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Pakistan’s Saim Ayub continued his brilliant bowling performance, claiming his second scalp of the innings by dismissing India’s Abhishek Sharma. Sharma fell for 31 off 13 balls, caught at long-off by Faheem Ashraf after attempting a lofted shot against a slower off-break.

Ayub’s early strikes have firmly put Pakistan on the front foot, giving them a strong chance to defend their total. Despite knowing the fielder’s position, Sharma misjudged the delivery, giving Pakistan their second wicket.

Earlier, Ayub had removed Shubman Gill, leaving India reeling at the top of the order.

The ball spun away, leaving Gill stranded and unable to connect with the outside edge. Mohammad Haris was alert behind the stumps and executed a flawless stumping. Gill’s attempt to recover on the back foot fell short as he stumbled, gifting Pakistan a key early wicket.

Just like in the previous game, Ayub made an immediate impact in his first over, dismissing Gill for 10 runs off 7 balls, including 2 boundaries.

With both openers back in the pavilion, the pressure now mounts on India’s middle order to stabilize the innings against a spirited Pakistan attack.

Opener Abhishek Sharma took charge of India’s 128-run chase against Pakistan, making the target look achievable despite Shubman Gill’s early departure for just 10 runs. The Indian opener punished Shaheen Afridi from the outset, hitting a six and a four in the first over.

Earlier, Pakistan struggled against India’s spin attack, managing only 127/9 in 20 overs. The duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel kept the Salman Ali Agha-led side under control. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored for Pakistan with 40, while Shaheen Afridi added some late fireworks with four towering sixes to lift the team past 100.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav (3/18), Axar Patel (2/18), and Jasprit Bumrah (2/28) were the standout bowlers, leaving Pakistan reeling under pressure before the chase.