Hardik Pandya helped India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in an Asia Cup Group A match at the Dubai International Stadium. Chasing a target of 148, Hardik hit three boundaries and a six in the last two overs to take India home with two balls to spare.
Hardik Pandya, Player of the Match, said, ‘ In bowling, it’s important to assess the situations and use your weapons. For me, bowling short and the hard lengths have been my strengths. It’s about using them well and asking the right questions to make the batters commit a mistake. In a chase like this, you always plan over-by-over. I always knew that there is one young bowler and also one left-arm spinner. We only needed 7 off the last over but even if we needed 15, I’d have fancied myself. I know the bowler is under more pressure than me in the 20th over. I try to keep things simple.’
Rohit Sharma, India skipper, said, ‘Halfway through the chase, we still knew that we can win irrespective of the situation. We had the belief and when you have that belief, these things can happen. It’s about giving clarity to the guys so that they know their roles well. It was a bit challenging but I’ll take wins like this any day over usual victories. Yes, they (India’s pace bowling) have come a long way in the last year or so and they have adapted well to different situations. Since the time he (Hardik) has made his comeback, he’s been brilliant. When he was not part of the team, he figured what he needs to do to his body and his fitness regime, and now he is clocking 140+ easily. His batting quality we all know and it’s been brilliant since his comeback. He is a lot calmer now and more confident about what he wants to do, whether it’s with the bat or with the ball. He can bowl really quick, we saw that today with those short balls. It was always about just understanding his game and he’s doing that well now. In a high-pressure chase with 10 rpo needed, you can panic but he never showed any of that.’