India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in their first Asia Cup 2022 match at Dubai International Stadium, but the national bowling unit won a lot of praise after restricting the strong batting line and making life tough for Indian batters despite a relatively easy target.
Debutant Naseem Shah, who dismissed KL Rahul on the first delivery, and the spinner Nawaz, who took two quick wickets of Rohit and Virat, brought Pakistan back into the game before Indian all-rounders sealed the victory.
However, the news of Naseem’s injury during his last spell shocked cricket fans, as the national team has already suffered two major blows in the form of Shaheen and Wasim, but captain Babar Azam stated that there is nothing to worry about.
Speaking to media post-match presentation, the national team skipper said, “No serious concerns over Naseem Shah’s fitness, it was just a case of cramps in a pressure game.”
The debutant pacer struck in his first over with a magnificent delivery that ended KL Rahul’s innings and then clean bowled Suryakumar Yadav, ending his four-over spell with figures of 2 for 27. Nawaz finished with figures of 3 for 33.
Hardik Pandya was awarded player of the match for his all-round performance. He was brilliant with the ball, taking 3 for 25 and then scoring a quickfire 33 off 17 balls. Ravindra Jadeja also scored 35 runs off 29 balls to help his team to victory.
