Team India pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has admitted that the Asia Cup match against Pakistan was evenly balanced till the time Hardik Pandya was scoring runs. Hardik Pandya hit a quickfire 33 off only 17 balls to inspire India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan on Sunday, August 28 as well. The match was, however, evenly balanced as the Pakistan fast bowlers, especially Naseem Shah, were doing well.
Naseem, who made his T20I debut, bowled his heart out while going through cramps, but the partnership between Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja sealed the deal. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, however, said that the team watching from the dugout was praying for Hardik to score runs as well.
“After the 10 overs of our innings, it was a tight match. In those situations, the game can go either way. But the way Hardik and Jadeja batted, they played very well. But honestly, the match was 50-50. Till the time Hardik scored runs, the match was 50-50. We were praying that Hardik scores runs. I can just pray that Hardik continues with his performances and he stays in this form in the World Cup as well,” Bhuvneshwar Kumar said in the press conference.
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Bhuvneshwar further said that he was happy with the way India bowled. India’s fast bowlers combined took all 10 wickets to bundle out Pakistan for 147 runs. Bhuvneshwar took four wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh picked up three and two wickets each. Meanwhile, Avesh Khan joined the party as he got a piece.
“Bowling first was the good option. The wicket had some grass and it was patchy, so it was not suitable for the batters. So that is why we decided to bowl first. I am very happy with the performance, not just with the wickets. Yes, when you get wickets, you feel happy to contribute, but sometimes bowling economically is also a contribution to the team’s cause. The way the others bowled as well, I think it was a complete team performance,” he further added.
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He also said that Pakistan’s plans were disturbed after the dismissal of Babar Azam, but he also added that his departure didn’t mean half of the opposition was out in the Asia Cup as well.
“Once Babar was dismissed, we did not think that half of the Pakistan team has been dismissed. He is a good player but technically there were 9 other batters still left. As a team, we do not think that if the best batter is out, then half of the team is dismissed. But yes, once he was out, we knew their plans will be disturbed as the batter who plays the role of the anchor was gone. We had forgotten about the match against Pakistan that we lost last year. Honestly, as a cricketer we do not think about the result, I know people can have their expectations. We lose against other teams as well, but we do not talk about them that match as compared to when we lose against Pakistan. We just leave everything behind and keep moving ahead,” Bhuvneshwar Kumar concluded.
