India claim fourth consecutive win against Pakistan at Asia Cup
India beat Pakistan in the second match of the 2022 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya helped the Men in Blue chase 148 after the Pakistanis were bundled out. Earlier, Bhuvneshwar Kumar registered his career-best figures against Pakistan in T20Is. India have won their fourth consecutive match against Pakistan at the Asia Cup.
How did the match pan out?
Indian pacers kept Pakistan on the backfoot after skipper Rohit Sharma elected to field. Bhuvneshwar drew first blood for India in the third over, getting rid of the in-form Babar. Pakistan crawled their way to 147 (19.5). India lost KL Rahul quite early before Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli added 50 runs. After their departure, Jadeja (35) and Pandya (33*) drove India to victory.
H2H (Asia Cup): India 9-5 Pakistan
India now a win-loss record of 9-5 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup (ODIs and T20Is combined). The Men in Blue are unbeaten against them in the last four Asia Cup matches. In T20Is, India own an 8-2 lead over the Men in Green.
Fourth-most T20I runs for Pakistan
Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan doled out a crunch 42-ball 43. He was Pakistan's lone warrior. The right-hander hammered four fours and a six before Hardik Pandya's short ball ploy put curtains on his stay. Nonetheless, the knock resulted in Rizwan climbing up the scoring charts to become Pakistan's fourth-highest run-getter in T20Is. He became the fourth Pakistani batter to score 1,700 T20I runs (1,705).
Bhuvi's career-best T20I figures against Pakistan
Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar through Pakistan's batting line-up. He registered figures worth 4/26 (13 dot balls), his career-best against Pakistan in T20I cricket. Bhuvi has become the first-ever bowler to take four or more wickets against Pakistan in the format. He broke the record of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who took 3/8 against Pakistan at the 2016 Asia Cup.
Joint-most T20 wickets in Powerplay (2022)
Bhuvneshwar was on the money in his first two overs. He unsettled both Babar and Rizwan, having dismissed the Pakistani skipper eventually. Bhuvi now has the joint-most T20 wickets (16) in this phase in 2022 with David Willey. The former averages 22.31 and has bowled a total of 220 dot balls in the Powerplay this year (T20s).
Virat Kohli played his 100th T20I match
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli received his 100th T20I cap ahead of the match. He has become just the second cricketer to feature in 100 matches in each of the three formats. Earlier, former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor was the only player with this record. Kohli, one of the batting greats, has over 3,000 runs in T20I cricket.
Rohit tops the runs tally (T20Is)
During the run-chase, Indian captain Rohit looked sluggish despite hitting a six. He finished with an 18-ball 12. It would have been a bittersweet moment for Rohit, who once again tops the runs tally in T20I cricket. He (3,499) is two runs ahead of New Zealand's Martin Guptill (3,497). It is to note that Rohit averages just 13.66 against Pakistan in T20Is.
A look at other notable records
Hardik has become the first-ever Indian to register over 30 runs and three wickets in a T20I thrice (33* and 3/25). Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has attained this feat twice. Virat Kohli has become the second Indian to complete 300 fours in T20I cricket. He is only behind Rohit, who owns 313 fours. Kohli looked solid against Pakistan (35 off 34 balls).
