DUBAI: Hardik Pandya hit an unbeaten 33 as India beat Pakistan by five wickets in a hard-fought Asia Cup Twenty20 international on Sunday.

Chasing 148 for victory, Ravindra Jadeja, who hit 35, and Pandya put on a key fifth-wicket stand of 52 as India reached their target with two balls to spare in Dubai.

Earlier India won the toss and elected to field first. Pace bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya shared seven wickets between them as India bowled out Pakistan for 147.

Kumar nearly trapped Rizwan lbw with the second ball, but the wicketkeeper-batsman successfully reviewed the decision.

Mohammad Rizwan attempted to set the pace for Pakistan with his 43 after early wickets, but the Indian bowlers kept coming back at a packed Dubai International Stadium.

Kumar set the tone for India’s dominance as he dismissed skipper Babar Azam for 10 in the second over and returned figures of 4-26.

Pandya rattled Pakistan’s middle-order with his three wickets.

The in-form Azam began with a boundary in the first over but his stay was short-lived as Kumar had him caught at short fine-leg off a short ball.

Rizwan attempted to rebuild the innings with the left-handed Fakhar Zaman as the two struck a few boundaries between them.

Pace bowler Avesh Khan responded after getting hit for a six and four by Rizwan, inducing a faint edge behind from Fakhar (10) to bring alive the Indian crowd.

Indian fielders did not appeal and only celebrated after Fakhar walked off much to the surprise of his partner.

Rizwan then got going with Iftikhar Ahmed in a 45-run stand that was broken by Pandya with a bouncer that saw Iftikhar caught behind for 28.

Pandya struck again to deny Rizwan his fifty and soon got another to further restrict Pakistan.

Kumar took two wickets in two balls in the penultimate over but was denied a hat-trick by number 11 Shahnawaz Dahani.

Dahani smashed two sixes in his six-ball 16 before being bowled by left-arm medium-pace bowler Arshdeep Singh, who took two wickets.

India, who lost their previous match to Pakistan by 10 wickets in last year’s T20 World Cup, need 148 to win in what is Virat Kohli’s 100th T20 international.

   **Teams**
   

India: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani