India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2022: Derailed batting plan and unimpressive bowling combine to put India at losing end

A top-heavy batting order that failed to deliver, and a bowling that was as far from ‘sexy’ as can be were the end of India in their second Asia Cup 2022 contest with Pakistan, as the latter kept their poise and wrestled a win which they should have got much more easily than it finally turned out.

India’s batting plan of trying to hit everything out of sight didn’t quite materialise as they had planned and barring Virat Kohli, the rest did not really stack up as big individual scores. In the bowling department, India’s spinners weren’t half as effective as their Pakistani counterparts and that eventually made all the difference.

Opener Mohammad Rizwan’s 71 was the cornerstone for Pakistan’s run chase while the inspired promotion of Mohammad Nawaz to one-drop was the boost that they needed to scramble home with one ball to spare.

The raw emotions, the reactions and the celebrations