Dubai, Oct 24: Skipper Virat Kohli led from the front with a vital half-century as India recovered from a disastrous start to post a challenging 151 for seven against Pakistan in their much-anticipated ICC T20 World Cup match here on Sunday.

Besides Kohli's 49-ball 57, Rishabh Pant slammed 39 in 30 deliveries.

Sent into bat after the coin landed in favour of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam at the toss, India were off to the worst possible start as they lost both their prolific openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul within three overs with just six runs on the board.

Doing most of the initial damage was the lanky left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/31 in 4 overs), who had Rohit trapped in front of the wicket for a duck and then bowled Rahul after the batsman had run three singes.

Kohli and Pant then joined forces to add 53 runs in quick time before the latter was caught out by leg-spinner Shadab Khan (1/22 in four overs) off his own bowling in the 13th over.

Brief scores:

India: 151/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 57, Rishabh Pant 39; Shaheen Afridi 3/31) vs Pakistan.

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Tehran: Iran’s ILNA News Agency has reported that former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was killed during the ongoing US and Israeli attacks.

According to ILNA, Ahmadinejad was killed following strikes in Tehran’s Narmak district, including an attack on his residence. The report said he died along with his bodyguards.

News of the deaths of three of Ahmadinejad’s bodyguards was released on February 28, coinciding with the first day of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

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Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. He was widely known internationally for his hardline rhetoric against Israel and for accelerating Iran’s nuclear programme during his tenure. At home, his disputed re-election in 2009 led to the “Green Movement” protests across the country.

In recent years, Ahmadinejad had positioned himself as a populist critic of the current ruling establishment, though he continued to serve as a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, the body currently involved in helping shape temporary leadership arrangements.