By Our Special Correspondent
Regardless of the result, India has plenty to cheer about. Nothing infuriates their fans and former players more than starting with the patience they used with the bat. Of course, times have changed and in the last 10 months, India has undergone a course correction.
But this is the first series in that period where their top three Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are all playing together. And after two in different outings in the group stages against Pakistan and especially against Hong Kong — their failure to get off the blocks quickly — had brought the magnifying lens back on the top three, especially Rahul and Kohli.
Injuries, rest and rotation have meant that the duo in question have played just six T20Is since the last World Cup, a period in which the rest of India's batsmen adopted a different approach.
So, for all the talk and buzz from outside, it was only fitting that the top three set the tone for India in their Super 4 contest in Dubai on Sunday.
There were 11 dot deliveries in the power play, but Rohit's wicket included four sixes and a boundary as India scored 62 runs.
It doesn't even fit in the top 15 in terms of most runs scored in the Power play, but the intent they showed on Sunday was encouraging.
They did not hesitate to take to the pitch. They don't think twice before freeing their hands for deliveries pitched anywhere in the full-length region. And yes, they also tried to rotate the strike wherever possible.
However, with the loss of those four wickets and the wicket of Hardik Pandya in the 15th over, Kohli and Deepak Hooda had to take the pedal off their feet as, in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Harshal Patel; they were short of depth on the batting front.
And despite being included in the squad, there are still doubts whether he will fit the bill, especially when there are two anchors in the India XI, Rohit and Rahul.
But the Indian team management is clear on one thing - Kohli is needed down under, especially on pitches with zip.
And the former Indian captain repaid the faith, scoring a second consecutive half-century as India scored 181/7 in 20 over’s. Given the start India got, they seemed to leave at least 15-20 runs on the ground.
And the former India captain repaid the faith, scoring a second consecutive half-century as India scored 181/7 in 20 overs. Given the start India got, it looked like they left at least 15-20 runs on the ground.
With Pandya making a forgettable dismissal with the ball, a lot was expected from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But Pakistan was not stopped as the seamer also went for runs.
Brief scores: India 181/7 in 20 ovs (Kohli 60, Rohit 28; Shadab 2/31) lost to Pakistan 182/5 in 19.5 ovs (Rizwan 71, Nawaz 42).
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