Pakistani bowlers fought hard but India chased down 148 runs with five wickets in hand to beat their arch-rivals in T20 Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja scored a match-winning partnership despite an aggressive performance by debutant Naseem Shah. The two batters scored 52 runs together as India made 148-5. Pandya struck a match-winning sixer in Mohammad Nawaz’s last over to hand India their revenge-taking victory over Pakistan. Jadeja built India’s inning after Pakistan made an impressive comeback with Naseem bowling constantly at 140+kph.
Nawaz removed well-set Virat Kohli and later on Jadeja in the last over to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive. Jadeja scored 35 whereas Pandya remained not out for 33 runs laced with four boundaries and a six. Nawaz bagged three wickets while Naseem managed to take two scalps. Earlier, Indian bowlers got rid of Pakistani batters mostly on short balls as they bowled them out for 147 runs. Pakistan’s five wickets till the sixteenth over fell off short balls. Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah failed to read short balls as Pakistan were left tattering at 97-5 in 14.3 overs.
Sent into bat first, Pakistan lost their in-form opener, Babar Azam, for the sum of just 15 runs. The right-handed batter fell to a clever bouncer bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He scored eight runs followed by the scalp of Fakhar Zaman who also scored as many runs. Short balls kept haunting Pakistan against the arch-rivals as the next three batters also fell on short balls. Rizwan fought hard but his 43-runs inning was at a snail’s pace and it kept Pakistan’s run-rate quite low. Iftikhar Ahmed scored quick 28 runs but Pandya got rid of him on a bouncer.
Bhuvneshwar finished with prominent figures of 4-26 followed by Pandya’s 3-25. Arshdeep Singh bagged two wickets while Avesh Khan managed to get a scalp. Shahnawaz Dahani raced Pakistan’s score in the end by scoring 16 off six balls laced with two towering sixes. Dahani remained the highlight of Pakistan’s batting. India has won the toss and decided to bowl first against Pakistan in their first game in T20 Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday. Pakistan’s Naseem Shah is making his T20I debut.
