India look to make it two-in-two over Pakistan

The stage is set for yet another enthralling India-Pakistan encounter as the archrivals are set to meet again today in the Super four of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium in UAE.

India got the better of Pakistan last Sunday, courtesy of Hardik Pandya’s one-man show as he led his team to victory with two balls remaining. The ace all-rounder first took three wickets for 25 runs with the ball to restrict Pakistan to 147, and then smashed an unbeaten 33 off 17 deliveries to power India home.

Rohit Sharma’s men cruised to the Super four of the Asia Cup after beating Hong Kong by 40 runs on Wednesday, while Pakistan hammered Hong Kong in a mammoth 155-run victory on Friday to book their spot in the latter stage.

While it was Pandya’s power that got India over the finish line in their first match, against Hong Kong, it was a Suryakumar Yadav masterclass that set the foundations for a 40-run victory.

Suryakumar, with his wristy blows, smashed 68 off 26 balls to lift India from 94-2 in 13 overs to post a mammoth 192-2 on Wednesday.

Pakistan, on the other hand, will be on a high as both their batting and bowling departments managed to thump Hong Kong, scoring 193-2 in the first innings and then bowling them out for only 38 runs.

Opener Mohammad Rizwan has hit terrific form as he hit 78 runs off 57 balls, but his fellow opener, skipper Babar Azam is yet to come to the party.

Fakhar Zaman hit a fifty against Hong Kong, and the innings was nicely polished by Khushdil Shah, whose hefty blows saw him smash 35 off just 15 balls, including five sixes.

The bowlers delivered a clinical effort, with spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz sharing seven wickets between themselves, while pacer Naseem Shah scalped two.

Rizwan says his side is striving to stay “brave and calm” for their second clash with India as the arch-rivals prepare for their next Asia Cup showdown on Sunday. 

“Playing India is always a pressure game. The whole world, even beyond Asia, wait for it,” Rizwan, who hit an unbeaten 78 against Hong Kong, told reporters on Friday. “The pressure will be equally on India and us, but the result will be with whoever remains brave and keeps calm,” added the wicketkeeper-batsman.

Every India-Pakistan match draws packed stadiums and millions of viewers on TV and digital platforms.