Overview
- India beat Pakistan by six wickets in the Super Four in Dubai, chasing 172 with seven balls left after a 105-run opening stand as Abhishek Sharma hit 74 off 39 and Shubman Gill made 47.
- Abhishek Sharma leads the tournament run charts and drew high praise from Ravichandran Ashwin, who called his form the start of a long-impact career.
- Pakistan sit at the bottom of the Super Four on a net run rate of -0.689 and must defeat Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi and then Bangladesh to keep final hopes alive, with the Sri Lanka clash described as a near-elimination game for the loser.
- Debate over Fakhar Zaman’s caught-behind dismissal persisted, with captain Salman Ali Agha questioning the decision and Shahid Afridi taking a jab at officials, even as the third umpire had ruled the batter out.
- On-field conduct drew heat as Sahibzada Farhan’s ‘gunshot’ celebration and Haris Rauf’s exchanges with Indian batters were condemned by Irfan Pathan, while pundits also slammed Pakistan’s seam attack, singling out Shaheen Shah Afridi.