The way they came at us… that’s why I went after them, says Abhishek Sharma as emotions spill over in India-Pakistan Asia Cup match

The match was not of the highest quality, but it still thrilled the crowd and had all the elements that make India-Pakistan games an unputdownable spectacle. Sixes and fours rolled off the bat, catches were dropped, run outs missed, momentum swung hands, tempers boiled, stares and invectives exchanged and hands not shaken for the second time in a week. It had the fire and heat of grander contests of the past but not the riveting quality, except for the glorious opening-wicket stand of 105 runs between Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma.

There were verbal exchanges between Sharma and fast bowlers Afridi and Haris Rauf during India’s run chase. Shubman Gill too was involved. “Today was pretty simple. The way that they came at us without any reason, I didn’t like at all. That’s why I went after them,” Sharma said during the post-match presentation.

Unlike past tournaments, both sets of players have avoided coming face-to-face even in practice sessions and keeping things to themselves. But on Sunday, the heat was visible on the field. (AP Photo)

In multiple ways, this was a throwback contest. An air of edginess whirled under the inky skies. Both sides were purposeful at times. Pakistan ensured they raced to a stormy start. Sahizada Farhan threw the kitchen sink at Hardik Pandya, even though he mis-hit his first few strokes, and Pakistan’s agenda was clear. A fast start, a steep target that could furnish the cushion for bowlers when dew set in later. Fakhar Zaman was braver, and decisive. He sped out of the track creamed Jasprit Bumrah through covers. A defensive push later, he tucked him through fine leg and punched him down the ground. He was not in the mood to relent. The next over, he manufactured room and crashed Pandya through point.

Then India regrouped, through Shivam Dube’s grit and Varun Chakaravarthy’s stifling lengths. From 93 for one, Pakistan teetered to 114 for four before reclaiming their ascendancy through a mix of adventure and good fortune. Both sides were cagey at times, freezing to fully impose themselves on rivals, as though they feared bad luck lurking behind them.

Clumsiness was not too far away either. If Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz was guilty of not grounding the bat and getting run out, India shelled five catches. The costliest was Farhan’s in the first over. Abhishek Sharma dropped him on zero and he hurt India with a buccaneering 58 off 45 balls. He dropped him again in the eighth over. Kuldeep then squandered an offering from Saim Ayub in the fifth over. India waited for five more overs to eject Ayub. In that phase, Pakistan were assertive and buoyant, and India nervous and ponderous. Even the celebrations were dipped in anger rather than joy.

The handshake storm still brewing in the background, the match had a niggly edge. Fakhar was unamused by Pandya’s frenzied celebrations after the third umpire deemed that Sanju Samson had his gloves under his outside edge. He lingered and kept gazing angrily at the celebrating Indian contingent. The moment brimmed with intensity.

A ball later, Pandya fumed when Ayub pummelled his short ball. He ripped in a bouncer, which flew at least a foot over his head. Pandya stared with rageful eyes. Ayub stared back. For the first time in the tournament, and in the near past, India froze. The unflappable Bumrah too flinched. After Farhan pulled his bouncer to the fence, he flung a waist-high full toss. A four and free hit ensued. Bumrah’s first spell read an unusually profligate 3-0-34-0. Bumrah was unusually inaccurate, bowling short once too often, veering towards the leg-side and feeding hit-me balls.

The unflappable Bumrah too flinched. After Farhan pulled his bouncer to the fence, he flung a waist-high full toss. A four and free hit ensued. (AP Photo)

When India batted, Pakistan’s fielders raised the verbal tempo, not in an incendiary manner but egging each other and building a web of energy. Shaheen Afridi, hooked for a first-ball six, muttered something at Sharma. At the end of the over, both nearly barged into each other. The next over, he grimaced when Sharma dug out a yorker at the last split-second. He admonished Nawaz for giving Gill a life on 11. Mohammad Haris then missed a runout opportunity of Abhishek. In Afridi’s next over, Shubman Gill, after lashing him through extra cover, looked at Afridi and pointed his bat towards the direction of his latest four. Misfields were aplenty, two catches were let off.

This Sunday was unlike last Sunday. Yet the shadows it cast were long and thick. The animosity in recent times had been bred on binary lines, but the narrative had to be supplemented by something substantive, something competitive. Relief swept the arena when Pakistan coach Mike Hesson stepped onto the ground. After the delayed start against UAE, and the shenanigans, the audience didn’t have to worry whether the team would turn up, or wait impatiently and cluelessly for the drama beyond the boundary to abate.

Normalcy was restored, even though the players of both sides were uncomfortably aloof from each other. They remained in their halves, consciously blind to their rivals’ presence. The familiar crew of the handshake-storm prowled in the stadium. Match referee Andy Pycroft briskly walked back and forth, beside the 22-yard strip. Captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha wore a mournful silence, avoiding gazes, the acknowledgment cold and functional. Post last Sunday, and the melodrama that unfolded, this could be a predominant theme of India-Pakistan contests in the near future. Played under clouds of suspicion and coldness, with tempers raging on the field.