Twitter reactions: India continues its winning streak against Pakistan

The tradition continued as India once again got better of Pakistan in the high-voltage Super 10 clash at the Eden Gardens. The match, which took place after a lot of drama and controversy, provided the fans with ultimate entertainment. It made the long wait watch their the arch-rivals play against each other again totally worthy.

Rain threat loomed large and cast doubt over the over the match. It rained since the morning at Kolkata today. Dark clouds, strong winds and flashes of lightning made the eager fans nervous.  The scheduled time of the fixture soon ticked on the clock but it was still drizzling and the ground was covered.

However, there was a huge respite when the clouds finally cleared and the toss took place after a delay of close to an hour with the match being reduced to a 18 overs a side affair.  MS Dhoni won the flip of the coin and opted to bowl first.

A short and quick special felicitation function graced by legends Imran Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Waqar Younis, Virender Sehwag and Wasim Akram took place in the meantime before the players arrived. The national anthem sung by Amitabh Bachchan and Shafqat Amanat Ali made fans feel even more special.

Pakistan openers Sharjeel Khan and Ahmed Shehzad began sluggishly. However, they cannot be blamed for such start as the track showed its uncertain nature right from the first over. Trump card Ravichandran Ashwin was immediately introduced to the attack. The wily off-spinner turned the ball square and made everyone question whether the venue was Kolkata or Nagpur.

The game proceeded and both opener accumulated runs cautiously before a Hardik Pandya put an gymnastic effort to grab a tough catch to dismiss Sharjeel Khan and break the opening wicket stand. Shehzad also could not stay for long. Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik then turned saviors and played vital knock towards the end of the innings to guide Pakistan to a functional 118/5 in 18 overs.

The target wasn’t big but India needed to be cautious partly because of the pitch and mainly due to their bowling attack led by Mohammad Amir. India got off to a very bad start as they lost both their openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan cheaply. But, the Yuvraj Singh- Virat Kohli pair, which had saved India from the danger in the Asia Cup final, once again forged together and played match –winning knock to guide India to a 6 wicket win 13 balls to spare.