India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2022 Highlights: Hardik Pandya stars with bat and ball as India beat Pakistan in thriller

Another short ball, Pandya has got them pulling to his team mates all game long here. This time it is Khushdil Shah who pulls straight into the hands of Jadeja at sweeper cover. Pakistan losing the plot here somewhat but they have finally brought on the dangerous Asif Ali. 

Khushdil Shah c Jadeja b Pandya 2 (7), Pakistan 97/5 in 14.3 overs

An absolute brute of a delivery, keep Hardik Pandya out of the game if you can. Rizwan was starting to look dangerous but he cannot survive.  

Rizwan c Avesh Khan b Pandya 43 (42) in 14.1 overs

Rizwan shuffles accross off and drives a wide full delivery through extra-cover and mid-off for four. Every boundary can be called a much needed for Pakistan at the moment. 

Partnership has ended at 45 off 38 with Iftikhar fall to a sensational bouncer from Pandya. India really not letting Pakistan get away at all here. Outside off 142kph, Iftikhar goes for a pull and the ball seems to be still rising when it takes an edge and goes to Dinesh Karthik standing far, far away from the batter. 

Iftikhar Ahmed c Karthik b Pandya 28 (22), Pakistan 87/3 in 12.1 overs

Chahal lobs it up wide of off, Iftikhar takes the bait but well he has hit it well enough to get the ball to fly at the height of a small building over Hardik Pandya at long-on. Much needed six for Pakistan, just their second of the innings and we are in the 13th over. 

Well Rizwan should explode at some point or else, he will only be remembered for playing a slow innings. Such is the nature of the beast that's T20 cricket. He is providing that sense of security by staying there but 29 off 31 balls might just be a bit too slow for this format after the first 10 overs of an innings as an opening batter. 

Chahal brought into the attack. Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed run a single off five balls with the third ball being a boundary from the latter. 

Fair play to Fakhar Zaman here. Not only the umpire, even the Indian players hardly appealed. Avesh put his hands up but such is the din in this cauldron of a stadium that even wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was shaking his head when Rohit asked if they should review. And then Fakhar started walking. It all happened in the matter of seconds and even Avesh seemed to indicate when the umpire raised the finger that he couldn't hear anything as well, although he is the guy who made the strongest weak appeal. 

Well how about this. It looks like Fakhar just walked before the umpire raised his finger and we might just have a show of sportsman's spirit here. Avesh conceded a six and a four off the first two balls of the 6th over but he has got the big wicket of Fakhar. Flashback of Adam Gilchrist walking in the 2003 World Cup against Sri Lanka after the umpire had actually shook his head and said not out. He later said that his captain Ricky Ponting was not too happy about it, wonder what kind of look Babar Azam is going to Fakhar when he reaches the dressing room.

Fakhar Zaman c Karthik b Avesh Khan 10 (6), Pakistan 42/2 in 5.5 overs 

This is the danger for India. Rizwan has been ducking and weaving all this while but he is set now. Last over of the powerplay by Avesh Khan, Rizwan sends the ball flying over cow corner. 

Either side of that four, it was all dot balls from Arshdeep Singh. This has been a great start for India. Pakistan are 23/1 in 4 overs.

Not in full control, hardly has been at any point today, but Rizwan gets a boundary which would do good for his confidence. Arshdeep managed to get a thick edge but the ball rolls past short third. Rizwan reaches 7 off 11. 

There is the big fish and it's Bhuvneshwar Kumar who delivers! What a moment this is in the match. Short from Bhuvi, Babar goes for the pull with no control whatsoever. He top edges it and it's catching practice for short fine leg. 

Babar Azam c Arshdeep Singh b Kumar 10 (9), Pakistan 15/1 in 2.4 overs

Even straighter than the first shot for four and this time, it beats absolutely no fielder. How can you place a fielder as straight as that. It has to be said though, another highlight from this game so far has been the way Babar and Rizwan has rotated the strike, putting the Indian fielders under all kind of pressure. It has meant that while there has been only two fours, it has been quite an action packed start to the match. Babar is on 10 off 7, Pakistan are 14/0 in 2 overs. 

This time India are convinced that Rizwan has got a neck but the umpire says no. India review and there is no spike on the ultra edge as the ball passes the bat. Rizwan living slightly dangerously in this first over but he survives. Arshdeep Singh coming in from the other end. 

Slight overpitched by Bhuvi and a lovely straight drive from Babar that beats Hardik Pandya at mid-off. That was the first ball that Babar faced in this match and he brings that out. 

Movement off the pitch early on for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and he cuts Rizwan in half. Big shout for LBW and the umpire raises the finger! The Indians are running everywhere, the stadium explodes and amidst all that Rizwan takes the review. As it turns out the ball was missing the stump so Rizwan survives. 

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan walk out for Pakistan. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the ball in his hands and he comes steaming in, Rizwan on strike. HERE WE GO!

The two sets of fans and players sing their national anthems at the top of their voices. The Indian team then get into a huddle as the Pakistan openers prepare to walk out. It is all building up now. 

Well amidst all that we forgot about the captains altogether didn't we. Here's what they had to say: 

Rohit Sharma: (After the crowd roar subsided) Honestly, I don't think the toss is that important, we are just here to play good cricket. We've played here in the IPL, so hopefully the pitch will be good. It was a tough call we had to take between playing Dinesh and Rishabh, Rishabh sadly misses out. And Avesh makes it as the third seamer. This is an important game for us, but as cricketers we don't want to think about the opposition, we just want to correct whatever mistakes we are doing. We are bowling first.

Babar Azam: (Welcomed by another gigantic crowd roar) We would have also been bowling first, but this is not in our hands. We will look to make a big score and see. Three fast bowlers, two spinners and a debut for Naseem Shah. There are a few new faces, and some old faces in that Indian team. We are trying to give it our best.

Babar Azam's word stands, Star Sports had not got a secret Pakistan XI that their captain was not aware of. It was all just an innocent mistake after all. "That's what I'm hearing too. We apologise. We'll get it rectified," says host Mayanti Langer on. It's not just players who make mistakes in high pressure environments, everyone's human after all. We move on. 

Well Babar Azam had said that Shahnawaz Dahani is making his Asia Cup debut but Star Sports does not show the fast bowler in the Pakistan squad. Commentator and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was not too impressed. He is eventually shown by Mayanti Langer that Dahani was indeed in the squad and he takes a little dig at the poor soul who put out the team news for Star Sports. Wasim was probably more angry of being sucker punched in that manner just when he was asked to analyse the Pakistan squad. He probably had a few good things to say about Dahani as well, which is understandable considering he was quite impressive for the Multan Sultans last year in the PSL. 

Pakistan: Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani

India: Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

India are going to bowl first! Well good news probably for Rohit Sharma considering how the UAE pitch behaved last year. He drops the bombshell that Rishabh Pant won't be playing, Dinesh Karthik plays instead.