Unpredictability has been Pakistan's greatest virtue in big matches and big tournaments. On Sunday, they got another virtually unknown player, Mohammad Nawaz to spring a surprise and stun India in the second thriller on the bounce between the two teams in this Asia Cup. Pakistan winning by five wickets with a ball to spare has left India vulnerable in the Super 4s.
Chasing 182, the left-arm spinner came out to bat at No. 4 in the ninth over with the scoreboard reading 63/2 after returning figures of 1/25 when India batted. With Mohammad Rizwan batting like a rock at the other end, Nawaz launched a brutal counter-attack on the Indian bowlers to score a 20-ball 42, hitting six boundaries and two sixes in front of the wicket to put India on the back foot. He nullified India's middle-over trump card Yuzvendra Chahal who gave away 43 in his four overs.
Even as Rizwan fell for a 51-ball 71 to Pandya's slower ball at long-off soon after Nawaz went the same way off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Indian team cracked under pressure. Arshdeep Singh dropped a sitter offered by Asif Ali at short-third-man in the 18th over.
Needing 26 off 12, Khushdil Shah and Asif got stuck into India's most experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar, whose death-bowling abilities got exposed, to pick up 19 runs off the 19th over. Arshdeep's effort to make amends for the dropped catch was always going to be tough with just seven in the bank.
Nawaz's sterling show put Virat Kohli's return to form in the shadow. The magical form which eluded him in empty stadiums during the pandemic here in UAE in 2020, came back in front of a packed Dubai International Cricket Stadium against the fiercest of rivals.
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