Team India have crashed out of the ongoing 2022 Asia Cup after Pakistan prevailed over Afghanistan in a low-scoring thriller on Wednesday, September 7. The Men in Green booked their place in the final following a one-wicket win over the Afghans in Sharjah.
Chasing a moderate total of 130, Pakistan got off to the worst possible start. Skipper Babar Azam was dismissed for a golden duck, while Fakhar Zaman also departed cheaply. But Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan stitched together a 42-run partnership to steady the ship.
Just when it looked like Pakistan would walk away with the game, their batting collapsed, losing six wickets for just 32 runs. The equation came down to 11 runs off the last six balls, with the last pair of Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah in the middle.
Afghanistan were in the driving seat, but Shah came to Pakistan's rescue. He smacked Afghanistan's most successful bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi for two consecutive sixes to take the team home with four balls to spare.
With Pakistan winning their first two games in the Super 4 stage, India bowed out of the Asia Cup 2022 after losing their two fixtures.
Fans mocked Rohit Sharma and Co. for their poor performances in the continental tournament and here are some of the reactions:
India will face Afghanistan in their last Super 4 clash
After two crushing defeats against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Men in Blue will wrap up their Asia Cup campaign with a game against Afghanistan on Thursday, September 8.
With this being a dead rubber, India are likely to make a few changes to their playing XI with all eyes on the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia later this year. Their strategy in the last two games has come in for criticism as Rohit's side have struggled to play to the best of their potential.
India will hope to end their campaign with a win ahead of the three-match home T20I series against Australia, which gets underway on September 20 in Mohali.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news