Pakistan stopped India’s unbeaten streak in the Twenty20 format of Asia Cup cricket on Sunday (September 4) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium when they won the contest by 5 wickets with a ball in hand. The match was the first fixture for both the teams in the Super Four round. Key points of the India vs Pakistan contest as well as India’s first T20 defeat in the Asia Cup cricket are discussed in this article. India’s brilliant run in the Twenty20 format Asia Cup cricket The Indian team won all of their five matches in the first edition of the T20 Asia Cup in 2016 in Bangladesh, followed by two group stage matches in the 2022 edition. However, India’s brilliant run came to an end when their arch-rival Pakistan overcame them in a crucial Super Four round clash. After winning seven consecutive matches in the Twenty20 format, India suffered their first defeat in the Asia Cup cricket event. They had a brilliant outing in the 2016 Twenty20 Asia Cup cricket. The Indian side won four matches in the group stage before overpowering the host Bangladesh by eight wickets in the final of the 2016 Asia Cup. Read: Asia Cup 2022: 17 milestones await Indian and Pakistani players India’s match results in the Twenty20-format Asia Cup (as on September 4, 2022) Opposition Result Ground Bangladesh India won by 45 runs SBNCS, Mirpur Pakistan India won by 5 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur Sri Lanka India won by 5 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur UAE India won by 9 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur Bangladesh India won by 8 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur Pakistan India won by 5 wickets DSC, Dubai Hong Kong India won by 40 runs DSC, Dubai Pakistan Pakistan won by 5 wickets DSC, Dubai    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Ind v Pak: This time it's Pakistan's turn to edge a thriller Asia Cup 2022: Key takeaways from the India vs Pakistan Super 4 Match Batting first, India had a blazing start to their innings and eventually settled for 181/7 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Pakistan chased down the target in 19.5 overs with 5 wickets in hand. With this victory, Pakistan avenged their group stage match loss to India last week. Here are some key talking points from the match. Toss Prior to the contest, fielding first had won fifteen out of seventeen matches in Dubai since 2021. That is why the toss has become a vital factor at this venue because every captain wants to field first. The Pakistan vs India Super Four match was no exception, as Babar Azam chose to field first. His decision was proved right as Pakistan won the contest in the final over. Indian openers’ fiery start The Rohit Sharma-KL Rahul pair finally had a blazing start in the Asia Cup 2022. They made 54 runs together in 5 overs against Pakistan before Rohit gave away his wicket to Haris Rauf in the first ball of the sixth over. Rohit played a 28 off 16 balls, indicating his coming back to actual rhythm. Rahul, on the other hand, contributed 28 runs off 20 balls. Read Mushfiqur Rahim retires from T20Is Virat Kohli’s solid batting display Virat scored a half-century against Pakistan, making it two in a row in this event. Kohli’s solid 60 off 44 balls guided India to post a challenging total on board. However, he wasn’t so ruthless in his innings and even conceded three consecutive dot balls in the final over before getting run out in the fourth delivery. Shadab Khan’s disciplined bowling Pakistan’s leg-spinner Shadab Khan had another brilliant game with the ball. He had good control in his bowling, making Indian batters work hard to score runs. Shadab picked up the wickets of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant and finished his spell with a 4-0-31-2 bowling figure. Rizwan’s another responsible batting display Mohammad Rizwan is arguably the best T20 opener in the world right now. He once again played a responsible 71 off 51 balls and formed a 73-run stand with Mohammad Nawaz. When Rizwan was dismissed, Pakistan had 147 runs on board in 16.5 overs. At that stage, they were only 35 runs away from victory. Read Dahani ruled out of Pakistan match against India in Super 4 Improving Mohammad Nawaz's batting order When Pakistan were down to 63/2 within the 9th over, sending pinch-hitter Mohammad Nawaz to the crease was a brilliant decision by captain Babar Azam. Rizwan didn’t disappoint his captain by playing a 42 off 20 balls. His aggressive batting display put India on the backfoot. Arshdeep Singh's dropped catch and Pakistan's victory India fought hard till the end and they were even a slight favourite when Pakistan required 32 off 16 balls. Had Arshdeep Singh not missed a straightforward catch of Asif Ali in the short third man area on the third ball of the 18th over, India would have been in a better position. Asif finished his innings with 16 off 8 before losing his wicket on the fourth ball of the last over and Pakistan won the match on the following delivery. Bottom Line There is a high expectation that India and Pakistan will play three matches during the Asia Cup 2022, including the final. The cricketing world has already witnessed two closely-contested matches between the two arch-rivals in the ongoing event. India won the first match in the group phase, while Pakistan handed India their first T20 defeat in the Asia Cup cricket. The India vs Pakistan Super Four match gave both sides some valuable points. The fans are now eagerly waiting to see who will come out on top if both sides meet in the final match. Read Sri Lanka beats Afghans to open Asia Cup's Super 4 stage

India took sweet revenge for their disappointing T20 World Cup 2021 loss to Pakistan on Sunday (August 28) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India started off their Asia Cup 2022 campaign with a winning note by beating arch-rival Pakistan by 5 wickets with two balls to spare. The Indian side was in control of the majority of the innings despite the fact that the match lasted till the final over. Let’s take a look at who were the five key performers in the India vs Pakistan Group A match. 5 Crucial Performances in the India vs Pakistan Group A match  Both teams are taking part in the tournament without having two key fast bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan and Jasprit Bumrah of India. Pakistan incorporated Naseem Shah into the playing XI while India included Arshdeep Singh. Both the youngsters had a good outing in the contest, particularly Naseem Shah, who was lauded for his dedication to finishing his spell despite struggling with cramps. It was Virat Kohli’s 100th Twenty20 International match but his barren form with the bat continued as the right-hand batter was dismissed for 35. The major performer of the match was India’s Hardik Pandya. He stole the majority of headlines for his effective all-round performance which eventually saw India come out victorious in the match’s final over. Here are the five key performances in the contest. Read Asia Cup 2022: 8 milestones within sight of Bangladesh players Hardik Pandya’s brilliant all-round performance Hardik had a terrific outing both with the bat and bowl against Pakistan in Group A’s first match. He picked up wickets when a partnership was building in the middle. His pinpoint accurate shot deliveries were effective against Pakistani batters, forcing them to surrender. Hardik Pandya came to the crease when India lost 4 wickets for 89, a crucial stage in the match. The aggressive-minded right-hand batter was determined to play his natural game, and he was successful in his mission. When the equation was 6 needed from 3 balls, the Indian campaign looked tense. But Pandya remained calm in the middle and secured the victory by smashing a huge six to Nawaz in the long-on region. 33 off 17 with the bat and 3/25 with the ball was more than enough for Hardik Pandya to win the Player of the Match award. Ravindra Jadeja’s crucial knock  Ravindra delivered a crucial knock with the bat while India were pursuing Pakistan's 147. India had fallen to 50/2 when Jadeja stepped onto the field. Jadeja was moved up to No. 4 in order to build the team's innings. He played a crucial 35 off 29 balls to repay his captain's faith in him. Ravindra Jadeja remained at the crease till the 20th over in order to keep India in the run chase. Read Asia Cup 2022: How Bangladesh can defeat a confident Afghanistan team Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s timely breakthroughs In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has to take additional responsibilities in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 for India. With a 4/26 bowling figure, he was the most successful bowler in the match against Pakistan. Bhuvi picked up wickets at the crucial stages of Pakistan's innings. Along with the wicket of skipper Babar Azam, the wickets of Shadab Khan and Asif Ali in the death overs were crucial. Naseem Shah’s sparkling T20I debut Pakistan may have lost the battle in the final over, but there are some positives they can take from the contest. One of the positives is young pacer Naseem Shah. Naseem was the replacement for the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi. He was excellent with the ball and picked up KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav. But he was mainly lauded for his commitment to finishing his spell despite suffering cramps. The 19-year-old showed promise in his debut T20I match with a 4-0-27-2 bowling figure. Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament Shahnawaz Dahani’s aggressive batting in the death overs Although Dahani was picked as a front-line bowler, it was his batting in the death overs that caught the eyes of everyone. Shahnawaz came to the crease when Pakistan had 128 runs on board in 18.3 overs. He scored 16 runs in 6 balls with 2 huge sixes and carried Pakistan's total to 147. Thanks to Shahnawaz Dahani's power hitting, Pakistan managed to put a challenging total on board. Way Forward The first match of Group A between India and Pakistan was one of the most exciting T20I contests between the two teams. With this victory, India have extended their head-to-head lead with seven wins. The two sides will likely face off again in the Super Four round, and the possibility of meeting in the final is also very high. Players from both sides were pumped up during the contest, and some of them had outstanding outings. The performance level of the cricketers will be improving as the tournament progresses. Therefore, more exciting cricket is waiting in the Asia Cup 2022. Read Asia Cup 2022: Live streaming TV channels, online platforms to watch from Bangladesh