
25 Oct 2021, 0:01 (IST)
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24 Oct 2021, 11:31 PM (IST)
Pak skipper Babar Azam: "This was the team's effort, and the early wickets were very helpful. It gave us a lot of confidence and our spinners were very good as well. We applied our plans and got the results."
"We will take the confidence, but we're taking it one match at a time, and there's a long way to go in the tournament. We prepared well, and just kept the history out of our mind. We needed quality practice, and warm-up matches, and even our domestic tournament and those games gave us a lot of confidence."
24 Oct 2021, 11:30 PM (IST)
India skipper Virat Kohli: "We didn't execute properly. Credit where it's due and Pakistan outplayed us today. They started brilliantly with the ball, and 3 wickets for 20 runs was not a good start. We needed wickets early but with the bat they gave us absolutely no chances."
"We could make the argument of getting in another slower bowler, but it's important to stay composed and understand our strengths, because with the dew the slower bowlers couldn't be effective either. This is just the first game of the tournament, not the last."
24 Oct 2021, 11:17 PM (IST)
The match report
Pakistan brought to an end India's near-three-decade domination of them in the world stage in the most convincing fashion, embarrassing their arch-rivals by 10 wickets.
Intent on breaking their the run of losses, Pakistan restricted India to 151 for seven after electing to field in the T20 showpiece's blockbuster game.
Pakistan then made light work of the target of 152, completing the win with 13 balls to spare.
Skipper Babar Azam stroked his way to 68 while his opening partner, Mohammad Rizwan, smashed 79 as the Indian bowlers struggled to contain the two batters.
Brief scores:
India: 151/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 57, Rishabh Pant 39; Shaheen Afridi 3/31) vs Pakistan.
Pakistan: 152 for no loss in 17.5 overs (Babar Azam 68 not out, Mohammad Rizwan 79 not out).
24 Oct 2021, 11:02 PM (IST)
Pakistan win!
This is the moment... this is THE moment. All the Pakistani fans were waiting for this day.
Pakistan have defeated India in the ICC T20 World Cup contest by 10 wickets.
An outstanding opening pair of Mohammad Rizwan (56) and Babar Azam (62) chased down the 152-run target at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
24 Oct 2021, 7:17 PM (IST)
Here's what Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said:
"We are going to bowl first. We'll look to take early wickets and put pressure. Dew is also a factor."
"We have had good practice sessions and am confident about our preparations."
"Pakistan's bowlers are known to trouble other teams but I am confident about our batting too."
24 Oct 2021, 7:16 PM (IST)
Here's Indian skipper Virat Kohli said:
"We are pretty happy with setting the target. We would have bowled first too, but the toss is not in your control. We are pretty balanced with our squad and you need to be prepared for it."
"We need to stay as professional as possible. We need to stay focussed on the processes. Everyone watches it closely all over the world. We can use that as a motivation, but we need to ensure we don't get too emotional and need to just stay professional."
"The pitch looks very different. Evenly rolled and there is no grass at all which was the case during the IPL, and I'm sure that was done to hold it together well for the World Cup. We expect the pitch to stay good all through and set a good total."
24 Oct 2021, 7:05 PM (IST)
TOSS!
Pakistan's Babar Azam has won the toss and opted to bowl fist against Virat Kohli-led Team India.
Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan: Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
24 Oct 2021, 6:56 PM (IST)
Buchanan on MS Dhoni as mentor:
Dhoni is just an incredible player and an incredible leader. His presence is really important. He is a calming influence, he is good at summing out situations and pretty clear at what needs to be done. It's nice to have that sort of presence around the dressing room when things are not going the right way. If Dhoni's play that kind of a role, which he would, he will help the team.

24 Oct 2021, 6:47 PM (IST)
John Buchanan on key battles in Indo-Pak tie:
Key battle is always upfront. Powerplays will be important. From India, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli will be up against Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi. Pakistan are really missing a fourth option. They don't have a quality spinner as well.
24 Oct 2021, 5:45 PM (IST)
The two-time World Cup-winning coach John Buchanan has shared his Playing XI exclusively with for the Indo-Pak match.
Buchanan's Playing XI
Pakistan: Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali
India: Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
24 Oct 2021, 4:07 PM (IST)
Mohammad Kaif offers 'small advice' ahead of India-Pakistan clash in T20 WC 2021
Social media abuzz with tweets ahead of the start of the most-awaited game of the T20 World Cup 2021 with fans and experts sharing their predictions. India and Pakistan have met on five occasions in the T20 World Cup so far with the Men in Blue defeating Pakistan in all five meetings.
24 Oct 2021, 3:42 PM (IST)
Young Pakistan pacer Shahnawaz Dahani in awe as he meets legend MS Dhoni
Young Pakistani pacer Shahnawaz Dahani was seen meeting legend MS Dhoni at the stadium during his team's training session on Saturday
24 Oct 2021, 3:34 PM (IST)
Kohli banks on India's 'A game' against a talented Pakistan team
The Virat & Co. are all set to open their campaign with an in-form team with the batting will heavily depend on the top three of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Kohli while the bowling has a dazzling mix of talent in both the spin and pace departments.
24 Oct 2021, 3:32 PM (IST)
24 Oct 2021, 3:25 PM (IST)
Prediction: Who will win India vs Pakistan match?
While India are yet to be beaten by Pakistan in a World Cup encounter, the Men in Green are currently on a six-match unbeaten streak in T20Is in Dubai.
24 Oct 2021, 3:23 PM (IST)
Pakistan fans urge MS Dhoni, KL Rahul to spare Babar & Co. ahead of India clash
While Pakistan have already announced their 12-man squad for the India clash, Virat Kohli & Co. have not revealed their possible 12.
24 Oct 2021, 3:17 PM (IST)