India beat archrivals Pakistan in Sunday’s Asia Cup game, which was fueled by small but noteworthy innings from Indian batters. India’s bowling attack had its own moments, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking charge along with Hardik Pandya. India won by 5 wickets after Pakistan set a score of 147 in 19.5 overs.

While the game was a close call for both teams, the Pakistan squad, headed by Babar Azam, fell short in some areas. The Indian squad clearly took advantage of the opportunities.

Also Read: The Shah effect: Naseem follows Shaheen’s footsteps, rattles Indian line-up

Shaheen Afridi’s injury

Pakistan’s real trouble was clear days before the Asia Cup game was scheduled. Shaheen Afridi, the fast bowler and Pakistan’s star player, was ruled out of the entire tournament. The 22-year-old hurt his right knee while fielding during the first test against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.

Hardik Pandya’s form

Indian all-rounder has been in top form after winning this year’s Indian Premier League. Pandya proved his on-field might in both innings — scoring an unbeaten 33 runs in 17 balls and taking dismissing three Pakistani batters. 

Pakistan was set to upstage India but a calm Pandya smashed three boundaries in the penultimate over against Haris Rauf before finishing off the game in style. He was also the player of the match.

Pakistan’s slow over rate

Pakistan was punished with the new “slow over rate” penalty in the second innings against India on Sunday. Naseem Shah had to begin the 18th over with an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle and only four guarding the boundaries. There were three boundaries in the final over, two of which could have been saved if Pakistan was allowed to have another fielder outside the circle.

Pakistan’s bet on Naseem Shah

Naseem Shah seemed to be Pakistan’s hope for a comeback. The T20 debutant was on his way to seal the deal for his team. Just when Shah’s bowling was starting the rattle the Indian batters, he started experiencing cramps in his lower body. A few deliveries later, he was seen lying on the ground.

Virat Kohli’s delayed dismissal

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli played his 100th T20 international game on Sunday. Moments after taking strike, the ball edged Kohli’s bat and went to the second slip. He was dropped. Virat Kohli went on to score 35 runs.

India’s ploy to challenge the Pakistan top order with short balls after winning the toss worked perfectly as Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-26) got the key wickets of captain Babar Azam (10) and Fakhar Zaman (10) inside the batting powerplay.

Also See: Watch: India’s winning moment vs Pakistan at Asia Cup 2022

Pakistan is still the favourite to advance as it will take on qualifier Hong Kong in its last Group A game. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are in Group B.

The top two teams from both groups advance to the Super 4 stage where they will play each other once before the top two advance to the final on September 11.