IND vs PAK 2022: "Aaj main jeeta ke aaya"- Fans erupt as Hardik Pandya's all-round brilliance sinks Pakistan
Hardik Pandya once again proved why he is arguably one of the best all-rounders in white-ball cricket after guiding Team India to a thrilling win over Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2022 opener on Sunday (August 28).
The Baroda swashbuckler played an absolutely crucial cameo of 33*(17) which helped India win the game by five wickets with just two balls to spare. It was a two-paced wicket and the Men in Blue lost wickets at crucial junctures.
However, Hardik ensured that he was there till the end to see his team home. His stunning bowling performance (3/25) coupled with his cameo with the bat earned him the Player of the Match award.
Here's how fans and a few cricketers on Twitter reacted to Hardik Pandya's masterclass and India's win over Pakistan:
Special win on a special day! 🇮🇳 https://t.co/7WmE7GeJMD
Wow wow wow ! Fantastic Hardik Pandya. Sab kuchh main karega. Brilliant performance by Bhuvi, good hand by Jaddu and Kohli as well.
Glad to see a close #INDvsPAK match after a long time. Mast maza aa gaya. https://t.co/HLNrnLRpK8
We fought. We fought real hard! And we’ll keep fighting 🇮🇳 https://t.co/7esrZxg74l
What a game! What a player! @hardikpandya7 Well done 
You SUPERSTAR 👏 What a game! What a player! @hardikpandya7 Well done 🇮🇳 https://t.co/ajoAJKowKO
That winning six from Hardik Pandya.
Revenge..... https://t.co/SnRFHMsdv3
Aaj main jeeta ke aaya https://t.co/9Gj6nd5hLK
DK is every Indian fans https://t.co/Q8w480NBL5
Brilliant start 👏👏👏 Memorable game of cricket 🇮🇳 https://t.co/drA0Fryc6d
If krunal pandya is caught again with gold in the airport it's just his brother..bcoz hardik is gold.. what a playerrrrrrrrrr #AsiaCup2022
Hardik Pandya entering the dressing room : https://t.co/VtvpuA1ljH
#HardikPandya you beauty 🔥 🔥
Thank you thank you thank you thank you
This feel so good really it does 🥺🥺🥺 beating 🇵🇰
Nothing is feels better
#AsiaCup2022 #INDvPAK #IndiaVsPakistan #IndianCricketTeam
Proud of my team and even prouder of Hardik Pandya who has proved doubters like me wrong.
🇮🇳❤
Hardik paraphrased the line used for MSD : "When I'm on strike, the pressure is on the bowler and not on the batter"
No competition. https://t.co/Dt8XUgtkcl
Pakistan had no answer to Hardik Pandya's all-round quality
Hardik has been making waves in international cricket of late with his bowling. The all-rounder has a pretty skiddy bouncer who rushes the batters and induces false shots. This is exactly what he used against Pakistan on Sunday.
After realizing that there wasn't much help for the bowlers in terms of swing, Hardik decided to apply the short-ball ploy. It worked wonders as he got the big wickets of Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah.
The required rate was almost 10 when Hardik walked out to bat and the game was on a knife-edge. However, from the first ball, his body language was ultra-positive as he kept the scoreboard ticking.
Hardik Pandya also found the boundaries at just the right time to ensure that the required equation stayed within India's grasp. From being stretchered off the field in the 2018 Asia Cup to winning the Player of the Match award on the same ground four years later, Hardik has really come a long way.
Is Hardik currently India's biggest match-winner in T20Is? Let us know in the comments.