The Men in Blue set a formidable target of 357 runs for their arch-rivals at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday, September 11. Fakhar Zaman was the top scorer for Pakistan with 27 runs, but unfortunately, they were all out for just 128 runs, losing the match by a massive 228-run margin.

Pakistan are weak against the leg-spin for some reason, says Aakash Chopra

While reflecting on India's massive win against Pakistan in a recent episode of Cricket Chaupaal shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra analyzed Pakistan's chase. He highlighted how Bumrah quickly ended Imam-ul-Haq's struggle, but his opening partner, Fakhar Zaman, had a tough time in the middle. The former Indian opener added that Hardik Pandya ensured Babar Azam continued his poor run against India.

"Jasprit Bumrah started it. Imam-ul-Haq, who was struggling at the start, got an outside edge, and a good catch was taken in the slips. It seemed like Fakhar Zaman had come on a tourist visa because Bumrah was bowling, and the keeper was catching the ball repeatedly. Then Hardik Pandya came and dismissed Babar Azam. Now that's a question. We say our players will be judged by how they fare against Australia or Pakistan, then why not Babar Azam? He still does not have even a single ODI fifty against India. So he is struggling a little bit against India," Aakash Chopra said.

Aakash Chopra keenly observed that Kuldeep Yadav effectively highlighted Pakistan's vulnerabilities against wrist spin following Shardul Thakur's dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan. Although Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf could not bat due to injuries, Chopra ultimately concluded that Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat.

"Shardul Thakur came and dismissed Mohammad Rizwan and then Kuldeep Yadav. He took as many as five wickets. Pakistan are weak against the leg-spin for some reason, don't know why. They tend to struggle against leg-spinners. In any case, Kuldeep is a left-arm leg-spinner, so the problems increase even further. They were destroyed. Eight wickets fell, and two guys, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, didn't come to bat. It was a defeat that you don't forget easily," Aakash Chopra added.

On Tuesday, September 12, India will once again put their fitness levels to the test as they return to the R Premadasa Stadium. This comes just a little over 12 hours after their impressive victory against Pakistan in a game that spanned two days due to inclement weather. Pakistan's last Super 4 match is against Sri Lanka on Thursday, September 14.