Rishabh Pant, the flamboyant Indian wicketkeeper batter, hit Pakistani fast bowler Hasan Ali for two one-handed sixes in the 12th over of the Indian innings in their T20 World Cup Super 12 encounter in Dubai on Sunday.

Pant hit the first six on the second ball of the over. It was a one-handed swipe. The sot was so whacky that even Pakistani captain Babar Azam found it funny. The one-handed hit on a full-length delivery took the ball over square leg ropes. Wicketkeeper Mohammed Rizwan too could not keep his smile under control.

Pant did not relent. He repeated the feat on the very next ball. This time Ali had gone for an off-cutter but Pant ended up pumping it straight down the ground, again with a single hand. 

Though Pant got out in the very next over trying to slog Shadab Khan, his two single-handed sixes were ones that the whole Pakistani team will remember with a smile. He made 39 runs off 30 balls before top-edging a catch back to the bowler.

Before Pant took the stage, Shaheen Afridi made a fiery start in the T20 World Cup Super 12 clash, dismissing openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul to draw first blood for Pakistan.

The 21-year-old left-arm pacer sent the ‘Hitman’ packing for a golden duck with a peach of a delivery, swinging back in at pace at yorker length to beat Sharma and crash into his pads for a plumb LBW decision. It was a straightforward decision for the umpire, who promptly raised the finger as Afridi celebrated in typical style.  

Afridi then cleaned up the in-form Rahul with the very first delivery of his second over. He nailed an in-swinging length delivery that the 28-year-old mistimed in his effort to whip across the line as it crashed into the stumps.