‘He is a warrior and…’ – Former India cricketer lauds Mohammad Rizwan after his match-winning knock against Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2023

Pakistan managed a winning start in the ‘Super 4’ stage on 6 September 2023 after defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets in the ongoing Asia Cup. The Men in Green chased down the 194-run target with ease in just 39.3 overs. Haris Rauf won the Player of the Match award for taking four wickets for 19 runs.

But, during the chase, at one stage, Bangladesh were sniffing a win after taking two wickets for 74 runs. Then, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq put up a partnership of 85 runs for the third wicket and that set the tone for Babar Azam and his men. Now, the former Team India international, Aakash Chopra heaped high praises on Rizwan for his match-winning contribution.     

“He played very good sweeps and danced down the wicket to hit over cover.” – Aakash Chopra on Mohammad Rizwan

Rizwan remained not out on 63* runs off 79 balls during the chase. Speaking on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Sportskeeda, Chopra said: “Mohammad Rizwan – I like this player a lot. He is a warrior and he keeps fighting. The more pressure you put on him, the more he flourishes. Whether you play him in T20Is, ODIs or Tests, somehow whenever Pakistan are struggling, it brings the best out of him.”

“Here also he stayed till the end and won them the match. He played very good sweeps and danced down the wicket to hit over cover. He plays spin extremely well and he has a very good pick-up shot against fast bowling. So Mohammad Rizwan is actually a very, very good player,” he concluded. Rizwan has scored 107 runs so far in this ongoing tournament in two innings. Meanwhile, Pakistan will now face India in their second ‘Super 4’ game on 10 September in Colombo.    

After the win, skipper Babar Azam said: “[On the fast bowlers] Credit to all the boys, especially the first ten overs. How they are bowling in the first ten overs and then Haris Rauf is also bowling really well. [On Faheem Ashraf] Yes we saw the games and fast bowlers were getting a little bit help and Faheem bowled really well. Winning always gives you confidence. [On the team feeling pressure] I don’t think so. We are just giving our best in every match.”