- The T20 World Cup match which took place at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo ended with India winning against Pakistan by 61 runs. India reached a total of 175 runs after they batted first. Pakistan lost all their wickets as they scored 114 runs in 18 overs during their target chase.
- Ravichandran Ashwin a former India cricketer presented his analysis through his YouTube channel. He provided an explanation about Pakistan's performance struggles while he identified their major tactical errors.
India Set a Challenging Target on a Difficult Pitch
- The pitch conditions allowed spinners to thrive while they restricted players from effectively executing their shots. According to Ashwin the 175 runs scored on that surface measured to him as equivalent to 200 runs. He mentioned a past game which took place at the same location when Australia failed to reach 170 runs against Zimbabwe.
- Abhishek Sharma became the first player to get out for India. Ishan Kishan managed to score 77 runs from 44 balls which brought stability to the team's batting. His performance helped India post a competitive total. Pakistan faced pressure from the start of the chase and failed to recover.
Decision at the Toss Proved Costly
- Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first. According to Ashwin, this decision worked against them. He noted that chasing on that pitch was not easy. The surface became slower during the match which created difficulties for batsmen during the second half of the innings.
- Ashwin explained that India performed better under stressful situations. India demonstrated superior skills when managing different match circumstances.
Early Use of Shaheen Afridi Questioned
- Ashwin pointed out a specific bowling decision. Salman Agha opened the bowling and dismissed Abhishek Sharma for zero in the first over. He allowed only one run to score during that bowling performance.
- Pakistan brought in Shaheen Afridi to bowl during their second over. He allowed 15 runs to score during that over which included two fours and a six. India regained their batting control after they lost their initial wicket.
- Ashwin said this move was a mistake. He explained that Ishan Kishan has performed well against left-arm pacers in recent matches. He suggested that Saim Ayub could have bowled the second over instead. He also mentioned that Afridi could have tried bowling from around the wicket.
- Shaheen Afridi bowled only two overs in the match. He conceded 31 runs and took one wicket. Ashwin concluded that early tactical errors affected Pakistan’s control in the game.
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