An India-Pakistan encounter is always exciting. And if its a final of the Champions Trophy, the excitement just doubles up. It was no exception on Sunday either when the Virat Kohli-led side took on Sarfraz Ahmed’s team at the Oval. While it turned out to be a rather one-sided game for Pakistan, there were quite a few key moments which changed the course of a match. Sportstar takes a look...
Bumrah’s No ball
Fakhar Zaman was still looking jittery early in the innings when he was caught behind by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Jasprit Bumrah. That too in the third over! The Indian cricketers started celebrating only to realise that umpire Marais Erasmus was discussing if it was a no-ball. After consultation with the television umpire, it was found that Bumrah had indeed overstepped by an inch. Getting an early lifeline, Fakhar went on to score a century. That changed the course of the game, as openers Fakhar and Azhar Ali managed to replicate their previous partnerships and brought their 100-run partnership in the 18th over.
Aamir’s fiery spell
Chasing 339 was really difficult, but with India having a star-studded batting line-up, there was hope. However, all the hopes were dashed by a certain Mohammad Amir, who scalped three wickets, conceding 16 runs. In the third ball of the innings, Amir sent Rohit Sharma back to the pavilion. A couple of overs later, even Virat Kohli followed suit. Dhawan also fell prey to Amir, who looked fiery in the opening spell. With the top three batsmen falling early, India failed to bounce back.
Pandya’s run out
The disappointment was showing on Hardik Pandya’s face as he walked back to the pavilion, following a run out. At a time when all the star batsmen failed to make it count, Pandya played a knock of 76 in 46 balls. He, however, fell short of a milestone century, after a miscommunication with Ravindra Jadeja. Not that India would have easily won the game, but Hardik’s run-out defintely hampered its chances further.
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