Opener Sahibzada Farhan anchored the innings with a composed 58 off 45 balls (5 fours, 3 sixes), while Fakhar Zaman gave a quick start scoring 15 off just 9 deliveries before falling to Hardik Pandya.
Farhan stitched useful stands with Saim Ayub (21 off 17) and Hussain Talat (10), keeping Pakistan’s run rate steady through the middle overs.
The acceleration came late in the innings. After Farhan’s dismissal at 110/3 in the 14th over, Pakistan looked under pressure, but contributions from the lower order ensured a strong finish.
Mohammad Nawaz’s 21 (19) provided momentum, while skipper Salman Agha (17 off 13)* and Faheem Ashraf’s explosive 20 off just 8 balls* (1 four, 2 sixes) powered Pakistan past the 170 mark.
India’s bowlers struggled for consistency. Shivam Dube (2/33) and Hardik Pandya (1/29) were the only wicket-takers apart from Kuldeep Yadav (1/31), while Jasprit Bumrah had a rare off day, going wicketless for 45 runs in his 4 overs.
Varun Chakravarthy (0/25) was economical, but extras (9) also cost India.
Pakistan have set India a target of 172 runs to win under lights in Dubai.
