India defeated their biggest rival, Pakistan, in their very first match in Asia Cup. Both teams played equally, but in the end, India sealed the victory with two balls in hand. Last night, they beat Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium, where Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant performance.
As it happened
Both India and Pakistan missed their two key bowlers, Jasprit Bhumrah and Shaheen Afridi. Apart from them, both teams fielded strong squads. However, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first against Pakistan. So, Babar Azam came off the pitch with Mohammad Rizwan to start their innings.
But the Pakistani skipper couldn’t score enough. He lost the wicket to Bhuvneshwar Kumar after scoring only ten runs. Fakhar Zaman, the following batsman, also failed to get runs. But opener Mohammad Rizwan was very confident on the pitch. He made a brilliant partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed. Together they added a crucial 43 run on the scoreboard.
Hardik Pandya then brought a breakthrough for India as he picked up the wicket of Iftikhar Ahmed. But before the departure, Iftikhar Ahmed scored 28 runs for the team. However, Mohammad Rizwan tried hard to make the score big. But he had to go back to the pavilion with the highest 43 runs as Hardik Pandya took his wicket. The remaining batters of Pakistan couldn’t contribute enough. As a result, they became all-out in 147 runs.
Defending the target, Pakistan had a flying start. They picked up KL Rahul in the very first over. However, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli tried to tackle the situation. They added 49 runs together on the scoreboard. But Pakistan came back very strongly in the 8th over to make the match more competitive. From 8 to 15 overs, India lost three wickets.
So, it seemed Pakistan could tie up India before 146. But Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya were rock solid on the pitch. They made a brilliant performance of 50 runs, which earned India a victory at Dubai International Stadium. Jadeja lost his wicket after scoring 35 runs, while Hardik Pandya remained not out in 33 runs to chase the target.