Despite the Indian seamer’s rampage at the beginning on the grassy and quick wicket of the MCG Pakistan posted an impressive fighting total of against India owing to the fifties of Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmad.
Winning the toss India invited Pakistan to bat first and the move turned in favor as bowlers kept the run flow under control as Arshdeep Singh sent the inform Pakistani openers early in the powerplay taking 3 wickets in a spell.
Iftikhar Ahmad capitalized on with his 51 in 34 with 4 sixes but Shami was too good for him sending him back to the pavilion right after returning to his spell. While Shan Masood provided much-needed stability in the middle.
Pakistani batters seemed comfortable against the spin today, where two spinners Axar Patel and Ravi Ashwin bowled 4 fours combined giving 44 runs in total.
Matches at MCG are always a treat to watch with its long boundaries and the flavor intensifies anywhere in the world when India is up against Pakistan. Hardik Pandya has ticked the bowling box all well releasing the load on the team’s premier bowlers.
Bowling 4 overs of his spell Hardik conceded 30 runs taking crucial 3 wickets by demolishing Pakistan’s fragile middle order batting lineup dismissing Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, and Mohammad Nawaz.