India versus Pakistan cricket rivalry always brings thrill, entertainment and a whole lot of drama and as promised it all happened in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup 2023 final on Sunday (July 23). Arch rivals India A took on Pakistan A in the high-octane grand finale in Colombo. Yash Dhull-led India A won the toss and put Pakistan A to bat first.
During the Pakistan A's innings, India A's Rajvardhan Hangargekar did something which reminded fans of Jasprit Bumrah's No-Ball blunder in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final.
Hagargekar's No-Ball proved costly for India A as Pakistan A's opener Saim Ayub got a reprieve and went on to crack a brilliant fifty to help his team post a big total on the board.
The incident took place in the fourth over of Pakistan A’s innings when Rajvardhan Hangargekar bowled a No-Ball. Opener Ayub mistimed the shot as the ball went in the air which landed straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. However it went in vain as Hagargekar stepped out of the line which granted a life to Ayub's innings. Ayub made the most of the chance and pummelled a instrumental 59 which proved costly for India.
Ayub was dropped stitched a 121-run crucial partnership with Sahibzada Farhan (65 off 62) in the final to give Pakistan a solid start. However, his knock came to a halt in the 18th over as Dhruv Jurel removed him at the score of 59 off 51 which was studded with seven fours and two sixes.
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A similar incident happened in the Champions Trophy 2017 final between India and Pakistan. Bumrah got the better of Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman, who edged a ball to Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he was batting on 3. The umpire wanted to check the no-ball and the replays clearly showed that Bumrah had overstepped his mark. Zaman made full use of the opportunity as he went to score his maiden ODI century and was only dismissed after scoring 111 more runs.
Talking about the match, after Ayub and Farhan's blitzkrieg, Tayyab Tahir wreaked havoc and cracked a splendid century to help Pakistan post a big total of 352/8 in the stipulated overs.
Batting at no.4, Tahir belted a magnificent 108 off 71 balls with a stunning strike rate of over 150. Tahir's innings was studded with 12 fours and four sixes.
Meanwhile, Riyan Parag and Rajvardhan Hangargekar emerged pick of the bowlers as the duo snared two wickets each. Harshit Rana, Manav Suthar, and Nishant Sindhu grabbed one wicket apiece for India.
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