What a game of cricket we were treated to yesterday as India took on Pakistan in Match 2 of the Asia Cup 2022 tournament. Indo-Pak games are always super hyped and this match lived up to everyone’s expectations. The game took place in Dubai and it ended up being a low scoring thriller, with India ending out on top and starting their Asia Cup campaign on a winning note.
Pakistan only managed 147 and we would’ve expected fireworks from the Indian top order, but it wasn’t to be. Naseem Shah started really well with the ball and India was behind the required run rate right through the game. It went all the way down to the final over where Hardik Pandya stood tall for the men in blue, taking it home in what we could say was a very ‘friendly’ encounter indeed.
Hardik Pandya hugs Mohammad Rizwan
The reason we’re calling it a friendly game because though there’s a massive ‘rivalry’ between these two sides, we saw a lot of love and respect between the players and commentators too. There was friendly banter and no unnecessary verbal exchanges between players. Many a times, we saw players from opposite teams interacting, smiling and laughing with each other too.
One such incident took place when India was chasing and Hardik Pandya was out in the middle. He took a run and the Pakistan wicket-keeper Rizwan was alongside him, when Pandya decided to give him a nice and long hug from behind. It didn’t take too long for social media to erupt seeing this friendly moment between the two.
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Hardik scored an unbeaten 33 in 17 deliveries and ended up being the Man of the Match because he contributed with 3 wickets earlier in the game as well. Eventually, India completed a 5-wicket victory and it was a good way to begin their Asia Cup 2022 campaign. Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and others also played major roles in the victory.
Twitter users loved the moment and many of them tweeted stuff about this moment which shows why cricket is known as a gentleman’s game. “Wow what a beautiful moment between Pandya & Rizwan.♥️” was one of the reactions on Twitter. “Hardik pandya representing all Indians after rizwan’s repeated appeals” joked another user.
Hardik pandya representing all Indians after rizwan’s repeated appeals #INDvsPAK #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/ZPrlVf7K8Z
— Tank (@ChanChanBing3) August 28, 2022
“Like how Kapil Dev & Imran Khan used to greet each other, Virat Kohli & Shaheen, We admire & love this moment when Hardik Pandya Hugs Muhammad Rizwan Feels like world is not that bad at all! Thank you for the #Memories #AsiaCup2022 #IndiaVsPakistan ” said one of the users about this moment.
“So heartwarming to see Indo-Pak players chat, engage and laugh with each other on field despite the intense pressure. Total bromance between Pandya-Rizwan.” was another reaction. The fun that the players from the different nations had should be noticed by the boards, who can hopefully take a call on future bilateral series between India and Pakistan.
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