Asia Cup 2022: Yuzvendra Chahal sends off Fakhar Zaman with stare down after intriguing battle

The mega clash of India and Pakistan in Super 4 of the Asia Cup 2022 got underway in Dubai on September 4, Sunday. The two Asian giants square off for the second time in the tournament and the match has truly lived up to its hype. India, after being put to bat first, posted a total of 181 in the first innings, courtesy of a fifty from Virat Kohli.

During Pakistan’s chase, Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman and Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had an intriguing duel in the ninth over of the innings. In the first ball of the over, Zaman came down the ground but only found an edge, rescuing himself from a stumping. When he came back to face the third ball, Zaman opened up to the off-side and steered one for four through the cover region. 

In the fourth ball of the ninth over, Zaman once again tried to take on the bowler and heaved one over the mid-on. He could not get the elevation or power and ended up finding Kohli’s hands at long-on. Zaman stood there in disbelief as Chahal stared him down from the other end before celebrating the wicket.

Virat Kohli produced a batting masterclass in the first innings

Earlier in the match, it was Virat Kohli’s batting masterclass, scoring 60 runs off 44 balls, that set the tone of the match. He hit four fours and a six and showed a lot of promise throughout the innings. Pakistan spinner Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan starred with the ball, finishing with one for 25 runs and two for 31 runs respectively.

Pakistan needed a strong start from their openers to pull off a challenging chase. Skipper Babar Azam departed after scoring only 14 runs off 10 balls, and Zaman, at number three, was dismissed after scoring a struggling 15 runs off 18 balls. Opener Mohammad Rizwan was the one to pull the strings for the Men in Green scoring a magnificent 71 runs off 51 balls, with six fours and two sixes. It was well complemented by Mohammad Nawaz, who scored a quickfire 42 runs off 20 balls.