Abhishek Sharma was equal parts brutal and brilliant in his scintillating 74 as India eased through a tricky chase, winning a fiery Super 4 Asia Cup clash against Pakistan by six wickets on Sunday.
India got off to a strong start, dominating from the outset with a 105-run opening partnership in the first 10 overs that left Pakistan struggling to keep up.
Sharma’s brilliant innings, featuring five sixes and six fours, included a quickfire 24-ball half-century and put India in complete control of the 172-run chase.
Pakistan finally got a breakthrough in the tenth over when Faheem Ashraf bowled Shubman Gill, who fell just three runs short of a fifty. Suryakumar Yadav, who came in after him, was dismissed quickly without adding to the total.
Tilak Varma (30* off 19) and Hardik Pandya (7* off 7) guided India across the finish line with seven balls to spare. Haris Rauf took two wickets for Pakistan, while Abrar Ahmed and Ashraf claimed one each.
The match also saw moments of on-field tension. Gill argued with Shaheen Afridi after hitting him for two fours in the fourth over, while Sharma showed visible frustration during an altercation with Haris Rauf.