IND vs PAK 2022: Hits and flops as India edge past Pakistan in a last-over thriller
Team India notched up a close five-wicket win against arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening game of Group A at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (August 28).
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, the Men in Blue made major inroads into Pakistan's batting lineup. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for the Men in Green with a 42-ball 43. A much-needed impetus from No. 11 batter Shahnawaz Dahani towards the end saw Pakistan reach a sub-par score of 147 in 20 overs.
Dahani hit two sixes en route to his six-ball 16 runs before being cleaned up by Arshdeep Singh off the penultimate ball of the innings. Incidentally, this was the first time that India's seamers took all 10 wickets.
Although the Men in Blue were put on the back foot early on, Virat Kohli (35) and Ravindra Jadeja (35) kept them in the hunt before Hardik Pandya (33*) finished things off in the final over.
Most important player for India in T20Is right now 🙌
Hardik Pandya, what a comeback!
#HardikPandya #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/NNXqwZkW6K
Pakistan's bowling performance was remarkable as they did well to slow down the game's pace and make things challenging for the Indian batters. KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav were dismissed by debutant Naseem Shah, while Shadab Khan's 19 runs from four overs complicated the Men in Blue's chase.
All in all, the last-over thriller between the two sides was worth every bit of the hype and proved to be a great spectacle for the neutrals.
On that note, let's take a look at the hits and flops of the high-octane Indo-Pak encounter from Sunday.
#4 Flop - KL Rahul (India)
Team India vice-captain KL Rahul flopped miserably in his comeback T20I game. The right-handed batter's stay at the crease lasted just one delivery and was bowled out for a golden duck by Pakistani debutant Naseem Shah.
During the first over of the innings, Rahul tried to play a half-hearted dab down to third man and saw the resultant inside-edge cannon onto his stumps. The batter has looked woefully short of confidence of late and will want to make amends in the next game.
#3 Hit - Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar picks up the first wicket for #TeamIndia as Babar Azam departs for 10 runs.
Live - bit.ly/AsiaCup2022-IN… #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/HFRnblobIP
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar spearheaded India's bowling attack and did so exquisitely. The right-arm seamer set the tone for his side right from the word go, dismissing Pakistani skipper Babar Azam in the third over of the game.
Despite not generating enough swing from the surface, Bhuvneshwar varied his lengths and proved to be a lethal asset for the Men in Blue. The Uttar Pradesh cricketer got the better of Asif Ali with a slower ball before picking up two wickets off consecutive deliveries in the last over.
Bhuvneshwar finished the innings with exceptional figures of 4/26, thus registering the best bowling figures in T20Is against Pakistan.
#2 Flop - Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Pakistanis trolling Bhuvi for his slow pace. In reply He smoked Babar with his bouncer.
#AsiaCup2022 #IndvsPak #BabarAzam #TeamIndia https://t.co/HkJDvLg4bB
Babar Azam failed in his second T20I outing against the Men in Blue and was dismissed for a paltry 10 off nine balls. The right-handed batter has been a vital cog in Pakistan's batting department over the years and had the expectations of an entire nation riding on his shoulders going into Sunday's game.
While he looked good early in the innings, smashing two beautiful boundaries, Babar was outdone by a surprise bouncer by Bhuvneshwar. In an attempt to pull the ball, the right-hander only managed to top-edge it to short fine-leg.
#1 Hit - Hardik Pandya (India)
We fought. We fought real hard! And we’ll keep fighting 🇮🇳 https://t.co/7esrZxg74l
What a fantastic game Hardik Pandya had! He was the hero for India on the big stage and single-handedly pushed Pakistan out of the game.
Pandya proved priceless for the Men in Blue and contributed significantly with both bat and ball. The Baroda all-rounder dismissed Mohammed Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khusdhil Shah with his hard-length deliveries before playing a match-winning knock in the second innings.
Coming in to bat at No. 6, Pandya was tasked with building a partnership alongside Ravindra Jadeja and bailing the team out of trouble. The flamboyant all-rounder did just that and played a fiesty knock of 33 runs off 17 balls to take his side home with two balls to spare.
Expectantly, Pandya was adjudged as the Player of the Match for his magnificent all-round display and was invaluable to India's success in Dubai.