India struggle to beat Pakistan
Ravindra Jadeja (35 in 29 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes) and Hardik Pandya with an unbeaten 33 in 17 balls with 4 fours and a winning sixer off Mohammed Nawaz as India won by five wickets over Pakistan with two balls to spare in their Asia Cup T20 Group A cricket match played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
India reached their target (148) in a tense last-over thriller. Hardik Pandya was named the Man of the Match.
Earlier, Pakistan batted first and scored 147 in 19.5 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar snapped up the early wicket of skipper Babar Azam during the third over. Azam aimed to scoop the short ball but hits it to the short fine leg-fielder Arshdeep Singh who took an easy catch. Babar Azam scored 10 in 9 balls with 2 well-timed boundaries.
Rizwan with Fakhar Zaman tried to repair the innings but Zaman who completed double figures was sent back during the last over of the Power Play which was bowled by Ayesh Kumar.
Pakistan were 43 for 2 wickets inside the Power Play with a run rate of 7.2 but the Indian bowlers fought back. Wicketkeeper Rizwan was the most successful batsman scoring 43 in 42 balls with 4 fours and a six off Ayesh Kumar.
Rizwan and Ifthikar Ahmed (28 in 22 balls with 2 fours and a six) added a valuable 45 runs for the third wicket. The 15th over was bowled by all-rounder Hardik Pandya and produced a superb effort to get two quick wickets including Rizwan. After the 15th over, Pakistan were 103/5.
The tenth-wicket pair, Haris Rauf (13 not out in 7 balls) and Shahnawaz Dahani (16 in 6 balls with 2 sixes), gave India a 147-run target.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar took fine figures of 4 for 26 which was the best bowling figures made by an Indian paceman against Pakistan in a T20 format. Pandya played a good supporting role to finish with 3 for 25.
The 19-year-old paceman Naseem Shah made his T20I debut for Pakistan while Virat Kholi played his 100th T20 game.
The match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be played in Sharjah today.
Chief scores:
Pakistan: 147 in 19.5 overs (Mohammed Rizwan 43, Babar Azam 10, Fakhar Zaman 10, Ifthikar Ahmed 28, Sadhab Khan 10, Haris Rauf 13, Shahnawaz Dahana 16, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/26, Arshdeep Singh 2/33, Hardik Pandya 3/25, Avesh Khan 1/19)
India: 148/5 in 19.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 12, Virat Kholi 35, Ravindra Jadeja 35, Hardik Pandya 33*, Suryakumar Yadav 13, Naseem Shah 2/27, Mohammed Nawaz 3/33)