IND v PAK 2022: 3 masterstrokes by India in their thrilling win over Pakistan
Encounters between Team India and Pakistan are rarely short of entertainment, and the two sides' Asia Cup 2022 clash was no different. The Men in Blue came out on top by five wickets in a last-over thriller, with Hardik Pandya having the game of his life in the T20I format.
Pandya struck an unbeaten 33 to go with his three-wicket haul as India held their nerve under immense pressure. The all-rounder was ably supported by contributions from Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh.
On a tactical front, Rohit Sharma and Co. outthought their arch-rivals. Here are three smart strategies that helped India get their Asia Cup campaign off to a winning start.
Click here to view the teams at the top of the Asia Cup points table.
#3 India didn't take unnecessary risks against Pakistan's premier pacers at the death
Pakistan captain Babar Azam used his spinners - Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz - in a seven-over burst post the powerplay. While Shadab bowled out his quota of overs economically, Nawaz scalped two wickets in his first three-over spell and had one remaining.
Knowing that Pakistan still had to eke out one over of spin - or perhaps the military medium-pace of Asif Ali - India were measured in their run-chase post the 13th over. Both Jadeja and Suryakumar Yadav didn't take any real risks, putting away only the bad deliveries and keeping the required run rate around the 10-mark. Once Suryakumar was dismissed, Hardik played sensibly too.
Even in the final five overs, India strayed away from aerial shots and looked to glean around 10 runs off every over with tight singles and doubles. It was only in the last three overs that Jadeja and Hardik looked to step on the pedal, and even then, they played relatively risk-free cricket.
Their calculations worked out in the end, as Nawaz had to bowl the final over. The left-arm spinner castled Jadeja but was pumped over the mid-wicket boundary by Hardik, who paced the chase to perfection.
#2 India promoted Ravindra Jadeja to No. 4
This one could've gone either way. Ravindra Jadeja has often been unable to put his foot down against spin in the middle overs and promoting him up the order may not be a sustainable tactic in the long run. But India had no other options against Pakistan because of the composition of their playing XI, and given how the move played out, it's safe to say that their decision to ignore the numbers worked wonders.
Jadeja struck a six and a four off Mohammad Nawaz, shortly after the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in quick succession. His attack against the left-arm spinner meant that Pakistan captain Babar Azam had to take Nawaz out of the attack.
At the end of the day, Jadeja's 29-ball 35 was invaluable. He didn't look entirely fluent throughout his innings, and playing him at No. 4 could backfire in the immediate future. But he got the job done.
#1 India's short-ball ploy reaped rich rewards
Unlike the opening game of the Asia Cup, where Afghanistan's pacers ran riot against Sri Lanka in the powerplay, the new-ball bowlers couldn't find appreciable movement. Both Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep beat the bat on occasion, but it was clear that hitting hard lengths was the right course of action in Dubai.
Bhuvneshwar was the first to begin the procession, hurrying Babar Azam on the pull with a well-directed short delivery. Avesh Khan joined in on the fun by dismissing Fakhar Zaman in the last over of the powerplay with another bouncer before Hardik starred in his second spell.
Hardik bounced out Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan and Khushdil Shah in the space of three overs to leave Pakistan on the ropes at 97-5. All of Pakistan's top five fell to the short ball to put India in a dominant position, one they eventually capitalized on.