Hampered by Hardik Pandya’s absence, India initially struggled against a solid opening stand of 84 between Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35). But the Indian spin trio — Kuldeep (4/30 in 4 overs), Axar Patel (2/26 in 4 overs), and Chakravarthy (2/30 in 4 overs) — strangled Pakistan in the back 10 overs, turning the match in India’s favour.
At 113/1, with Fakhar and Saim Ayub at the crease, the wickets tumbled like nine pins once Kuldeep dismissed Ayub. India captured the remaining nine wickets for just 33 runs, seizing control midway through the final.
Jasprit Bumrah (2/25 in 3.1 overs), who had an otherwise quiet day, yorked Haris Rauf and celebrated with a half-plane gesture reminiscent of Rauf’s controversial send-off in the previous match.
What shifted in the back 10 overs was India’s bowling strategy. The spinners bowled slower deliveries outside the batters’ hitting arc, forcing Salman Ali Agha and Hussain Talat to attack and fail.
Pakistan had begun brightly, exploiting the Powerplay and Hardik’s absence. Farhan targeted Bumrah early, while Dube went for a couple of boundaries. The openers made smart use of the Powerplay, scoring 45 runs without losing wickets. Farhan struck sixes off Chakravarthy, Kuldeep, and Axar, while Fakhar slog-swept Kuldeep for a flat six. Farhan reached his fifty off 35 balls, though celebrations were subdued.
The breakthrough came after the break. Chakravarthy, having been hit for a six by Farhan, delivered a half-tracker that Tilak Varma caught at deep mid-wicket. The stand between Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman held till 113 before Pakistan’s innings collapsed completely.
