Pakistani speedster Mohammad Amir threw India in serious danger with a twin strike that returned Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja on consecutive deliveries. The Men in Blue lost seven wickets before reaching three figures.
Rishabh Pant was batting quite well at 42 and definitely needed to remain till the end. However, he chose to hit an Amir delivery through the line down the ground, but he was unable to catch it since the ball had halted a little deeper into the pitch.
Babar Azam made a routine catch inside the circle while Rishabh Pant could only get elevation and no distance at all. Ravindra Jadeja pushed a bit at the following ball, which halted briefly and found the fielder at short covers, escaping for a golden duck.
Here’s a video showing both dismissals:
Mohammad Amir was outstanding in four overs, taking two wickets and surrendering only 23 runs.
Shocking batting collapse sees India bowled out for 119
At 89/3, India would have expected to hit about 160-170 runs with the firepower they had in their ranks. However, Pakistan managed to cause a stunning batting collapse that took the Men in Blue off surprise.
Suryakumar Yadav discovered the surface was two-paced when he was caught at mid-off while attempting to clear Mohammad Amir. Haris Rauf then returned to the attack and dismissed Shivam Dube, before Amir’s twin strike placed the batting side on the back foot.
Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj could only bring the score to 119 before being hauled out. Because of the two-paced nature of the surface, the Men in Blue may still be able to win, but they will be disappointed to have lost their last seven wickets for only 30 runs.
