Hong Kong: Six overs a side leaves no room to hide, and Krunal Pandya had nowhere to go in the first of them.
Pakistan chased down India's 88 for 5 in 3.5 overs at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok on Friday, winning their Group C opener by four wickets with 13 deliveries to spare. The game was effectively decided in the opening over, when Khawaja Nafay hit five consecutive sixes off the India captain and took 31 runs from it.
Pakistan had won the toss and put India in. Shashank Singh gave them something to defend, smashing 40 off 11 balls with five sixes and two fours, and putting on 57 with Nitish Rana, who made 19 off 14 before retiring out. India lost three wickets in the fifth over, including Rana, Rahul Tewatia and Krunal, two of them caught, and finished at 88 for 5, the lowest total of the day.
That was as good as it got. Nafay made 41 off 12 and Abbas Afridi 35 off 8 as the openers put on 59 in 13 balls. T Natarajan conceded 28 in the second over. Shashank and Tewatia each picked up a wicket, but the target was gone.
Pakistan needed the win. Earlier in the day they had lost to the UAE by one wicket despite posting 106 for 2, with Khalid Shah making 71 off 20 balls and hitting nine sixes to finish the chase on the last delivery. Abbas Afridi had made 53 off 13 in that innings, with Abdul Samad unbeaten on 39 off 15.
India's problem now is arithmetic as much as cricket. They must beat the UAE in their remaining group game and improve their net run rate after a defeat this heavy. Twelve teams are split into four groups of three, and only the group winners reach the Cup semifinals.
The captains did not shake hands at the toss, and the broadcast cut away immediately after the winning hit, so there was no confirmed picture of a post-match greeting either. The tournament final is at the same ground on November 1.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was originally in India's squad but withdrew after a national call-up for the tour of New Zealand. India's side here is led by Krunal and includes active IPL and domestic players, a shift from earlier editions that fielded retired names.