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Cricket World Player of the Week - Hardik Pandya

©CWM

Ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya proved to be the difference between India and Pakistan in the closely contested Asia Cup encounter.

India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets in a high-octane and closely contested match -- the first game for both sides in Asia Cup 2022 which is being played in the T20 format to help the Asian sides gear up for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

Pakistan were put into bat and were bowled out for 147. The score could have easily been 170-180 had it not been for the brilliance of Hardik Pandya who picked up three important wickets while giving away just 25 runs from his four overs.

Pandya used the short-pitched balls cleverly and bowled well in partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who claimed figures of 4/26.

At 89/4 in the 15th over during the chase, having lost KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav and with the required run rate climbing, it was Hardik Pandya's whirlwind knock of 33 off just 17 deliveries played at a strike rate of 194 and his partnership with Ravindra Jadeja which proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Having led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title recently, Hardik Pandya was calm as a cucumber in the pressure-cooker situation and hit Mohammad Nawaz for a sensational six in the last over to finish things off in style for India.

Pandya is perhaps the best pace-bowling all-rounder in T20 cricket at the moment, even ahead of Ben Stokes, at least on current form.