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'I've said this multiple times... Babar shouldn't open': Akhtar furious at Pakistan's approach in Asia Cup tie vs India
Seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar set the tone as he dismissed opposition captain Babar Azam for 10 in the second over on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya shone with bat and ball as the all-rounder powered India to a thrilling five-wicket win over Pakistan in the T20 Asia Cup on Sunday. Chasing 148 for the win, Pandya remained unbeaten on 33 as India achieved the target with two balls to spare in Dubai. He also starred with the ball to return figures of 3-25, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit the right note to take a four-fer. The pair shared seven wickets to bowl out Pakistan for 147. Watch: Kohli looks up, mouths 'bach gaye' in million-dollar reaction to Jadeja's LBW survival in India vs Pakistan game
Bhuvneshwar set the tone as he dismissed opposition captain Babar Azam for 10 in the second over and recorded figures of 4-26. Pandya then scythed through the middle order and also removed top-scorer Mohammad Rizwan, who had hit 43 off 42 balls. Bhuvneshwar struck again in the penultimate over but was denied a hat-trick by No. 11 Shahnawaz Dahani, who chipped in with a crucial 6-ball 16.
Pandya, who induced Pakistan batters into making mistakes, earned the man-of-the-match award for his 3-25 with the ball and 33* off 17 deliveries.
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhar has questioned Pakistan's sluggish batting approach in the 20-over contest. He underlined the number of dot balls in powerplay and said Babar should be coming in at the No. 3 spot instead of opening the innings.
"If Rizwan will play run-a-ball then obviously what will happen? 19 dot balls in the first 6 overs. If you will play so many dot balls then you will face problems," Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
"It was bad selection by both captains. Both tried to pick wrong teams. They (India) dropped Rishabh Pant and we (Pakistan) added Iftikhar Ahmed at number four. No disrespect to Iftikhar or anybody but I have said this multiple times… Babar Azam shouldn't open. Instead, he should come one down and anchor the innings till the end," he added.
Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt also criticised Babar and co. for struggling against Pandya, who used short deliveries to good effect. He asked the team to work on its inability to play short-pitched bowling before this year's World T20 in Australia.
“See, Pakistan opted for Khushdil Shah, who can also bowl a bit, but his shortcomings on bouncy tracks are pretty evident. And Pakistan lost all of their first five wickets to bouncers. The same is the case from 2019. They faced issues on the tour of New Zealand in 2019, then they faced the same problem in Australia," said Butt in an interview with GNN.
“Even in the 2019 World Cup, West Indies dismissed Pakistan batters through bouncers. The problem has been persisting since Mickey Arthur’s stint with the team. It seems Pakistan are still trying to find answers to facing short balls.
“The T20 World Cup is in Australia, where the grounds are big and pitches are fast. So it’s necessary for Pakistan batters to start their preparations of facing short balls," he added.
