Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a key role with the ball in India’s five-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 match in Dubai on Sunday (August 28).
After India opted to bowl first, Bhuvneshwar bowled brilliantly with the new ball as he claimed the prized scalp of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (10) with a short delivery.
In his second spell, the right-arm pacer dismissed Shadab Khan (10), Asif Ali (9) and Naseem Shah. He eventually returned with the figures of 4 for 26 in his four overs, helping India bundle out Pakistan for 147 in 19.5 overs.
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In reply, the Men in Blue overhauled the target with two deliveries to spare with vital contributions from Hardik Pandya (33* off 17 balls), Ravindra Jadeja (35 off 29 balls) and Virat Kohli (35 off 34 balls).
After the victory, Bhuvneshwar spoke about the nail-biter and how the match could have gone either way.
"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," said Bhuvneshwar during the post-match press conference.
The Indian seamer further said the Indian team didn’t think that half of the Pakistan side was dismissed after the wicket of Babar Azam.
"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," said Bhuvneshwar.
"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," he added.
Commenting on the pitch and the defeat India suffered against Pakistan last year, the pacer said: "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."
"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," he added.
(With NDTV inputs)
