A match between India and Pakistan reached the last seconds for the second time in a week. For the second time in Asia Cup 2022, the final over determined the result of an India-Pakistan match.
But in the second Super Four stage match on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, Pakistan came out on top, defeating India by five wickets with one ball remaining. Mohammad Nawaz, an all-rounder with left-arm spin, played a key part in a game where the odds were against him.
With just 25 runs allowed in his four overs and the removal of Suryakumar Yadav, Nawaz put the brakes on India's batting after Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul launched their innings with a 54-run opening stand.
Virat Kohli top-scored with 60 off 44 balls, striking four fours and a six while racing hard between the wickets and was excellent against pacers in an innings even as others hit boundaries and fell in an effort to go big, as they resumed their aggressive attacking strategy.
Mohammad Rizwan led the chase with a 51-ball 71 as they attempted to chase down a challenging 181/7. But Nawaz's move to number four and subsequent 42 off 20 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes, was the game-changer, providing Pakistan's pursuit the much-needed impetus.
Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali knocked 19 runs off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 19th over with 26 runs needed from the final two overs. After dropping Ali for a duck earlier in the over, Arshdeep Singh increased the situation to two runs off of two balls. With one ball left, Iftikhar Ahmed, though, gave Pakistan the victory.
India got off to an exciting start with to Sharma and Rahul, who blasted eight boundaries and helped the side reach fifty in 4.2 overs. In the last over of the powerplay, Haris Rauf broke the opening stand as Sharma mishit a slower ball to point.
Rahul holed out to long-on off Shadab on the first ball after the powerplay, giving India its second wicket. Kohli started off by hitting two fours to keep up India's risky strategy. But Nawaz struck in the tenth over, getting Suryakumar Yadav to slog-sweep straight to backward square leg, and he ran out of partners from the other end.
Kohli began using pulls and drives to get fours off Shah and Hasnain as Nawaz kept things close. However, after hitting two fours, Rishabh Pant reverse-swept off leggie Shadab Khan straight to backward point. Hardik Pandya left the game after two balls by punching a cross-seam delivery from Mohammad Hasnain straight to a forward diving short mid-wicket.
First four by Deepak Hooda was forcefully hammered through the opening between mid-off and extra cover off Rauf. In order to ramp a bouncer from Hasnain above the goalkeeper's head, he then arched back. With some flair, Kohli whipped Hasnain over deep mid-wicket for six to reach his fifty in just 36 balls.
Hooda skied high to long-on off Shah during the final two overs, while Kohli missed his crease while attempting to complete the second run by a mere inch. But on the next two balls, misfields in the deep allowed India to hit back-to-back fours, pushing the total past 180.
Babar Azam chipped clean to mid-wicket in Ravi Bishnoi's opening over while he was defending 181 runs. Rizwan kept the pace up, knocking two fours off Pandya's opening over before sending Arshdeep over a backward square leg with a beautiful wrist flick.
After the power play, India maintained the tension by controlling Fakhar Zaman. When under pressure Zaman holed out straight to long-on off Yuzvendra Chahal, they were rewarded.
Chahal was first sliced beyond the short third man for four by Nawaz, who had been elevated to position four. Then he struck Pandya over long-on for a crucial six. The same shot that Rizwan hit from Bishnoi for six over midwicket while slog-sweeping Chahal, Nawaz also made it on.
While Nawaz smashed fours off Pandya through cover and over the keeper's head to keep Pakistan in the game, Rizwan, who was once at 13 off 14, reached his fifty in 37 balls.
After Nawaz took advantage of Chahal's errant deliveries by hitting fours via leg-side, Rizwan hit a four by cutting through backward point in the 15th over, which had a 16-run total. In the 16th over, Bhuvneshwar broke the 73-run stand by getting the dangerous Nawaz to comfortably throw a catch to long-off on an off-cutter. When Rizwan lofted a slower ball directly to long-off, Pandya's plan to bowl outside off was successful.
Ali survived a tight caught behind call off Bishnoi in the 18th over and got a reprieve on the very next ball as Arshdeep dropped a sitter at short third man. With the equation at 26 off 12 balls, Ali, Shah and Ahmed managed to complete a terrific chase for Pakistan.
Brief Scores: India 181/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 60, Rohit Sharma 28; Shadab Khan 2/31, Mohammad Nawaz 1/25) lost to Pakistan 182/5 in 19.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 71, Mohammad Nawaz 42; Ravi Bishnoi 1/26, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/40) by five wickets