Indian opener Shubman Gill displayed remarkable form as he scored his eighth ODI half-century with a smashing performance against Pakistan in the Super Four match on Sunday, September 10. Pakistan, after winning the toss, elected to bowl first.
In contrast to the previous encounter, Indian openers Gill and Rohit Sharma put together an impressive 121-run partnership, taking on the Pakistan bowlers aggressively. Both batsmen scored at a brisk pace, achieving their fourth-century partnership in just 12 innings together.
The 24-year-old, who had only managed 10 runs in his last match against Pakistan, hammered six boundaries off Shaheen Afridi during his initial three-over spell. Remarkably, Gill hit all six fours within the first 12 deliveries he faced against Afridi. This accomplishment made him the first batsman to achieve the feat of hitting six boundaries against Shaheen Afridi in an ODI.
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However, Gill was eventually dismissed by a slower delivery from Shaheen in the 18th over. Just the previous over, Rohit Sharma had been dismissed by Shadab Khan after reaching his 50th ODI half-century. The Indian openers effectively countered the threat posed by the Pakistani pace trio with their aggressive stroke play.
The 121-run partnership between Rohit and Gill set the stage perfectly for India to capitalize on their strong start. However, heavy rain began in the 25th over, bringing the match to a halt. Reliable weather sources had predicted a 90 percent chance of rain for this India-Pakistan game. Following the initial sunshine, the rain intensified, resulting in the suspension of the game. If the match extends to the reserve day on September 11, it will resume from the point where it left off on Monday.
KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah have returned to the Indian squad for this match. Rahul missed the first two games for India due to a minor injury, while Bumrah was absent due to the birth of his son. Rahul replaced Shreyas Iyer, who is sidelined with a back spasm, and Bumrah took the place of Mohammed Shami in the XI.