Hardik Pandya hit an unbeaten 33 as India beat Pakistan by five wickets in Asia Cup
India won comfortably by 5 wickets against Pakistan in T20 Asia Cup. Team India after winning the toss were successful in restricting Pakistan to a total of 147 courtesy of some fantastic bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar who picked 4 wickets giving away just 26 runs. While the spinners contained the scoring from one end, it was Hardik Pandya who kept picking wickets at crucial times. Virat Kohli showing signs of form made a well composed 35 to lay down a good foundation after the team lost a few early wickets. Thereafter, a match winning partnership of 52 of just 29 balls between the all-rounders Jadeja and Pandya sealed the game for the side. Hardik Pandya smashed an unbeaten 33 of 17 balls to take the team home with a stupendous six. India will now face Hong-kong in their second encounter of the Asia Cup.
Babar Azam, Pakistan Captain: “We started well with the ball. In the end we were about 10-15 runs short. Bowlers did really well to make a match of this. Our tail also stepped up to add those handy runs. The thought was to take the game deep. Idea was to create pressure but Hardik finished well.”
Rohit Sharma, Indian captain: “Halfway through the chase, we still knew that we can win irrespective of the situation and did not panic. We had the belief and when you have that belief, these things can happen. It’s about giving clarity to the guys so that they know their roles well. It was a bit challenging but I’ll take wins like this anyday over usual victories. Yes, India’s pace bowling has come a long way in the last year or so and they have adapted well to different situations. Since the time Hardik has made his comeback, he’s been brilliant both with the bat and ball. He is a lot calmer now and more confident about what he wants to do.”
Hardik Pandya is the Player of the Match
Hardik Pandya: “In bowling, it’s important to assess the situations and use your weapons. For me, bowling short and the hard lengths have been my strengths. It’s about using them well and asking the right questions to make the batters commit a mistake. In a chase like this, you always plan over-by-over. I always knew that there is one young bowler and also one left-arm spinner. We only needed 7 off the last over but even if we needed 15, I’d have fancied myself. I know the bowler is under more pressure than me in the 20th over. I try to keep things simple.” (Courtesy BCCI)