IND vs PAK: My Mind Was Clear That I'd Hit Out At Every Ball In My Zone- Mohammad Nawaz After Winning Player Of The Match

Mohammad Nawaz played a crucial role with both the bat and the ball as Pakistan ended India’s unbeaten run in the Asia Cup tournaments with a brilliant 5-wicket win on September 4, 2022 in Dubai when the two teams faced off for the second time in this year’s tournament. India had come into this match on the back of a 5-wicket win over Pakistan and a 40-run win over Hong Kong.

Set 182 runs to win, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz proved to be the hero of the Pakistani win with a knock worthy of their status. He smashed his third successive fifty in the Asia Cup. He made 71 in 51 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Babar Azam made 14 runs, but the best supporting knock came from Mohammad Nawaz who hammered 42 in 20 balls, his best T20I score.

Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali looked to take Pakistan to the win when Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 19 runs in the 19^th over with 26 needed in the last 12 balls. In the end, Iftikhar Ahmed hit a four to bring the win for Pakistan in the last over.

The Player of the Match was awarded to all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz for his 1/25 and 42 in 20 balls.

This is what he said in the post-match presentation: “For a left arm spinner, it’s important to stick to the basic line and length. If one or two balls turn, that puts doubt into the batters’ minds. After that, I try and stick to line and length. We needed 10 runs per over when I walked in to bat so I knew I had to attack every chance I got. My mind was clear that I’d hit out at every ball in my zone. I didn’t try and overplay, which you sometimes can when you’re under pressure.”

Virat Kohli Shines Bright Despite India Losing Valuable Momentum In Death Overs

Earlier, Babar Azam had won the toss and chose to field first. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul made 28 runs each and put on 54 runs in 5.1 overs. Then it was the Virat Kohli show all along the way as he stayed till the last over, scoring 60 in 44 balls with 4 fours and 1 six.

India finished with 181/7 in 20 overs. For Pakistan, it was the spinners Shadab Khan (2/31) and Mohammad Nawaz (1/25) who stifled runs in the middle overs. Rauf, Naseem, and Hasnain picked one wicket each.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: Team India Scripts New Record; Registers Fastest Ever 100 Against Pakistan In T20Is