In a gripping Asia Cup Group A match at the Dubai International Stadium, India defeated Pakistan by five wickets thanks in large part to the steely 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. In an earlier Asia Cup match in Dubai, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya shone with the ball as India bowled out Pakistan for 147.
After India called Pakistan to bat at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Bhuvneshwar recorded four for 26 and Hardik also came back with three 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. Before Shahnawaz Dahani and Haris Rauf helped Pakistan reach a decent total, Rizwan had the best score with a superb 43. Prior to this, Dinesh Karthik was preferred over Rishabh Pant for a spot in India’s starting XI.
