TNI Bureau: The much-awaited Indo-Pak cricket series began on an exciting note, as Pakistan defeated India by 5 wickets in a thrilling T20 encounter in Bangalore. India started well in batting and bowling, but lost the way towards the end in both innings to concede the match to Pakistan.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. Gambhir (43) and Rahane (42) added 77 runs for the first wicket. But, other batsmen failed to rise to the occasion. India finished at 133/9 in 20 overs. For Pakistan, Umar Gul took three wickets, while Saeed Ajmal took two wickets.
Chasing a victory target of 134, Pakistan lost three wickets for 12 runs on board. Debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar took all three wickets. Later, Mohammad Hafeez (61) and Shoaib Malik (57*) added 106 runs for the fourth wicket. There was a little scare towards the end. But, Pakistani batsmen held their nerves and achieved the target in 19.4 overs. They lost five wickets. Mohammad Hafeez was declared ‘Man of the Match’.
