Asia Cup: India face Hong Kong next after Hardik Pandya helps edge Pakistan in thriller
- Pandya and fellow pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar share 7 wickets
- Stand of 52 between Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja guides their side to 5-wicket win
Rohit Sharma lauded Hardik Pandya’s brilliance with bat and ball after the all-rounder guided India to a thrilling five-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament.
Chasing 148 for victory, Ravindra Jadeja, who hit 35, and Pandya, unbeaten on 33, put on a key fifth-wicket stand of 52 on Sunday as India reached the target with two balls to spare in Dubai.
Pace bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pandya shared seven wickets to set up victory for India in their opening match as they bowled out Pakistan for 147. Up next are Hong Kong, who ran India close in 2018, losing by 27 runs in the 50-over version.
Pandya, who returned figures of three for 25 with his medium-pace bowling, then stood calm to hit the winning six with two balls left in a tense chase.
India, who lost their previous match with Pakistan by 10 wickets in last year’s T20 World Cup at the same venue, improved their win-loss record to 8-2 against the arch-rivals in Virat Kohli’s 100th T20 international.