OTD: Hardik Pandya finished India-Pakistan match with 6 in the opener of Asia Cup 2022

Hardik Pandya finished the things off in style. In the final over of India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022, the India all-rounder hoisted the delivery of Mohammad Nawaz over the long-on region for a maximum, which sealed the close-fought game for India. 

It was the first game of the T20 Asia Cup 2022 when India faced their archrivalPakistan on a challenging Dubai pitch. Pakistan went to bat first with their openers Mohammad Rizwan and then the skipper Babar Azam. Though Azam went to the pavilion early in the match, Rizwan was the most stubborn batter for the Pakistan cricket team. He remained on the track and scored 43 off 42, the highest score in the match for the Men in Green.

It was not the usual T20 format match where batters performed with a high strike rate; both of the teams batted with extra caution. After Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed was the second-highest scorer for Pakistan with 28 off 22. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar wrapped up his 4-over spell with 4 wickets, while Hardik Pandya got 3 scalps to his name, and Arshdeep Singh got a brace.

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Hardik Pandya was the hero for India 

India too fell into trouble when they started to chase a target of 148. Rohit Sharma, then the skipper of team India, and KL Rahul both lost their wickets cheaply. Virat Kohli (35) and Ravindra Jadeja (35) started to propel the innings in the right direction, though they were unable to convert their well-crafted start into a big innings. Surya Kumar Yadav scored 18 off 18. 

It was Hardik Pandya, who remained on the track till the end and confirmed India's victory with a huge six. After taking 3 wickets, Pandya played a match-winning knock of 33*, for which he got the man of the match award.