Match no. 2 of the Asia Cup 2022 between India and Pakistan started on 28 August, Sunday in Dubai. India won by 5 wickets after chasing the score with 2 balls remaining in the last over.
Batting first Pakistan got all out scoring 147 runs in 19.5 overs. India chased down the score with Hardik Pandya scoring the winning runs with a six. Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 4 wickets for 26 runs in the first innings of the match.
India won the toss and elected to bowl first keeping in mind the sour memory of T20 world cup last year at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Dubai. Indian pacers put up a phenomenal effort to keep the run rate in check of dangerous batting line-up of Pakistan. They kept taking wickets in regular intervals restricting the scoring rate in the process. Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 4 wickets and All rounder Hardik Pandya took 3 wickets by giving only 25 runs in his spell. Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan took 2 wickets and one wicket respectively.
For Pakistan Babar Azam failed to give the start that Pakistan would have wanted. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan was the highest scorer of the innings, 43 runs in 42 balls. Iftikhar Ahmed scored 28 runs in 22 balls and Shanwaz Dahani finsihed the innings with a brilliant 6 ball 16 run cameo.
Coming into the chase, Opener KL Rahul succumbed to debutant Naseem Shah’s bowling on his very first delivery. Leaving India in deep trouble right at the start of the chase. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had a responsible partnership of 49 runs but Rohit Sharma failed to score comfortably. He got dismissed scoring only 12 runs with a miserable strike rate of 66. Virat Kohli played the anchor innings of 35 runs in 34 deliveries before getting dismissed in an odd fashion by Mohammad Nawaz.
Steady contribution from Suryakumar Yadav ( 18 from 18), Ravindra Jadeja (35 from 29)and Hardik Pandya took the Indian innings to home. Finally chasing the target in the very last over. Hardik Pandya finished the innings after scoring 33 runs only in 17 balls.
For his allround match winning effort Hardik Pandya was adjudged Player of the match.
