A winning start to the Hong Kong Sixes 2025 is what the Indian team must have hoped and entered the field with against Pakistan in an epic contest between the arch-rivals on Friday, November 7. And it is eventually what they got, as they beat their counterparts by just two runs to start their campaign on a high at the Mission Road Ground, in Mong Kok.
The clash began with the Pakistani side, led by Abbas Afridi opting to bowl first. However, the Indians got off to a flying start, as openers Robin Uthappa and Bharat Chipli contributed with 42 runs for the first wicket. Uthappa made 28 off just 11 before getting out in the third over. Later, it was all about Dinesh Karthik, who played a thunderous cameo of 17 runs from just six deliveries, as India posted 86/4 in 6 overs.
For Pakistan, Muhammad Shahzad and Abdul Samad were the only bowlers to have had success with the ball. Shahzad accounted for a couple of wickets, getting the better of Uthappa and Stuart Binny (4 off 2) in the same over. Later, Samad got opener Chipli’s number after the latter had graced the stage with his 24 off just 13 balls, which included two boundaries and as many maximums.
Binny brakes the Pakistani pedal
In reply, the Men in Green got off to a brilliant start, thrashing 18 runs in the opening over of Abhimanyu Mithun. However, all of the thunder was silenced by Binny, who brought India back in the game by picking up the prized scalp of Maaz Sadaqat, and also giving away just seven runs in the over. Later, Shahbaz Nadeem bowled the third over, which went for 16 runs.
Play was not possible after the third over, as the rain had hit the venue. After a considerable amount of wait, the match officials opted to decide the match result via Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, and it showed that the Pakistan were a couple of runs behind the par score in their pursuit of the target. As a result, the match was awarded to the Dinesh Karthik-led side.
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