Asia Cup: India beat Pakistan by four wickets with three balls to spare as Kohli's unbeaten 82 seals the chase

India beat Pakistan by four wickets with three balls to spare in the Asia Cup Super Four fixture played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night. Virat Kohli's unbeaten 82, built off 53 deliveries and including five fours and four sixes, dragged India through a chase that had tilted towards Pakistan for the better part of the innings. The decisive moment arrived on the third ball of the 19th over, when Kohli picked a short-of-length delivery from Haris Rauf and sent it over long-on to bring the target within touching distance. Put in to bat after losing the toss, Pakistan began cautiously. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan added 45 inside the powerplay, respecting both Jasprit Bumrah's pace and Kuldeep Yadav's spin. Hardik Pandya broke through in the seventh over, trapping Fakhar Zaman leg-before for 22, but Rizwan held his rhythm. Rizwan's 61 off 44 balls, with six fours and two sixes, gave the innings its spine. He twice took Kuldeep over the ropes and rotated strike well through the middle overs. Babar made 39 off 29, falling in the 14th over when he sliced Kuldeep towards cover, where Suryakumar Yadav took a diving catch. Pakistan added 58 in the last five overs. Iftikhar Ahmed struck 24 off 14 and Shadab Khan made 19 off 12. Bumrah took two wickets in the 19th and 20th overs to restrict Pakistan to 175 for seven. Bumrah finished with two for 24, while Kuldeep returned three for 31 from his four overs. Chasing 176, India's start was shaky. Rohit Sharma was bowled by an in-swinger from Shaheen Afridi for 18 off 11. Shubman Gill made 24 off 16 before edging Rauf's short ball to midwicket, leaving India at 51 for two after six overs. Kohli then anchored the innings, initially without forcing the pace, keeping the required rate within reach through strike rotation. He and Suryakumar Yadav put on 46 off 34 for the third wicket before Shadab removed Suryakumar for 14, caught at long-on. Hardik Pandya made 21 off 12 before falling to Rauf in the 16th over. After the 17th over India needed 42 from 30 balls at 134 for five. That was when Kohli changed gears. He hit two fours off Afridi in the 18th over. Off the 19th, he took one, then four, then a six over long-on to bring India to the brink. A single off the next ball completed the chase at 176 for six in 19.3 overs. Speaking after the match, India captain Rohit Sharma said: 'This win says a lot about the character of the side. We lost two early wickets, but the way Virat held the innings together and stayed till the end shows the value of experience in international cricket. The shots we chose in the last three overs were risky, but that was the plan.' Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: '175 was probably 20 to 25 runs short on this pitch. Once Kohli found his rhythm, he was hard to stop. It is a learning game and we are ready for the next one.' On the numbers: India finished on 176 for six in 19.3 overs. Kohli's unbeaten 82 came at a strike rate of 154.7. Hardik Pandya contributed 21 and Shubman Gill 24. For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan took two wickets each. India's coach said after the game that the team deliberately chose an aggressive approach in the final three overs. 'We knew the boundaries at this ground are not the biggest and that as long as Kohli was on strike, we would only need eight or nine an over. We picked our shots accordingly,' he said. Analysts noted that Pakistan's spinners held a good line through the middle overs but the death bowling lacked yorkers. Rauf's third ball of the 19th over was short, Kohli chose the long-on route, and the match turned. The win takes India to six points at the top of the Super Four table. Pakistan sit third with two points from two games. Six teams are competing in this edition, with the final decided on the Super Four standings. The tournament, organised by the Asian Cricket Council, is being played in the T20 format with all matches staged in the United Arab Emirates. Organisers said roughly 90 percent of the stadium's 25,000 capacity was filled, with supporters of both sides creating a carnival atmosphere. India next face Sri Lanka on Monday next week, while Pakistan meet Bangladesh on Wednesday. Both fixtures will be significant in shaping the Super Four picture. This game will be remembered in the recent history of the Asia Cup. Kohli's unbeaten knock and the composure of the closing overs combined to make it the kind of contest whose result stays uncertain until the final ball. Pakistan's bowlers fought hard, but in the end the cool head of an experienced batsman proved decisive.