All-round Hardik Pandya guided India to a sensational 5-wicket win a nail-biting finisher against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In a thrilling contest, Pandya stitched a crucial 52-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja for the fifth wicket to get the job done. Jadeja scored 35 runs off 28 balls. While Pandya finished it off with a six and remained unbeaten on 33 off 17 balls as India chased down the 148-run target with 2 balls to spare.
India needed 41 runs from the last four overs as Jadeja and Pandya unleashed themselves on the Pakistan bowlers who were struggling with cramps. Pandya smacked three fours in the penultimate over to make things easy for India in the final over. However, Jadeja was dismissed on the first ball of the over which shifted the momentum a bit but Pandya got the job done with a maximum. He scored 4 fours and a six during his match-winning knock. Earlier, the all-rounder also performed well with the ball and claimed three wickets.
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Chasing the 148-run target, India lost their star opener KL Rahul on a golden duck on the second ball of the innings as young Naseem Shah was too good for him in his debut match. Virat Kohli, who came out to bat at number 3, looked a bit rusty and was dropped on a duck on the second ball he faced as Fakhar Zaman on the second slip failed to collect the ball cleanly. However, after a tricky start, Kohli got his groove back and put pressure on the Pakistan bowlers with some quality shots.
On the other side, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma had a rough day with the bat as he scored just 12 runs and took 18 balls. He tried to play big shots but missed the timing and eventually got dismissed by Mohammad Nawaz in the attempt to hit a six. The left-arm spinner also dismissed Kohli in quick succession to hurt India. Kohli scored 35 runs off 34 balls in his comeback game as it was laced with three fours and a six.
India’s top-ranked T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav also had an off-day with the bat as he was dismissed on 18 by Shah who rattled hi stumps with a full-length delivery. Surya didn’t look at his usual best during his run-a-ball innings as the pressure was mounting on him to score a big shot.
Pandya then joined hands with Jadeja to revive India’s chase from a tricky stage. Pandya looked calm and composed during his knock and was constantly chatting with his batting partner to give some clarity to him.
Pakistan bowlers Naseem and Haris Rauf struggled with cramps in heat of Dubai during the slog overs as the Indian batters took advantage of it. They were also penalised for slow-over rate and were allowed to keep only four fielders outside the circle in the last three overs.
Asia Cup 2022 India vs Pakistan Match Highlights
Earlier, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pandya ran riot with the ball as India bundled out Pakistan for 147 in 20 overs. It was a collective performance from the Indian bowlers as they put pressure on the opposition in a high-octane clash to restrict them to a below-par score.
Bhuvneshwar claimed four wickets as he mixed his line well to outclass the Pakistan batters, while Hardik troubled them with his short-balls to get three scalps under his kitty.
However, Shahnawaz Dahani with a couple of maximums in the last two overs helped Pakistan to score a challenging total.
Rizwan was the highest run-getter for Pakistan with a 43-run knock as he fought hard after Babar and Fakhar’s wicket but Hardik surprised him with a sharp bouncer to get the better of him.
Pakistan batters struggled miserably against the short balls as the majority of them failed to control their shots and got dismissed by the Indian pacers.
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