and then finds a wormhole in the form of a fielder deep at long on! He makes 24 off 22. Again, not definitive enough. But this partnership has taken India close.

India 84/4 after 12 overs.

Over 11

Shoaib Malik comes back.

Sachin cheering for Virat from the stands. The beauty of sports.

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) March 19, 2016

 Yuvraj sweeps at a wide ball, everyone misses it and the ball goes behind for two wides.

SIX. Top edged six. Huge bats save great batsmen even on bad pitches. Kohli sweeps from middle stump, gets a nice and healthy top edge that flies just over deep square leg.

FOUR. This over is turning the game around. Outside off stump, half volley, Kohli sweeps with gumption in front of square for 4.

India 74/3 after 11 overs.

Over 11

Wahab Riaz comes in. Bouncers time?

FOUR. Kohli pulls a short ball over midwicket, and into a gap. Shabbir comes round, dives at it, stops it with the body and then clumsily lets it trickle into the fence.

Finally, just 6 off the over. India 60/3 after 10 overs.

Over 9

Two runs. When he hit it it looked like four. On middle stump, Yuvraj sweeps, beats fine leg and the crowd roars. But a fielder suddenly appears from nowhere and cuts it off to prevent 2 runs.

Ball 6: Great running between the wickets, Yuvraj edges the ball to the on side and Kohli immediately tells him two is on. They hurry back like cats.

Some poor strategy so far on both sides:
- Dhoni bowling only 8 overs spin
- #PAK choosing Hafeez as a non-batting, non-bowling team mascot

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) March 19, 2016

India 54/3 after 9 overs.

Over 8

Yuvraj sweeps Afridi for one and then has some banter with the bowler.

Yuvraj is batting as if PF ke paise nikaalne wala hai retirement se pehle. #IndvsPak

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 19, 2016

5 singles off the 8th over so far. India playing fairly sensibly in this short period. 

6 singles off the over, India 46/3 after 8 overs.

Over 7

Sami in his second over.

FOUR. Brilliant shot by Kohli, bisects point, gully and then beats third man to the fence. Not a bad ball either.

FOUR. Beautiful drive from Yuvraj, perfect timing through the covers, fielder runs around from deep point, dives but Amir fails to keep it inside.

Ball 4: Yuvraj gets lucky! Short ball, too fast for Yuvraj as he pulls! The ball hits the bottom of his bat, loops up but falls in no man's land! No fielder at short midwicket.

India 40/3 after 7 overs.

Over 6

Afridi has come in to bowl.

Kohli inside edges two out of two balls, and gets a single off the second.

He is bowling several wides though. 2 wides this over.

5 off the over, India 28/3 after 6 overs.

Over 5

FOUR. Perfect. There was a small gap between point and cover point and Dhawan cut the ball absolutely to perfection.

NO BALL. Dhawan misses another cut, there is a half appeal from the keeper, and then the umpire calls no ball.

OUT! Dhawan is gone. Fast and good length, Dhawan looking to run it down to third man, instead plays onto his stumps. India 23/2.

Enough! Dhawan out. Rahane In.

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) March 19, 2016

Suresh Raina is in at No 4. Bouncers due now.

OUT! Almost a replica of the dismissal of Dhawan. This one was slightly shorter and just wide of off stump, Raina played over and saw his leg stump went flying!!

Great over from Mohammad Sami, Yuvraj keeps out the last two balls.

Over 4

Another good over yet. Just 1 off 4 balls so far. India need a fairly quick start.

Pizza delivery guy rings the bell. I rcv the order & pay him.He asks: "Sir score kya hua" Now he's sitting here watching the match for a bit

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 19, 2016

Dhawan goes for the big hoick off Ball 5, he miscues it over square leg for one.

India 18/1 after 4 overs.

 

Over 3

OUT! Rohit Sharma is gone. He goes for a big shot, down the ground, gets a top edge, the ball goes very, very high and comes down on three fielders inside the circle. One barely manages to hold on. Eden Gardens goes deathly silent.

India last 5 T20Is, all while batting 2nd
85/5 v Pak (W)
142/5 v SL (W)
82/1 v UAE (W)
122/2 v Ban (W)
79 v NZ (L)#IndvsPak#DimagSay#Bing

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) March 19, 2016

Virat Kohli has walked in. 

Big nip in from a good length from Aamir, and it cuts Dhawan in half and goes behind the wicket.

Brilliant over, 2 runs and a wicket. Amir has 2 overs, 1/3. India 16/1 after 3 overs.

Over 2

FOUR. Mohammad Irfan is welcomed to the crease by Rohit with a flashy boundary through point.

Ball 2: He bowls a wide down the leg side.

Ball 4: Quick ball to Rohit, he drives too late, the ball doesn't go very far, drops well before mid off.

FOUR. Short, slightly slower, and Rohit swivels and pulls it behind square for four. Great shot.

Single to fine leg, India 14/0 after 2 overs.

Over 1

First runs for India off the bat. Ok not, it was a leg bye. The previous ball was a wide.

Clipped away off the legs by Dhawan, India get their first runs off the bat.

Ball 5: Educated outside edge by Rohit Sharma to third man for one. He is using a short backlift today.

Am feeling like going to pee, worrying that I might see Kohli when I come back.

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 19, 2016

Dhawan tries a drive at the last ball and misses. India 4/0 after 1 over.

Pakistan have scored a very competitive 118, given the nature of this pitch. It is turning, bouncing, keeping low, misbehaving all the time. It will not be easy for India to chase this, especially after the shock loss to New Zealand. This game is even stevens at the moment. India must win or virtually crash out of the ICC World Twenty20.

Over 18

Jasprit Bumrah to bowl the last over. 

Dhoni doesn't give the last over to Ashwin. Dhoni ko sirf ek aadmi samajh sakta hai, wo hai sirf Dhoni. #IndvsPak

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 19, 2016

No Raina, no Yuvraj today. Has Dhoni missed a trick?

Swung into the deep and they get two off the second ball. Pakistan up to 117.

Ball 4: Again hacked into the leg side off a slower ball, one run.

Ball 5: Swing and a miss, they run for all money, and Dhoni misses with the throw.

Ball 6: A leg bye for a single into the on side, and Pakistan finish on 118/5 after 18 overs on a difficult wicket.

But why didn't Ashwin bowl 4 overs instead of Nehra or Bumrah?

 

Over 17

OUT! Shoaib Malik has gone. Short and hurries onto Malik, who pulls without comfort. He is late on the shot, gets a top edge and the ball flies to short fine leg, who takes it. Pakistan 105/5.

FOUR. Full toss, nice length outside off, and Sarfraz walks across and dabs the ball behind square leg for four.

Slower ball bouncer and he misses. Pakistan 111/5 after 17 overs.

Over 16

FOUR. Jadeja has been slog swept for four. Malik read the spin from Jadeja, and it was good he did because he was committed to the shot off the full ball. If he had missed he was out.

OUT. Umar Akmal has been dismissed. He goes for the cut shot, gets an edge and Dhoni takes it. Pakistan 101/4.

Well sir, the story has changed a bit here. Afridi is old news now.

Afridi and Blind Hitting is Immortal. Thanks Afridi for playing useless cricket against us in every WC India loves u #IndvsPak

— simran kaur (@simran_Gulabo) March 19, 2016

Pakistan 103/4 after 16 overs. 

When you miss your century by just 100 runs. pic.twitter.com/XHkHaGuWSV

— Saad Amjad (@SenorSaadAmjad) March 2, 2016

Pakistan has lost a test match against India at Eden Gardens. So we have a good chance today.

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) March 19, 2016

Crack all your jokes quickly and get ready to cry in the second innings. #INDvsPAK

— Anuradha (@anuradha_kush) March 19, 2016

Over 15

FOUR. Low full toss from Bumrah, driven through covers for four by Malik.

FOUR. Now a full toss on middle and leg, and hit in front of square for four.

Pakistan 95/3 after 15 overs.

Over 14

Two runs off two balls of this over so far. While this track is being called a spinning demon, the pace bowlers have also found uneven bounce and seam movement. This is what you call a landmine.

Pakistan are not trying harakiri. They have realised a very long time ago that this is not a batting beauty.

A batsman scoring a 40 on this difficult Eden pitch will be equal to a 80/100 on a good wicket #IndvsPak #WT20

— Mohammad Kaif (@KaifSays) March 19, 2016

SIX. First six of the Pakistan innings. Slower ball from Pandya, Shoaib Malik sets himself up, the ball doesn't swing from outside off, and Malik goes high and mighty over the on side into the stands.

SIX. Short and quicker, and Malik again swings in trademark fashion, on the backfoot, over deepmidwicket for six.

Big over for Pakistan. 82/3 after 14 overs.

Over 13

Just 2 runs off the 3rd Nehra over. Pakistan 67/3.

Surprised that Yuvraj Singh hasn't yet bowled. The sort of pitch where all overs could be bowled by spin. #SpinItToWinIt #INDvsPAK

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) March 19, 2016

 A score of 120 looks challenging on this wicket. Pakistan are on course for that much. Can India keep their heads this time around? Otherwise it may be curtains at this event.

Irrespective of result tonite, not a great T20 pitch #IndvsPak #DilSay #Bing

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 19, 2016

Over 12

FOUR. Short ball from Bumrah, sits up in front of Akmal's face, and he pulls it in front of square for four.

Now good judgement off the slower ball by Akmal, he waits for the full length ball to arrive instead of playing a drive. He then cuts it to short third man for one.

Ball 4: Afridi tries to upper cut a slow bouncer and misses.

OUT! The trick has worked. Afridi has fallen. 8 off 14 balls. No boom boom today. Short ball again, slower again, Afridi pulls hard, and finds wide long on which had come running in.

Pakistan 60/3.

Well, this gamble didn't work.

Afridi at no 3. Mighty gamble, but given how pitch is playing prhps justified. You think? #DilSay #Bing #IndvsPak https://t.co/foziaeOtmW

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 19, 2016

FIVE. Four Overthrows. Attempt at a run out results in a direct hit that then ricochets off the stumps to go to the fence. They check for the run out but the batsman is safe.

Pakistan 65/3 after 12.

Over 11

Afridi has scored 7 off 10 balls including one lucky boundary. Tells you everything about this pitch. He can't get enough bat under ball, he can't read length or line with enough ease to have a go.

Just 3 off the 11th over, Pakistan 54/2.

It is difficult to regard this score either as a poor one or a good one. Given the way the pitch has behaved, India are already in trouble batting second. Then again, Pakistan have just one real spinner in their side.

Over 10

FOUR. Short pitch ball, Afridi hooks without his eyes on the ball, the ball flies to deep fine leg for four.

Hardik Pandya takes an amazing catch and facepalms himself. #IndvsPak https://t.co/z806ynwEP0

— Karan Talwar (@BollywoodGandu) March 19, 2016

 Pakistan 51/2 after 10 overs.

Over 10

FOUR. Brilliant shot by Shehzad, moves across to off stump and sweeps it over backward short leg for four.

OUT. Now he is gone, Bumrah is the magic man for India again. Shehzad goes for a big shot down the ground, gets a leading edge that flies to gully. It was high for a while but well caught.

BUMRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH......

— TheBlackMagicWoman (@aanchalator) March 19, 2016

Pakistan 46/2.

Suresh Raina with the best bouncer by an Indian bowler since Javagal Srinath. #INDvsPAK

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) March 19, 2016

Over 9

Just three runs off the next Jadeja over.  Pakistan 42/1.

 

Over 8

OUT! Sharjeel has holed out to a great catch. Sharjeel mis-timed the pull horribly, and the ball descended in front of Hardik Pandya, who took a terrific catch diving forward.

Shahid Afridi is the new batsman.

Pakistan 39/1.

Over 7

Lots of turn, bounce and zip in Ravindra Jadeja's first over. One ball barely missed the stumps, the other was a huge LBW shout, another was a lucky boundary off an outside, and off the last ball Ahmed Shehzad advanced down the pitch, was beaten by turn but managed to keep it out.

A sedate PowerPlay from #PAK but I have sympathy with Sharjeel and Shehzad. This pitch is more deceptive than my ex. #INDvsPAK

— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) March 19, 2016

Over 6

Ashwin into his third over.

That awkward moment when India and Pakistan both need a wicket #IndvsPak

— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) March 19, 2016

4 runs from Ashwin's third over, but no wicket yet. Pakistan 28/0 after 6 overs. 

Over 5

Jasprit Bumrah.

The pitch is doing all kinds of things. It is turning, swinging, keeping low, bouncing high. This can be bad for India when they come in to bat.

FOUR. Slightly easier length just outside off, and Sharjeel smacks it through the covers. Crowd goes drop silent.

Pakistan 24/0 after 5 overs.

Over 4

Ball 1: More turn, huge leading edge off the backfoot defence, flies into no man's land.

Turn & Bite! Ashwin's opening over confounds predictions of pitch favouring pace bowlers #IndvsPak #DilSay #Bing https://t.co/foziaeOtmW

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 19, 2016

FOUR. Shehzad came down the track and smashed the ball between mid on and midwicket for four.

Ball 6. My god, that was some incredible turn. It pitched on middle off a good length and turned about 80 degrees east. The batsman was surprised and fended it away without any control.

Pakistan 19/0 after 4 overs.

Over 3

Was Dhoni thinking?

First reaction on seeing the track spin so much was that how will India play and then realised Pak has only one spinner. Times have changed!

— dorku (@Dorkstar) March 19, 2016

FOUR. On middle stump, and Sharjeel Khan lifts it over square leg for four.

Pakistan 12/0 after 3 overs.

Over 2

R Ashwin is on in the 2nd over.

The pitch is already gripping and turning. This may not bode well for India.

Turn and bounce off Ball 6, the ball nips between bat and pad, Dhoni cannot collect it and it flies to short fine leg.

Pakistan 5/0 after 2 overs.

Over 1

Even Abhishek is surprised as to why he has been invited pic.twitter.com/W5X2j8hsGR

— dorku (@Dorkstar) March 19, 2016

Short ball first up from Nehra, and it is pulled without timing past square leg for one.

Pakistan are 3/0 after 1 over.

The national anthems are done. It was thrilling to hear the Indian national anthem in Amitabh Bachchan's voice.

MS Dhoni has won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Shahid Afridi won't say what he would have done. India are playing the same team.

The match has been reduced to 18 overs per side and the toss will take place at 8:10 pm.

4 bowlers can bowl a maximum of 4 overs.

The Powerplay will be from overs 1 to 5 instead of overs 1 to 6.