Stellar effort from spinners as India restrict Pakistan to 146
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Dubai (PTI): A majestic Kuldeep Yadav, in the company of a wily Varun Chakravarthy and a parsimonious Axar Patel, literally ran through an inept Pakistan batting line-up as India bowled out the arch-rivals for a below par 146 for 19.1 overs in a highly volatile Asia Cup final here on Sunday.
Hamstrung by Hardik Pandya's absence and pushed back briefly due to a solid opening stand of 84 between Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls), the Indian spin troika of Kuldeep (4/30 in 4 overs), Axar Patel (2/26 in 4 overs) and Chakravarthy (2/30 in 4 overs) literally choked them in the back-10 to bring India right back in the match.
From 113 for one at one stage when Fakhar and Saim Ayub were batting, wickets fell like nine pins once Kuldeep got rid of the latter. India got the remaining nine wickets for 33 runs to take the upperhand halfway into the final.
To rub it in, Jasprit Bumrah (2/25 in 3.1 overs), who was having another off day, yorked Haris Rauf and then made half a gesture of a crashing plane in a send-off that reminded one of the Pakistani pacer's controversial gesture to the Indian fans in the previous game.
So what changed between the front and the back-10? It was the lines that the Indian spinners bowled to the Pakistani batters apart from taking the pace-off deliveries.
All the spinners started bowling slightly slower deliveries outside the hitting arc of the batters and that did the trick. Salman Ali Agha and Hussain Talat once again tried to hit their way out of trouble and failed miserably.
However, Pakistan had started off in a brilliant fashion, punishing the loose balls as Hardik's absence was being felt in the Powerplay.
Farhan lined up Bumrah early as he had done in the previous two games even as Dube went for a couple of boundaries in his first two overs.
What Pakistan did well was to play within their limitations but make optimal use of the Powerplay which yielded 45 runs. But more importantly, the wickets were intact.
Farhan hit a six each off Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep and Axar while Fakhar slog swept the chinaman bowler for a flat six. Farhan completed his 50 off 35 balls but celebrations were muted this time around.
However things changed after the break as Chakravarthy, after being hit for a six off Farhan, got lucky that his half-tracker was pulled right into Tilak Varma's hands at deep mid-wicket.
Saim Ayub and Fakhar also had a steady stand as they took the score to 113 before the innings completely fell apart.
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Two girls injured in separate wolf attacks in UP's Bahraich
Bahraich (UP) (PTI): Two minor girls were injured in separate incidents of wolf attacks in the Bahraich district, forest department officials said on Saturday.
In the first incident on Friday, Anushka Nishad (5), daughter of Baliram from Mallahanpurwa village, was sleeping alone inside her house when a wolf entered and tried to carry her away, they said.
Hearing her screams, family members and villagers rushed to the spot. The wolf left the child, hearing the commotion, and ran towards the fields. The girl sustained minor injuries from the animal's teeth, the officials said.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav described the attack as deliberate and cleverly planned, as it occurred precisely when Anushka's mother went out for a few moments.
On the same day, Nancy (4), daughter of Kamlesh Yadav, was playing outside her house in Baburi Tola village when a wolf suddenly attacked and dragged her away.
Villagers raised an alarm, and the wolf released the child and ran towards the sugarcane fields. The injured child was sent to the Kaiserganj Community Health Centre for treatment.
Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav told reporters that both attacks involved wolves, adding that the entire area is plagued by the animal's activity.
Since September 9, such attacks in the Bahraich district have claimed 10 lives, including eight children and an elderly couple, and injured dozens of people, the officials said.
District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi met the families of the victims on Friday and consoled them.
