Pakistan showed character and determination in abundance on Sunday, 4 September, as they defeated India by 5 wickets in their first Super Four clash of Asia Cup 2022.
After winning the toss, the green shirts' skipper Babar Azam asked India to bat first on a new track at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India had a fine start as both openers, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, looked in good touch. Following their dismissals, it was Virat Kohli’s turn to showcase his brilliance and prove why he still is an indispensable part of the Indian team.
Kohli brought up his second half-century in Asia Cup 2022, and 32nd overall in his T20I career, as he accumulated 60 runs from 44 deliveries.
However, barring the top three, none of the Indian batters could make their mark. Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant combined to score only 27 runs, whilst Hardik Pandya was dismissed for a duck. Though Deepak Hooda, and then Ravi Bishnoi struck a few boundaries, all India could manage was 181 runs.
The target for Pakistan was steep, and it looked even steeper when skipper Babar Azam was dismissed by Ravi Bishnoi in the fourth over itself. Fakhar Zaman, who looked lacklustre in the field, could not produce much with the bat as well, as he lost his wicket after scoring only 15 runs from 18 deliveries.
However, the Pakistan team management played a masterstroke by sending Mohammad Nawaz to bat at number four. He scored 42 runs in only 20 deliveries, while Mohammad Rizwan played the anchor’s role, scoring 71 runs in 51 deliveries.
Together, the duo accumulated 73 runs for the third-wicket stand. Following their dismissals in quick succession, Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali kept the scoreboard ticking for Pakistan. The latter almost threw his wicket away, but thanks to a dropped catch by Arshdeep Singh, he extended his stay on the crease.
Needing seven runs from the last over, Ali first eased the pressure by hitting a boundary, while though he lost his wicket in the fourth delivery, Iftikhar Ahmed scored a couple in his first delivery to take his team over the line.
With this win, Pakistan are second on the Super Four standings, while India are a place behind them. Here's how twitter reacted to Pakistan's victory:
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