Asia Cup 2018: Rohit, Dhawan slam tons as India rout Pakistan by 9 wickets

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Indias Bumrah celebrates after dismissing Pakistan’s Malik during the Asia Cup match in Dubai International Cricket Stadium.-Photo by Neeraj Murali
India's Bumrah celebrates after dismissing Pakistan's Malik during the Asia Cup match in Dubai International Cricket Stadium.-Photo by Neeraj Murali

Dubai - The duo also strung together the highest opening stand for India against Pakistan.

By James Jose

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Published: Mon 24 Sep 2018, 11:03 PM

Last updated: Tue 25 Sep 2018, 9:05 AM

Another day, another India-Pakistan fixture in the space of four days, and the same result.
Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the Asia Cup was to be almost a replica of last Wednesday, with India besting the neighbours by nine wickets.
Openers Rohit Sharma, the captain and his deputy Shikhar Dhawan made it virtually a no-contest yet again, going into auto-pilot to ace the chase of 238 with a little more than 10 overs to spare.
Rohit and Dhawan hardly flinched, unleashed one brilliant stroke after another, making it hard to tell which one really stood out. And it was almost like they had their own little battle running over the course of the innings, with each shot nothing short of majestic.
Rohit, reprieved when on 14 after Imam-ul-Haq spilled him off Shaheen Afridi and then on 81 by Fakhar Zaman off Shadab Khan, ushered his 19th century and also become the fifth fastest overall and third fastest Indian to reach 7000 runs when he crossed 94.
Meanwhile, southpaw Dhawan raced to his 15th ton (114) as India, following twin wins against Pakistan and then Bangladesh, strengthened their ticket for the final.
Rohit and Dhawan also strung together the highest opening stand for India against Pakistan and also eclipsed their previous best partnership of 178. It was just the seventh instance where both Indian openers had scored tons in the same match.
With the Pakistan bowlers reduced to mere spectators, the only way and fittingly enough, to end the partnership was by a run out with Dhawan the man to leave.
By then, it was all but over for Pakistan as Rohit saw them home comfortably with birthday boy Ambati Rayudu.
Earlier, Pakistan skipper, Sarfraz Ahmed called right again and Pakistan found themselves under the pump early on until the old warhorse Shoaib Malik, at the young age of 36, breathed life back into Pakistan's innings.
Former captain Malik's defiant half-century, his 43rd, and his century stand (107) with incumbent Sarfraz for the fourth wicket pulled Pakistan out of the quagmire and post 237, a total they could fight with against the Indians.
Malik (78) and Sarfraz (44) put their head down to bring Pakistan back after they were precariously placed at 58 for three just after 16 overs.
It was Malik's back-to-back 50 plus score after he had made an unbeaten 51 against Afghanistan at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the other night.
Malik has been part of many a rescue act over 269 ODIs spanning a 19-year career and this was no different and right up his alley.
Malik and Sarfraz brought slowly restored some peace amidst the madness with a fine fire-fighting exercise.
Malik got a single of Chahal as Pakistan reached 100 in 27.1 overs and then brought up his 50 off 64 balls with a single off pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Malik then danced down the surface and smoked Jadeja for a straight six to bring up Pakistan's 150. But Malik and Sarfraz's vital 107-run alliance was put to an end after the latter scooped a catch to his opposite number Rohit Sharma.
But Asif Ali carried on the work even after Malik had also left, with a 21-ball 30, while Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan chipped in with cameos.
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Chahal and Kuldeep picked two wickets apiece but the Pakistan bowlers found no answers to India's onslaught.
james@khaleejtimes.com

One-sided affair

Pakistan:
Imam lbw b Chahal 10
Fakhar lbw b Yadav 31
Babar run out 9
Sarfraz c Sharma b Yadav 44
Shoaib c Dhoni b Bumrah 78
Asif b Chahal 30
Shadab b Bumrah 10
Mohammad not out 15
Hasan not out 2
Extras: (lb5, w3) 8
Total: (for 7 wkts; 50 overs) 237
Did not bat: Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Fall: 1-24, 2-55, 3-58, 4-165, 5-203, 6-211, 7-234
Bowling: Kumar 9-0-46-0 (2w), Bumrah 10-1-29-2, Chahal 9-0-46-2, Yadav 10-0-41-2 (1w), Jadeja 9-0-50-0, Jadhav 3-0-20-0.

India
Sharma not out 111
Dhawan run out 114
Rayudu not out 12
Extras: (w1) 1
Total: (for 1 wkt; 39.3 overs) 238
Fall: 1-210
Did not bat: D. Karthik, K. Jadhav, MS Dhoni, R. Jadeja, K. Yadav, Y. Chahal, B. Kumar, J. Bumrah
Bowling: Amir 5-0-41-0, Shah 6-0-42-0, Hasan 9-0-52-0, Nawaz 7-0-35-0, Shadab 8-0-54-0, Malik 4.3-0-14-0
 
 


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