Live Coverage: India vs Pakistan

India loses to Pakistan by 180 runs.

Who would have thought Pakistan will not only defeat India, they will humiliate the latter on the cricket ground? It was the same team that was comprehensively beaten by this Indian side on June 4. Not today though. Pakistan put up a commendable show, in all three departments of the game, and have outplayed India in all three. They put up a huge 338 on the scoreboard, Amir provided with initial breakthroughs. Pakistan kept running away with wickets at regular intervals and all India could manage was 158.

For India, it was their worst performance in the tournament. India played defensive cricket while bowling, and, while batting, once the trio of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli departed, India was already done and dusted. Hardik raised the glimmers of hope with his quick-fire fifty (76 off just 43), but a selfish Jadeja accounted for his wicket. All the hopes were murdered with Pandya’s runout and India were all-out in just 30.3 overs.

Earlier today, Pakistan were extremely lucky while batting. Fakhar Zaman was dismissed in the fourth over, but Bumrah had over-stepped. Hafeez dragged a ball on to his own wickets, but the bails remained unmoved. Pakistan outperformed India today, but did India perform at all? At least, while batting? India could have taken to a usual-catious approach in the beginning, with Rohit and Dhawan trying to set up initially before launching. But the Indian batsmen succumbed to the scoreboard pressure, and except for Hardik Pandya, no one looked comfortable in the middle.

We hope you enjoyed our coverage. See you next time!

30.3 : INDIA BUNDLES OUT FOR 158 . PAKISTAN WIN BY 180 RUNS , AND ARE THE WINNERS OF THE ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2017. They have created history here. Pakistan defeats India in an ICC event after eight long years. India 158/10

28.1: OUT! Pakistan just one wicket away from a famous upset. Ashwin departs off Hasan Ali. India 156/9

27.3 OUT! Jadeja gone now! Terrible shot off Junaid Khan. He had ran Hardik out and played a nothing-shot to get out, will he be forgiven by the Indian management today? Virat must be furious, just like Pandya was. India 156/8

26.3: RUN OUT! HARDIK IS GONE! “Jadeja could have sacrificed his wicket,” reckons Laxman on air. Could have? He has, in fact, sacrificed his partner. Hardik was furious, extremely furious. Jadeja called him for a single and then backed off, extremely selfish from the spinner. India is nowhere in the match. Hardik departs on after a blistering knock of 76 runs, off just 43 balls. India 152/7

25.6: Hardik hit another back to back sixes! India 152/6

22.5: FOUR! Hardik has launched a counter-attack. India 127/6

22.3: HAT-TRICK OF SIXES! Pandya is on fire. India 123/6

22.2 SIX! Hardik Pandya hits back to back sixes. He isn’t giving up, not at least now.

22.1: SIX!

20.5: FOUR! Hardik hits another boundary. India 101/6

After 20 overs, India struggling at 93/6. 246 needed off remaining 30.

18.3: SIX! A huge hit this from Pandya, off Shadab Khan, over long-on. India 87/6

17.3: FOUR! Pandya upper-cuts it for a four off Hasan Ali. India 80/6

16.6: OUT! Jadhav is gone. Top-edge and taken. Six down now! It’s turning humiliating with every wicket. India is clueless of the happenings at the Oval. India 72/6

16.2: FOUR! Pandya this time. He has something to prove, can he do it today? He will never get a better opportunity in a long time for sure.

India needs 8 runs per-over fro hereon, with the top-5 batsmen already back in the pavillion.

15.6: FOUR! Shot, another exhibition of class from Jadhav. India 67/5

14.5: FOUR! Excellent shot from Jadhav. India 62/5

13.3: OUT! DHONI THIS TIME. It looks like a one-way traffic now. What has happened to the Indian team? Dhoni throws his wicket this time, just like Yuvraj had. Indian batsmen are not playing like batsmen today. Can someone put his hands up and put up a miraculous performance for India? Nothing going India’s way right now though.

12.6: PAKISTAN REVIEWS! Is Yuvraj gone? Pad first. Yes he is. It was a clean plumb. India is doing a Pakistan here, and Pakistan is playing like India. India is looking clueless and Pakistan is on top. This is happening after an extremely long time that Pakistan has troubled India so much. Can India still bounce back? Dhoni is batting with Kedar Jadhav; Hardik Pandya, Jadeja and Ashwin still to come.

11.6: India completes 50. These two now have to accelerate and not throw their wickets away, both at the same time. Tough job for the experienced pair, but they are way more than capable. India will hope that the duo stays in the middle till at-least the 40th over.

After 11 overs, India 47/3

9.6: Yuvraj hit back to back fours! Had hit a four off the previous ball, does the same this time as well. Hafeez at the receiving end. India 47/3

Is it done and dusted here in London? Looks like so. But cricket is ever unpredictable and India bats deep. India would hope for a turn-around, their most experience campaigners, Yuvraj and Dhoni, are in the middle. Can the dependable pair drive India home?

8.6: OUT! Dhawan departs as Amir claims another. Couldn’t read the swing at all, just like his opening partner, Rohit and Skipper, Virat. India 33/3

RECORD: Shikhar Dhawan scores 700 runs in Champions Trophies, becomes only the third batsman in the world to do so.

7.3: FOUR! ANOTHER ONE as Shikhar dispatches this between point and extra-cover. India 30/2

7.1: FOUR! Gabbar hits another boundary. Off Junaid Khan this time. India 26/2

5.4 FOUR! Yuvi gets lucky, and gets a boundary! Junaid will feel unlucky as Yuvraj top-edged the pull.

Rohit and Virat have put pressure on the entire batting line-up. India has to climb a mountain, at least, now.

4.5: FOUR! Dhawan is putting on display today: Pure Class. It was pure timing through covers after a wonderful pull over square-leg.

4.3: Dhawan hits India’s first FOUR, finally! Amir at the receiving end this time.

Virat’s dismissal: It was the worst kind of batsmanship from, arguably, the best batsman in the world currently. He has gifted his wicket to Amir, to be honest. He was dropped the previous ball, the next ball he wasn’t. Another edge, another one in the air, this time taken. He was playing it in the leg side, had he played through the covers, could have been a Kohli-special. Has the Indian Captain gifted the match with his wicket?

Aamir is friends with no one here, shows it with his exaggerated and mouthed celebration after two big wickets. Yuvraj Singh comes to replace the Indian skipper.

2.4: AAMIR TAKES KOHLI NOW! He has, technically, dismissed him twice in two balls. Taken at point this time. India 6/2

2.3: AZHAR ALI DROPS KOHLI IN THE FIRST SLIP!

Coming back to Rohit’s dismissal, it was terrible-terrible batting. Never read the swing on the ball. Missed and the bowl hit him in front. He has put India in a deep state of bother and should be blaming himself. Dream start for Pakistan.

Where had that pitched? No. It was umpire’s call for the height, everything else- perfect. Rohit was a goner. Selfless there to not waste India’s review. Might prove vital later on.

0.3: OUT! LBW on a duck it will be for Rohit Sharma. Definetiley not the start India would have wished for. Virat Kohli walks in on the fourth ball, what better could happen for Pakistan? India is in deep trouble here.

Indian Openers come out in the middle. Rohit and Shikhar to begin. Amir start the proceedings for Pakistan.

India has a tough job. Chasing 339 in the final is never going to be easy. Pakistan rode on early luck as Fakhar Zaman latched on to the opportunity provided by Bumrah (he had dismissed Zaman off a no ball). Hafeez finished things off reasonably well for Pakistan, but they would have surely scored in excess of 350. India did well in the death overs, but defensive game plan has put them in a state of bother. We will be back shortly with India’s inning. Stay tuned!

50: Pakistan finishes up at 338/4. In the last four overs, India conceded just 34 runs. Just one four and one six in the last four overs. India has the momentum, but the target is huge.

49.3: After a long drought of boundaries, Hafeez hits a straight SIX over Bhuvi’s head. PAK 336/4

Bumrah bowled two no-balls in the penultimate over. Does well to not concede a boundary of either of the free-hits. Six balls to go, Pak 329/4

48.5: Hafeez completes his FIFTY. Pak 327/4

48.2 : Luck is in Pakistan’s favour today! The ball deflects off Hafeez’s bat and hits the middle stump. The bails remain undisturbed and Hafeez survives. Pak 319/4

46.4 : Imad Wasim hits Bumrah for a FOUR. Pak 312/4

45.2: Hafeez is on fire now, hits Bhuvi for another SIX. Brings up 300 for Pak as well. Pak 300/4

44.4: The ploy of giving Jadhav another over doesn’t work. Imad wasim now hits one for SIX. Strange, very strange move this to bring Jadhav when Bhuvi and Bumrah have enough overs left. Not very good from the Indian Captain. Pak 292/4

44.2: The Prof hits another SIX. Jadhav the culprit this time. Pak 285/4

43.2: Hafeez, the Professor, hits another FOUR. Hafeez is looking dangerous here. Pak 274/4

42.3: OUT! Kedar Jadhav, the part-timer with a golden arm, strikes for India. What a crucial strike this is for India. Babar Azam departs as Yuvi takes the simplest of catches. Pak 267/4

41.3 One bounce and FOUR. The Professor dances down the track again, this time against Bhuvi, and finds the fence again. Pak 263/3

40.3: Jadeja bowls it on Hafeez’s pads, gets hit for another FOUR. Pak 255/3

40.1: Hafeez dances down the track off his first ball and hits Jadeja for a FOUR. Pak 251/3

Last 10 overs remaining now. India has picked up wickets at the right time. Hafeez and Babar will look to attack, Indian bowlers would look to stop the flow of runs. Stay tuned!

39.4: Bhuvi sends Malik back in the hut. Is India making a comeback? Is Pakistan, again, giving its terrific start away? The last 62 balls of the first inning will answer all these questions. India would look to restrict Pak within 310, Pak would like to reach to 330 at least. It’s going to be a good contest, we hope. Pak 247/3

37.2: Babar Azam hits Pandya for back-to-back FOURS. Pak 235/2

37.1: Babar Azam hits Pandya for a FOUR. Pak 231/2

36.3: Shoaib Malik joins the party, hits Jadeja for a SIX. Pak 225/2

Is the defensive approach hurting India? Ashwin and Jadeja were constantly bowling to Fakhar on his body, in the quest of not allowing him to free his arms outside off. The approach wasn’t fruitful at all, but it did cost India a lot of runs as Jadeja and Ashwin were taken to the cleaners by Fakhar.

34.4: Babar Azam hits Bumrah for a FOUR. Pak 208/2

33.1: OUT! Hardik Pandya dismisses Fakhar Zaman on 114. A brilliant knock comes to an end. Can India stop the run-flow now? Do they have a choice? Pak 200/2

32.5: Pakistan is now 200/1. 350 on cards? India has to do something marvellous here to get back into the game.

32.1: Oh boy! This man, Fakhar Zaman, is hitting them for fun. Hits another SIX off Ashwin. Pak 197/1

30.1: Fakhar Zaman hits his maiden CENTURY, in his fourth international outing. It’s the Champions Trophy Final, against rivals India, and Fakhar has exhibited brilliant stroke play at the Oval. Hits a FOUR off Ahswin and gets to the three-figure mark. Pak 183/1

27.2: Fakhar’s top-edge fetches a FOUR for him now. Just 7 away from a Century in the final, against India. Pak 172/1

26.6: Fakhar hits Ashwin for another FOUR. 17 off the over. Pakistan 167/1

26.2: Fakhar has launched a fearless attack against India. Hits Ashwin for a SIX. Pak 159/0

25.6 Fakhar finishes the over with another FOUR. Pak 150/1

25.2: Backs it up with a FOUR now. Pak 144/1

25.1: Fakhar hits Jadeja for a SIX. Pak, 140/1

22.6: Azhar Ali is RUN OUT! Bumrah is the fielder. Azhar was running alone there, Fakhar never looked interested in the run. BABAR AZAM replaces Ali in the middle. Pak 128/1

19.6: Fakhar is unstoppable now. A misfield by Yuvraj allows him another FOUR. He reaches to his FIFTY as well with that boundary. Pak 114/0

19.5: Azhar Ali completes his HALF CENTURY off 61 balls.

19.3: Fakhar hits Jadeja for another FOUR. Pak 108/0

17.6: Fakhar Zaman brings up the 100-run-partnership with a FOUR off Jadeja through mid-wicket. Pak 100/0

16.4: Pak is having a lucky day at the Oval. Azhar tries to clear the mid-off boundary with a wild swing, the ball lands safely as the fielder couldn’t get anywhere close to the ball. Pak 92/0

RECORD: This is the highest first-wicket partnership for Pakistan in ICC ODI events against India.

14.6 Azhar Ali hits Bumrah for a FOUR. Pak 86/0

11.6: Ashwin is being expensive here. Fakhar hits another FOUR. Pak 69/0

10.3: Fakhar hits Bumrah for another FOUR. Pak 62/0

10.0: A good first power play for Pakistan. Had a lucky escape early on, when Fakahar Zaman survived off a no-ball from Bumrah. Pakistan has build a good opening partnership from thereon. Pak 56/0

9.2: Azhar hits Ashwin for a FOUR now. Pak 52/0

7.5: Azhar Ali hits the first SIX of the match off Ashwin. Pak 48/0

5.5: Fakhar hits another FOUR. Pak 36/0

5.1: Azhar’s outside-edge fetches a FOUR for Pak. Pak 31/0

4.3: A FOUR through the slip cordon off Fakhar’s helmet. Pak 23/0

3.3: FOUR by Azhar Ali, Pak 18/0

3.1: Fakhar was BOWLED off Bumrah. He survives as it was a NO BALL.

1.0: Bhuvneshwar starts with a maiden. Pak 0/0 after 1 over.

14:59: India is bowling first against Pakistan. Two Pakistan Openers, Azhar Ali and Fakhar Zaman, come out in the middle. Buvneshwar to start the proceedings for India.

14:39: Teams (playing XI):

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

Pakistan: Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan

14:33: Toss:

India have won the toss and will bowl first.

(National Herald will keep you updated with every boundary, six, wicket and other interesting happenings. Stay tuned!)

14:00: Welcome everyone to the grand-finale of an ever-interesting ICC Champions Trophy, 2017.

The two teams that square-up against each-other at the Oval in London are the arch-rivals from the sub-continent, India and Pakistan. India were the firm favourites to make a place in the finale, Pakistan not so. But an epic turn around, after the humiliating defeat against India in their opening encounter on June 4, made possible by some brilliant performances has brought them here.

Their opponent, India has defeated every team, except for Sri Lanka (India lost by 7-wickets) with precision to ensure a place in the finals. It is expected to be a thrilling encounter, but Pakistan’s inconsistency, and their notorious ability to make a mess of the match against India, is world famous. They can defeat the best team in the world like a champion team one day, the very next day, they can lose terribly to a ‘minnow-nation’ too. Unlike their opponent, India is expected to put up a yet-another supreme performance.

Pakistan, if has to have a chance, will have to bring out their best on the field against a terrific Indian side. They surely can, as they have on many occasions in the past. But the road ahead is not easy for them. Let’s hope Pakistan puts up a good show today, so that we have a thrilling India-Pakistan encounter after a long long time.

14:10: Stats:

Let’s have a look at what the statistics say:

In ICC tournaments, India holds a 13-2 advantage against Pakistan. It’s a world record for any team against any opposition.

In Champions Trophies, both the teams have defeated each-other twice. There is no clear winner here.

Overall, Pakistan has defeated India on 72 occasions, India has emerged triumphant in 52 matches. Pakistan has outdone India here.

14:18: Weather and Pitch:

It’s a sunny day at the Oval. It has been sunny for the past couple of days as well. Coming to the pitch, “it will be a high-scoring affair,” reckons VVS Laxman on air.