Netizens hails R Ashwin's game intelligence during crucial moment of India-Pakistan match

India and Pakistan on Sunday locked horns in one of the greatest T20I matches ever played in the history of the sport when they met in their opening game of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup. India won the nail-biting thriller by 4 wickets courtesy of an 82-run knock from Virat Kohli, the chase master. While Kohli was the centre of attention in last night's game, Ravichandran Ashwin also managed to gain some traction with his brilliant on-field strategy, and that too in a crucial situation. 

R Ashwin hailed for most important 'one run' of his career

When India needed 2 runs off just 1 ball to win the match, Pakistan spinner Mohammad Nawaz bowled a wide delivery. Ashwin showed a great presence of mind to leave the ball untouched and secure one automatic run for India, bringing the asking rate down to 1 off 1 ball. Netizens are lauding Ashwin for his great game awareness. 

India vs Pakistan

Pakistan scored 159/8 in 20 overs while batting first. Pakistan passed the 150-run threshold thanks to outstanding batting displays from Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmad. They both scored a half-century each. While Iftikhar hammered 51 off 34 balls, Masood remained unbeaten at 52 off 42 balls. Shaheen Shah Afridi came towards the backend of their innings and scored 16 off 8 balls to contribute to the total. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya bowled brilliantly to pick three wickets each for India. 

While Hardik took the wickets of Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, and Mohammad Nawaz, Arshdeep dismissed Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Asif Ali. Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also picked up one wicket each in the game.

After India lost a couple of early wickets in the second innings, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya forged a much-needed partnership. They helped India recover from a difficult start and move closer to victory. After Hardik was dismissed for 40 off 37 balls, Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin combined to win the game. Ashwin smashed the final ball over the mid-off fielder to steal a single when India needed 1 off 1 to win the match.

In addition, Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most 50-plus scores in ICC competitions. With his unbeaten 82 off 53 balls, Kohli reached his 24th half-century in an ICC tournament, which one more than Tendulkar. Kohli was named the player of the match for his outstanding knock. 

Image: Twitter