As India stepped out to the field against Pakistan in the Group A clash, the entire focus was on Virat Kohli. The right-handed batter was returning to international cricket after being rested for the series against West Indies and Zimbabwe. In the match against Pakistan, Kohli ended up scoring 35 runs off 34 balls with the help of 3 fours and 1 six. Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said that Kohli should have a played a longer innings but he was not looking confident even after scoring 30 odd runs.
"There was a lot of pressure on Kohli and I noticed that. Usually, it is difficult to dismiss a set batter and especially when he has scored 30-35 runs, but I was surprised to see yesterday that Kohli was not looking as confident even after getting set. This is a thing to be looked at," Inzamam said on his YouTube Channel.
Life came full circle for Hardik Pandya at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday as he went on to play a match-winning knock against Pakistan, the same opponent, against whom he had gotten injured in 2018 during the Asia Cup and was forced to miss almost three years of cricket action.
On Sunday, the all-rounder brought his A-game to the middle as he took three wickets before scoring a quickfire 33 to help India defeat Pakistan by five wickets. This knock helped the Rohit Sharma-led side chase down 148 with two balls to spare.
"India's middle order and lower middle order is very strong. That is what sets them apart from the other teams in this Asia Cup. I was surprised that India chose to bench Rishabh Pant. The combination of Pant, Pandya and Jadeja is outstanding. Once upon a time, Pakistan also had a lower order comprising Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi. It was difficult to chase down 11 runs an over on this pitch, but they played really well," said Inzamam.
India were in a spot of bother during their chase of 148, and it was then that Hardik joined hands with Ravindra Jadeja to form a 52-run stand for the fifth wicket. Jadeja perished after scoring 35, but Hardik ensured that the side walks away with a victory.