IND vs PAK: Bhuvneshwar Kumar Set The Tone For India With Babar Azam's Removal - Mickey Arthur

Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur said Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s dismissal of Babar Azam set the platform for India’s win against Pakistan.

On Sunday, India outplayed Pakistan by five wickets in a thrilling encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and asked their counterparts to bat first. 

In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the responsibility was on Bhuvneshwar Kumar to deliver in the high-octane contest. And so did the 32-year-old, making his wide experience count and led the bowling unit with intensity.

IND vs PAK: Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Babar Azam early in the match

Babar started his innings with a couple of boundaries, one came in the very first over off Bhuvneshwar. It was in the third over that the Indian pacer got the big wicket of the Pakistan captain.

Bhuvneshwar banged the short ball to which Babar hooked only to get caught by young Arshdeep Singh at short fine leg. Bhuvneshwar bowled an impetus spell from his four overs as he claimed three more wickets in Pakistan’s middle and lower order. 

Asif Ali, Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah were the later dismissals of the Indian pacer who finished 4/26 from four overs. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with 43 in 42 balls the team were bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed the best player in Pakistan: Mickey Arthur

Arthur, who was the head coach of the Pakistan men’s team from 2016 to 2019, said Bhuvneshwar pressed the panic button in the opposition camp by removing their best batter. 

“Bhuvneshwar Kumar is an outstanding bowler and he getting Babar, did set the tone. He removed the best player, and when you do that, you cause a little bit of panic in the opposition camp,” Arthur told ESPNcricinfo.

India will play their second match of Asia Cup 2022 against Hong Kong on August 31 at the same venue in Dubai.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: The Debate That Bhuvneshwar Kumar Needs To Bowl At 135-140 Kph To Survive In International Cricket, Was Absolute Crap – Gautam Gambhir