LONDON, (Reuters) – Rohit Sharma, deputising for the injured Virender Sehwag, showed India had another opening option with 80 from 53 balls as the world Twenty20 champions defeated Pakistan by nine wickets at the Oval yesterday.
A raucous, sellout crowd of 23,000 watched India ease to an untroubled nine-wicket win with three overs to spare, scoring 159 for one to Pakistan’s 158 for six.
“It’s good to have performing cricketers in your side,” captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni told reporters. “You have to perform like this throughout the tournament, you have to be consistent throughout.
“With the IPL (Indian Premier League) we have got the experience. If we play to our potential we will be a tough team to beat. Today we weren’t experimenting, an India-Pakistan game, even if it’s a warmup, is a tough game to play.”
Dhoni said he still did not know if injured pace bowler Zaheer Khan would be fit for India’s opening game against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday (1700GMT). Zaheer has an injured shoulder.
For Pakistan, whose supporters had to endure the gibes of the Indian fans as the result became inevitable, it was a forgettable return to the Oval for the first time since they were adjudged to have forfeited the fourth and final test against England three years ago.
