India beat Pakistan by 9 wickets
London :Rohit Sharma tore apart Pakistan's bowling attack with a 80-run blitzkrieg as India bulldozed their arch-rivals by nine wickets with three overs to spare in their final warm-up match of the ICC World Twenty20.
Chasing 159, Rohit and Gautam Gambhir (52 not out) raised 140 runs in just 16 overs for the opening stand to slam the door on Pakistan and India cruised to 159 for one in 17 overs to complete a facile win.
Rohit's was a sublime 53-ball knock, bejewelled with nine fours and two sixes. In contrast, Gambhir played the second fiddle to perfection and was unbeaten after a 47-ball knock that included five hits to the fence.
Earlier, Pakistan got off to a flier before suffering a mid-innings slump even though they eventually reached a competitive 158 for six, thanks to cameos from Ahmed Shehzad (25), Younis Khan (32), Misbah-ul Haq (37 not out) and Yasir Arafat (25 not out).
But with Gambhir getting his mojo back and Rohit continuing his purple patch, India's chase was off to a rollicking start today and they never relaxed their grip.
Gambhir flicked the first ball from Umar Gul for a delectable four and ended the over in similar fashion.
Rohit, meanwhile, was not ready to be outshone.
06-04-2009, 03:04 AM
India beat Pakistan by 9 wickets
