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How Hardik Pandya's Ice-Cold Swagger Traumatised Pakistan In Asia Cup 2022

Soumyajit Dutta

Hardik Pandya demolishes Pakistan's upper hand [Source: Star Sports/YouTube.com]Hardik Pandya demolishes Pakistan's upper hand [Source: Star Sports/YouTube.com]

"Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what you’re doing," a quote by former American football player Peyton Manning seems to ring right for Hardik Pandya. When the Dubai air crackled with unbearable tension during the 2022 Asia Cup match, where seven runs were needed off the final six balls of an India-Pakistan war, Pandya stood ice cold. 

Mohammad Nawaz, the wily left-arm spinner, had just shattered Ravindra Jadeja's stumps. Dinesh Karthik nervously scrambled a single. A dot ball followed. Six runs needed off three deliveries. The weight of a nation, the pressure of an arch-rivalry, the ghosts of past close finishes, it all hung heavy over the scorching pitch.

The India-Pakistan War Started With Men In Blue's Strike

Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli [Source: @sanju_rathod/X.com]Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli [Source: @sanju_rathod/X.com]

Pakistan struggled on a tricky Dubai surface after being put in. Openers Babar and Fakhar fell early to Bhuvneshwar and Avesh. Rizwan anchored with a painstaking 43 off 42 balls, while Iftikhar offered brief resistance. 

Ahead of starring with the bat, Hardik Pandya (3/25) shattered the middle order with lethal short balls, dismissing Iftikhar, Rizwan, and Khushdil. Bhuvneshwar (4/26) cleaned up the tail, though Dahani's explosive 16* (6) lifted Pakistan to 147 all out in 19.5 overs.

India Collapses Early In Chase

India's chase wobbled immediately as Naseem Shah bowled KL Rahul for a golden duck. Rohit (12) and Kohli (35) rebuilt cautiously against swing and seam, but both fell to Mohammad Nawaz's spin. 

Jadeja, promoted to No. 4, survived an lbw review and hit crucial boundaries, however SKY couldn't survive long. At 89/4 in the 15th over, the game hung in the balance. Jadeja and Hardik Pandya forged a crucial 52-run partnership, intelligently milking singles and capitalizing on Pakistan's fatigued pace attack.

With 21 needed off 12 balls, a visibly struggling Naseem Shah bravely bowled the 19th over. Pandya exploded, hammering three perfectly placed boundaries to plunder 14 runs. This reduced the target to a seemingly manageable 7 runs off the final 6 balls.

Hardik Pandya Lethality Flattens Pakistan

Hardik Pandya celebrates after match-winning knock [Source: @amin_botha/X.com]Hardik Pandya celebrates after match-winning knock [Source: @amin_botha/X.com]

In the final over, standing tall amidst the chaos, bat resting casually on his shoulder, was Hardik Pandya. There was no panic in his eyes, only a chilling, calculated focus. The swagger was internal, radiating from an unshakeable belief. He knew. Everyone in the stadium, everyone watching, knew he was the man for this moment. 

Nawaz ran in. The ball floated down, asking to be hit. With minimal backlift but explosive power generated from a rock-solid base, he launched it flat, hard, and with brutal disdain over the wide long-on boundary. The connection was pure, the trajectory murderous. It cleared the ropes with room to spare, a tracer bullet sealing victory with two balls left.

Pandya didn't erupt. There was his ice-cold look, a subtle nod, and the ice-cold acknowledgement of a job done. The roar of the crowd was deafening, but Pandya remained cool. It was the swagger of a man who expected nothing less from himself. His unbeaten 17-ball 33 was a clutch, transforming a precarious chase into a triumphant march that proved his spot as a T20 star in the blue jersey.