Virat Kohli hit his second straight fifty after a brisk start from the opening duo of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as India put up a stiff 181 for 7 against Pakistan in an Asia Cup ‘Super 4’ game on Sunday. While the Rohit-Rahul partnership was a testament to India’s aggressive approach in the 20-over format, Kohli showed glimpses of his old self with a vital 60 off 44, which had four boundaries and a six along with his signature running between the wickets. Follow India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asia Cup

Kohli reached his half-century in style with a six, which was an end result of him shuffling across the crease and putting his wristwork to good use. A nonchalant hit over cow corner helped Kohli reach the milestone in 36 deliveries in the 18th over. He acknowledged the applause from teammates and kissed the badge in celebration, as the jam-packed Dubai stadium stood on its feet. Deepak Hooda also came in from the non-striker’s end to congratulate the former India skipper.

Earlier, Rohit and Rahul put on 54 runs briskly and attempted to make full use of the powerplay. Rohit fell after scoring 28 off 16 balls in the sixth over when he mistimed Haris Rauf. Shadab Khan struck in the next over to cut short Rahul’s stay on 28. Left-arm orthodox spinner Mohammad Nawaz then removed the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav for 13, reducing India to 91 for three before the end of the first 10 overs.

Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking and got the occasional boundaries. He saw Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya leaving for 14 and 2-ball duck, respectively. The 33-year-old helped India survive a middle-order stutter as India made 181-7 in 20 overs.

Young Ravi Bishnoi finished off the innings with two boundaries as Fakhar Zaman faltered twice in the deep, including dropping a catch that reached the ropes. For Pakistan, Shadab stood out with figures of 2-31 from his four overs.

It was Kohli’s 32nd half-century in T20Is. He now has 31 fifty-plus scores, including four centuries in the format. The Indian is followed by Babar Azam of Pakistan (27 fifty-plus scores including a century), Australian opener David Warner (23), New Zealand’s Martin Guptill (22) and Ireland opener Paul Stirling (21).