Pakistan’s decision to hold back Mohammad Nawaz until the last over backfired as, with 13 required from three balls, the slow left-arm was adjudged to have bowled an above-waist-height no-ball which was heaved for six by Kohli. Nawaz’s nerve deserted him as he threw in a wide down the leg-side with two needed off the last ball, after which Ravichandran Ashwin coolly lifted over the in-field for a single as India overhauled Pakistan’s 159 for eight with four wickets to spare.

On more than one occasion India looked sunk in the run-chase, but a 113-run union between Kohli and Hardik Pandya (40 off 37 balls) kept them afloat, with the pair growing in authority as the stand grew. Kohli, who last month ended a two-and-a-half-year wait for an international century in any format. Has particularly watchful after India had slipped to 31 for four, taking just 15 off his first 24 balls.

Also Read: T20 World Cup’22, AFG vs ENG: ENG bags 5 WKT win!

Walking through the soul-stirring final over in India’s win over Pakistan

He seized the moment when it counted, not just off Nawaz but helping to get the target down to a manageable 16 off six with back-to-back sixes from the last two balls of the penultimate over. Bowled by Haris Rauf, amid a cacophony of noise from a 90,293 crowd that ratcheted up in a dramatic finale. Following the sensational win, India skipper Rohit Sharma lauded Virat Kohli and called the batter’s MCG heroics inning as former captain’s best ever. Stating that it is always important to get off the mark well. Rohit said that this win would give them a lot of confidence.

An explosive half-century by star batter Virat Kohli and a century stand with Hardik Pandya helped India defeat Pakistan by four wickets in their Group 2 clash. With this win, India is at top of Group 2 with two points. “Those two guys (Kohli and Pandya) are experienced. Staying calm and taking the game deep was very critical. Good for our confidence. Always crucial to get off the mark like this. We were in no position to win this. The way we won that’s more pleasing for us. Hats off to Virat for the way he batted, has to be the best innings he has played for India.

Another high-octane India versus Pakistan clash is set for Sunday, as both arch-rivals look to outwit each other in the Super Four match at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. For defending champions India, the hotly-anticipated fixture will be a chance to revamp their batting approach, which has been cautious in the Powerplay overs so far. Neither Rohit Sharma nor Virat Kohli looked comfortable against the Pakistani attack, while KL Rahul perished for a nought. It was Hardik Pandya’s one-man show that got India over the line in a thrilling last-over finish.

Against Hong Kong, Suryakumar Yadav produced an incredible 68* off 26 balls to set up a crucial win. Former India player Dodda Ganesh was blunt in his analysis as lashed out at the famed top-3 for its ‘lackadaisical’ batting. “Can’t expect SKY and the other middle-order batsmen to bail you out every time for the top three’s lackadaisical approach. High time the elephant in the room is addressed. This simply can’t continue,” he wrote on Twitter. It remains to be seen if skipper Rohit and Rahul Dravid take the gamble of opening with Rishabh Pant on Sunday.

Also Read: T20 WC: Jadeja’s Knee Injury To Rule Him Out

IND vs PAK is no more than an action movie for Indian

Rahul looked scratchy against Hong Kong to produce his slowest ever (36 off 39 balls) innings. While Kohli showed glimpses of his old self and hit 59* off 44 balls. But the former skipper was questioned for his intent during the middle overs. Wasim Jaffer, former Indian opener, said he was worried over lack of fluency in Kohli’s innings. “I am still worried about his fluency. That fluency is still not there which we have seen before.

I don’t think we are witnessing fluency yet, even though he scored runs today,” said Jaffer ESPNcricinfo’s post-match programme. “If anyone is scoring at a strike rate of 140 or 150 then India is in trouble. So there must be someone who needs to bat at a much greater strike rate,” he added. Yadav, however, shifted gears and hit six sixes in his 26-ball knock, which steered India to 192-2 batting first.

Hong Kong were limited to 152-5 in reply as India registered their second successive victory to join Afghanistan in the next round of the six-nation tournament. India head into the Super Four with a clean record, having notched up two wins in two matches and gathered four points. Pakistan are in the second position with one win in two matches and two points.

Coming into the DP World Asia Cup, it was felt that pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi’s void in the line-up would be sorely felt, especially in the high-octane fixture against arch-rivals India. After all, the tall quick had towered India the last time the two teams met at the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year. Pakistan, well known for producing fast bowling gems, did have good pacers in the Asia Cup squad but a majority of them are relatively young and lack experience.

But that didn’t stop them from uncovering another gem who would probably go on and serve Pakistan cricket for a long time. Naseem Shah, all of 19, and making his T20 International debut, ensured that Pakistan didn’t miss Shaheen’s services. Naseem, born in Lower Dir, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, rattled India with his sheer pace and aggression.

Also Read: “Both Teams Tried To Lose The Game”: Akhtar On IND-PAK Asia Cup Match

Naseem shows why being so young he still made it to the Asia Cup

Opening the attack, Naseem’s raw pace saw Indian opener KL Rahul play on to his stumps off the second ball. He then posed questions to star Indian batsman Virat Kohli and Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Later on, Naseem disturbed Suryakumar Yadav’s furniture with a peach of a delivery.

And his skipper Babar Azam couldn’t have asked for more as he showered glowing praise on the youngster. “Fast bowlers are always pumped up and they have a lot of aggression,” said Azam. “We did miss Shaheen (Shah Afridi) but the way Naseem started, he made sure we didn’t feel Shaheen’s absence. Also at the death, he bowled extremely well,” he added.

Naseem is not new to international cricket. He has played 13 Tests since 2019, taking 33 wickets at an average of 36.3 and three One-Day Internationals with 10 wickets at an average of 11.1. This should be just the start in what should be an illustrious career for Pakistan. Meanwhile, with a low-score to defend, Azam said that it was vital to take the game deep so that they stand a chance. And the Pakistan bowling attack, backed up by some tight fielding, did that and almost pulled it off.

“Our plan was to take the game deep, it would be better for us and the way Naseem bowled was fantastic. Even at the start, he was fantastic and he got us crucial wickets and he also bowled very well at the death. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish with a positive result for our side. But, we also have to give credit to (Mohammad) Nawaz, the way he bowled that last over. It was a pressure game and unfortunately, we couldn’t get over the line,” said Azam.

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya picked up three wickets and then smashed an unbeaten 33 to seal a five-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller in the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament in Dubai on Sunday. Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up four wickets, including the prized scalp of Babar Azam, while Pandya expertly used short-pitched deliveries in India’s inspired fast-bowling display to help them skittle out Pakistan for 147.

All Pakistan wickets fell to India’s fast bowlers with Arshdeep Singh taking two and Avesh Khan picking up the remaining one. In reply, the Pakistan bowlers fought hard and took the match to the final over when Pandya hit a massive six to seal the victory with two balls to spare. With bilateral cricket remaining suspended between the bitter neighbors, India and Pakistan play each other only in multi-team tournaments with their rivalry now a rare but enticing occasion for fans worldwide.

Also Read: Asia Cup’22, IND vs PAK: IND wins by 5 wickets!

Pandya’s innings show why he is still a dependable finisher for this team

Pakistan came into the contest having mauled India by 10 wickets in a Twenty20 World Cup match at the same venue in October in their last meeting. It was India who landed the first blow when Bhuvneshwar dismissed Pakistan batting mainstay Babar for 10 in the third over with a sharply rising delivery after captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field.

Pandya dismissed the big-hitting Iftikhar Ahmed for 28 and also sent back well-set opener Mohammad Rizwan, who made 43, and Khushdil Shah in the same overall through short-pitched deliveries. After Pandya scythed through the middle order, Bhuvneshwar returned for his second spell to clean up the Pakistan tail by dismissing Asif Ali, Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah. With fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who made a big impact in their last win over India, missing due to injury, Pakistan’s attack missed the firepower necessary to defend a low total and struggled in hot and humid conditions.

Fast bowler Naseem, 19, gave Pakistan an ideal start by dismissing KL Rahul without scoring before Virat Kohli and Rohit steadied things for India with a stand of 49. Kohli, who is in the middle of a prolonged lean patch, was dropped at slip off Naseem before he had opened his scoring. He struggled for timing during his laboured 35 off 34 balls. India found themselves in a spot of bother when Kohli and Rohit both fell to left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz in successive overs.