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

Pandya goes down to his haunches with a face on his helmet forehead at the other end as Jadeja completely misses the ball and loses his stumps to Mohammad Nawaz, who is bowling the last over, yet another twist? Great knock from Jadeja, he goes for 35 off 29 balls. 

Not as short a delivery was what was the case earlier but a similar shot from Pandya for his third boundary of the over. 

We have seen this before very recently! Pandya starrred with the ball, now starring with the bat, all in the same match in which everyone is cramping! Hip high short ball, Pandya whips it away to the boundary. 

India need 15 to win off 9! Has the Pakistan captain given away the game? He slides in and seems to have stopped Pandya's shot but then the ball slips out of his hands!

Feel the heat! Haris Rauf's turn to fight through the cramps now, for now he is moving fine towards the start of his run up. Pandya on strike with 14 off 10 balls, Jadeja on 34 off 27. What a match this is!

Full from Naseem, who finally manages to continue the over, Jadeja just pumps over the bowler's head. It's all heating up now, Jadeja remains calm as ever though, no change in his expression after that shot. 

It's all happening here. Naseem grinds his teeth and limps hos way to bowling two more balls. He then gets another one to crash on to Jadeja's pads and then collapses onto the ground. This has been a brave, brave effort from the youngster. Jadeja is safe, with the ball tracking showing that the ball had pitched outside the line. “Bach gaye!” says Virat Kohli when the result is shown on the big screen. 

Mid-off is up, Naseem provides width and Jadeja takes the gift. Flays it through extra-cover. Naseem seems to be struggling with cramps as well. Unfortunately for Pakistan, he is struggling far more than Haris did. India need 27 to win off 17 balls. 

Right then, India need 32 to win off 18 balls, the last three overs. Jadeja is on 24 off 21, Pandya on 14 off 10. Naseem Shah, who has figures of 2/16 in 3 overs, has the ball in his hands.  

Haris Rauf pulls up while running in for the first ball of the 17th with a minor cramp. Conditions are conducive to fast bowling but punishing for the fast bowlers. And indeed anyone who is having to do constant physical exertion on the field. Mohammad Rizwan had gone down with cramp early in the Indian innings remember. 

The most satisfying sight for a fast bowler, Naseem Shah sends Suryakumar Yadav's leg stump on a cartwheeling session. 

Suryakumar Yadav b Naseem Shah 18 (18), India 89/4 in 14.2 overs

Short delivery from Dahani, Jadeja goes for the pull and it flies to the wicketkeeper. They appeal but then Pakistan fans in the stadium and the wicketkeeper and slip cordon have been raising their hands for everything today. Interestingly, it is Shadab Khan standing at point that convinces Babar to go for the review instead of Dahani or Rizwan and on ultra edge, there is not a flicker when the ball passes the bat. India 85/3 in 13.3 overs 

We might just have an interesting India-Pakistan match for the first time in about a decade here. This fixture has often been one-sided towards one way or the other but right now, it is anyone's game. SKY and Jadeja are in-form batters who can chase 65 off 42 balls while Pakistan know they realistically need just three more wickets to all but confirm a win. 

He skips down the track and absolutely smashes Nawaz down the ground for four. In the words of a former India head coach, that went along the ground like a "TRACER BULLET!”

A bit of a lull in the scoring rate for India here and the required rate has creeped over 9. Wonder if the pair in the middle are too worried though, one of them have scored a T20I century in the last three months. 

They need 86 to win from 60 balls. India fans would be sad that they couldn't see a show from India's top three batters, particularly Kohli who was looking so good. However, the reality is that it is from here that Pakistan may have their work cut out as now come India's in-form batters. Suryakumar Yadav, who seems to have taken on AB de Villiers' abilities since the South African great retired is out there with Ravindra Jadeja. There is Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik yet to come. These four batters are the game.  

Oh that was needless. Kohli gives catching practice to long-on, Nawaz is on a hat-trick. He has taken Rohit and Kohli off back to back balls. Dream for any bowler, let alone one from arch-rivals Pakistan. Kohli would be disappointed with that, a soft, soft dismissal after an innings in which he was looking so good. Game on!

Kohli c Iftikhar Ahmed b Mohammad Nawaz 35 (34), India 53/3 in 9.1 overs

Well we may have been a bit early with that India's two best batters running riot sentence. Rohit goes for another big shot in the same over bowled by Nawaz, comes down the ground to try and clear mid-on but this one doesn't have the distance. He had miscued it and it goes down the throat of the man at the boundary. Rohit's struggle ends. 

Rohit Sharma c Iftikhar Ahmed b Mohammad Nawaz 12 (18), India 50/2 in 8 overs

Well, well, well, this is a nightmare scenario for Pakistan. Rohit Sharma nails a pickup shot and Babar's team now face a situation where they might have two of India's best batters, who are also arguably two of the world's best when they are in form, could run riot here. 

Kohli on 29 off 24 and Rohit on 4 off 11. “When was the last time you saw a T20 match on a pitch like this!” said Waqar Younis gleefully during that over in right after Haris Rauf bowled an utterly unplayable delivery to Rohit Sharma. He then conceded four leg byes as well though, with the delivery clipping Rohit's pads.  

Just over a lengthy by Rauf and Kohli picks it up early. Lofts him over mid-on almost nonchalantly for a four. That was almost arrogant and Kohli is on 28 off 23, India 33/1 in 5.2 overs.

Well he has been hanging back and playing late until now but here, he gets down on one knee and slashes Dahani over cover for his second boundary. Whisper it quietly, Virat Kohli is looking good here.  

Well it was a top edge but the way Kohli reacted after that shot looks like he almost did that intentionally. Short from Rauf and Kohli pulls, the top edge flies over the wicketkeeper's head, keeps rising and goes over the boundary as well. 

Another inside-edge off Kohli's bat. He is looking for the big shots, following the template with which India have been playing in the shortest format of late. However, he has barely survived on at least three occasions so far.

India 14/1 in 2.4 overs

Finally, a authoritative shot from Virat Kohli. He opens his arms and sends the short-pitched delivery for a brilliant pull towards deep square leg. 

He finds an inside-edge on the final delivery, though, but gets a single.

India 10/1 in 2 overs. Target 148

Good start from Dahani. He has beaten Kohli twice before the Indian batter finally connects one. Not a perfect connection as he barely manages to clear the fielder at mid-off. 

India 5/1 in 1.4 overs.

Rizwan took a massive dive towards his left as he collects a wide delivery. However, it seems like a severe cramp pain for the Pakistan wicketkeeper. He is attended by physios

Virat Kohli joins Rohit Sharma at the crease and he gets a lifeline straightaway! He is dropped at first slip. Gets off the mark on the fifth delivery of the over, though.

India 2/1 in 0.5 overs. Target 148

Naseem Shah gets a wicket on his second ball in T20I career! KL Rahul walks for a duck. 

Rahul tries to push this one but it's a nothing shot really, and the ball deflects onto the stumps through an inside-edge. What a start for Pakistan!

Pakistan 1/1 in 0.2 overs

The 19-year-old debutant gets the new ball as he begins proceedings for Pakistan. Rohit Sharma off the mark straightaway

Well here we go then, can Pakistan pull off a great escape sans Shaheen Shah Afridi. Rohit and KL Rahul walk out, we will see who bowls the first over for Pakistan. 

“Before bowling the first ball, I thought it was going to swing. There was no swing but there was a bit of bounce. We knew we had to bowl wicket to wicket, so bowling short was the plan. The pitch was a bit skiddy, and let’s be honest 147 means we gave a bit too many runs in the end. I think if we can bat well in the first six overs, because the pitch is a bit streaky. There is no swing but there is a bit of bounce, so we need to combat that nicely.”

Dahani dies by the sword after living for a short while by it but his teammates will give him a rousing reception. What a recovery this is from Pakistan. But, all in all, India shouldn't be too worried. In fact they wouldn't have expected Pakistan to fold for less than 140 in any way. Pakistan's pacers had run riot last year in the T20 World Cup, it is India's pacers who do the same this time around. Let's see if their batters can be just as dominant as Babar and Rizwan were last year. 

Dahani b Arshdeep Singh 16 (6)

What a hand Shahnawaz Dahani is playing. The last wicket has brought on 19 runs off just eight balls. Dahani has scored 16 off 5 balls. 

Bhuvi ends his spell with figures of 4/26 which, as stated before, is the best figures by an Indian against Pakistan in T20Is. Arshdeep bowls the last over to Haris Rauf. 

And he is now on a hat-trick! The indomitable Bhuvneshwar Kumar is set to end up with the best bowling figures for an Indian against Pakistan in a T20I. Naseem Shah all at sea and is plumb in front of his own stumps. 

Naseem Shah lbw b Kumar 0 (1), Pakistan 128/9 in 18.3 overs

This time it is vice-captain Shadab Khan but he played a good hand here. As is Haris Rauf at the other end, who hit two fours in that Arshdeep Singh over. Bhuvneshwar gets his third wicket.  

Shadab Khan lbw b Kumar 10 (9), Pakistan 128/8 in 18.2 overs. 

Another wicket for a pacer, but not off a short ball for a change. Length delivery outside off, Mohammad Nawaz takes a poke and is caught behind. 

Nawaz c Karthik b Arshdeep Singh 1 (3), Pakistan 114/7 in 17.1 overs

It is Asif Ali, possibly Pakistan's last man who could have smashed the ball to all corners and got them to around 160 in these death overs. Bhuvi gets a second.   

Asif Ali c Yadav b Kumar 9 (7), Pakistan 112/6 in 16.3 overs

It may be early but if India manage to keep up this innings, we might just look back at that Hardik Pandya over and say that the all-rounder may have won the game for India. However, a slight glitch in the 16th over with Deepak Hooda almost letting the ball go from between his hands and having to dive to save it from reaching the boundary. Pakistan did get an extra run from that but then Virat Kohli at the long-on boundary then put some pressure with a couple of bullet throws. The crowd went “Kohli! Kohli!" at that point.