Asia Cup 2022 Match 2, India vs Pakistan : India defeated Pakistan in a dramatic Asia Cup Group A encounter at the Dubai International Stadium thanks in large part to the strong nerves of Hardik Pandya.
Hardik scored three boundaries and a six in the final two overs of the 148-run chase to help India win with two balls remaining. Pandya continued to go unbeaten at 33 while Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja each played innings of 35 to give India a respectable starting point. India were in a spot of bother at 89/4 in the 15th over when the all-rounder combined with Ravindra Jadeja (35 off 29) to resurrect the chase. Earlier, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya shone with the ball as India bowled out Pakistan for 147.
After India invited Pakistan to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium, Bhuvneshwar recorded 4 for 26 while Hardik also came back with 3 for 25. Pakistani hitters were the focus of the Indian pacers short ball attacks. By taking the crucial wicket of Babar Azam, Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave India the ideal start. When Fakhar Zaman was eliminated off the powerplay by Avesh Khan, Rohit Sharma's team was in a strong position. The Pakistan tail was cleaned up by Bhuvneshwar and Hardik.Rizwan had the best score with a superb 43. Later Shahnawaz Dahani and Haris Rauf helped Pakistan reach a decent total.
Brief scores: Pakistan 147 all out in 19.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 43; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-26, Hardik Pandya 3-25) lost to India 148/5 in 19.4 overs (Virat Kohli 35, Ravindra Jadeja 35, Hardik Pandya 33*; Mohammad Nawaz 3-33, Naseem Shah 2-27) by 5 wickets.