India defeated Arch Rivals Pakistan in the great match of Asia Cup. India won this very exciting match played in Dubai by 5 wickets. Although the Indian team got this victory over Pakistan after a lot of struggle but got it with full style. Hardik Pandya defeated Pakistan with a six and took revenge for the defeat at the same ground in the T20 World Cup last year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Indian team on this spectacular victory.
Weak start chasing small target
In this match, the neighboring country had set a target of 148 runs for India to win. The target was not big but the intensity of the match was tremendous. The pressure on the batsmen started showing its effect from the very first ball itself. KL Rahul, who was sent to the field in a hurry after being fit after the injury, was out on a golden duck.
Kohli handled the innings in a difficult situation
Virat Kohli, who came out to bat at number three, took over the innings. At the other end, captain Rohit Sharma was seen struggling continuously to establish contact with the ball. He returned to the pavilion after scoring 12 runs in 18 balls. Kohli remained at the crease till his dismissal. However, Virat’s innings did not progress in the way he knew. One of his catches was missed, he could not time some balls properly and some went towards the boundary with the edge of the bat but he remained on the crease. As soon as Rohit left the field, Kohli also turned towards the pavilion on a personal score of 35.
Jadeja-Pandya partnership brought victory
However, the pressure was running out. 32 runs were needed in the last three overs and it was in this situation that the best of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya came out. Together they shared a match winning partnership of 52 runs in 29 balls. Jadeja played an innings of 35 runs in 29 balls very carefully. At the same time, Pandya played an unbeaten match-winning innings of 33 runs in 17 balls.
India got 9th win over Pakistan in Asia Cup
This is India’s 9th win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup. India has faced Pakistan 15 times in the Asia Cup so far, out of which they have won nine, lost five and ended in a match.
Hardik Pandya
The hero of the Indian team was Hardik Pandya. In this match, Pandya dropped 3 big wickets of Pakistan in the bowling. After this, Hardik scored 33 runs in just 17 balls in the batting. During this, Hardik hit Haris Rauf for 3 fours in the 19th over, which completely removed the pressure on India. In the end, Hardik hit a six off the fourth ball of the 20th over to give India a spectacular victory. Hardik was adjudged player of the match for his excellent performance.
Ravindra Jadeja
In this match, Ravindra Jadeja along with Hardik scored 52 runs to get India out of trouble. When India’s fourth wicket fell on the score of 89 runs in the 15th over, the match seemed to be going out of India’s hands, but Sir Jadeja played a vital role in India’s victory by performing brilliantly.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
At the same time, fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar also played an important role in this victory. In this match too, Bhuvneshwar completely lived up to the expectations of the Indian fans. Bhuvi dropped 4 wickets for Pakistan for just 26 runs in 4 overs. It was the first time that an Indian bowler had performed so best against Pakistan.
Virat Kohli
Former captain Virat Kohli was constantly being trolled for his poor performance for some time, but in this match he scored 35 runs with the help of 3 fours and 1 six, which proved to be very useful. India had already lost the wicket of KL Rahul in the very first over, while captain Rohit Sharma was seen struggling. After this, Virat Kohli kept the score board running by playing some great shots.