"We fought. We fought real hard!"- Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and other Indian stars react to thrilling Asia Cup 2022 win against Pakistan

India kicked off their Asia Cup 2022 campaign with a fantastic last-over win against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (August 28). The Men in Blue avenged the 10-wicket loss they suffered at the hands of Pakistan at the same venue during last year's ICC T20 World Cup.

Hardik Pandya was the key architect behind India's win. He picked up three wickets and followed it up with an unbeaten 17-ball 33 to help India win the crunch contest by five wickets and two balls to spare.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first. The decision worked in India's favor as Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke the dangerous opening stand between Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the third over itself.

The Indian fast bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals and did not allow Pakistan to build big partnerships. Eventually, Pakistan set a 148-run target for the Rohit Sharma-led outfit in their first game of the 2022 Asia Cup.

Hardik Pandya's all-round brilliance powered India to a win in Asia Cup 2022 (Image: Getty)

In reply, the Men in Blue got off to a shaky start as they lost KL Rahul on the second ball itself. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma added 49 runs for the second wicket, but both batters were dismissed before the 10th over ended.

Ravindra Jadeja, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya then rescued the Indian team. Jadeja and Pandya stitched together a brilliant 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket to help India bring the equation down to seven runs required off six balls.

Pakistan's Mohammad Nawaz conceded only one run and took Jadeja's wicket in the first three deliveries of the last over. However, Pandya kept his cool and smashed the winning six on the fourth ball.

After bagging the Man of the Match award, Pandya said:

"Even if we needed 15 off the last over I would have backed myself. I try to keep my mindset as clean as possible. I know the bowler is under more pressure than me (in the last over) and I have nothing to lose."

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Indian stars reacted to the win in Asia Cup 2022 with posts on social media

Here's how the star Indian cricketers reacted to the team's win against Pakistan on social media:

Several former Indian cricketers also lauded the Men in Blue for their victory in Asia Cup 2022. Here are some of the top reactions:

Will India and Pakistan battle in the Asia Cup 2022 Final on September 11? Share your views in the comments below.