In a high-stakes showdown at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, India emerged victorious in a spectacular encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup. Opting to field after winning the toss, India’s calculated strategy paid off, as they systematically dismantled Pakistan’s batting line-up, limiting them to a mere 191 runs in 42.5 overs. In response, India showcased their prowess by achieving the target of 192 runs with ease, losing only three wickets in the process.
The first wicket for Pakistan fell with Abdullah Shafiq, who was dismissed by the formidable Mohammad Siraj after contributing 20 runs. Imamul Haq showed resilience, scoring 36 runs before falling to Hardik Pandya’s delivery. However, the turning point came in the 30th over when Siraj sent Babar Azam back to the pavilion after he had scored a crucial 50 runs. Following Babar’s exit, Pakistan’s batting crumbled like a house of cards, with the remaining batsmen contributing just 36 runs.
Saud Shakeel managed only 6 runs, while Iftikhar Ahmed was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav after scoring a mere 4 runs. Mohammad Rizwan put up a valiant effort, amassing 49 runs off 69 balls, but was eventually clean-bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. Pakistan continued to lose wickets, with Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, and Haris collectively adding just 20 runs. On the bowling front, India’s Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja each took two wickets, ensuring Pakistan’s struggle to build a competitive total.
India’s chase was led by their captain, Rohit Sharma, who played a commanding innings, scoring 86 runs from 63 balls with an impressive tally of 6 sixes and 6 fours. Shreyas Iyer contributed an unbeaten 53 runs, including 2 sixes and 3 fours, while KL Rahul remained unbeaten with 19 runs. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli chipped in with 16 runs each, ensuring India reached the target comfortably in 30.3 overs.
In a candid interview on the DAFA NEWS cricket show, Zimbabwe’s national player/coach, Tasmeen Granger, shared some remarkable statistics. She highlighted India’s perfect record against Pakistan in World Cup encounters, having won all eight of their previous matches. Pakistan’s record against Sri Lanka mirrors this statistic at 8-0.
Notably, Mohammed Siraj’s World Cup career has seen him avoid batting in all three matches he’s played, putting him second on the list of players with the fewest batting opportunities, tied with Shamsi and Wijegunawardene.
Rohit Sharma’s records were also discussed, including his achievement of hitting 300 ODI sixes, ranking him among the likes of Shahid Afridi and Chris Gayle. Sharma’s leadership was further highlighted, as he claimed the top two scores in the World Cup 2023 with 131 and 86.
India’s win marked their second successful chase against Pakistan in World Cup history and was only the second time that a team chose to bowl first in an India-Pakistan World Cup clash. It also marked India’s fifth consecutive ODI victory over Pakistan, having won two in 2018, one in 2019, and two in 2023.
An interesting record was set with this match as five Indian bowlers took two wickets each, a feat that had occurred only twice before in India’s ODI history. In another milestone, Pakistan played an ODI in India after more than a decade, setting a record with a 10-year and 281-day gap, surpassing the previous record held by England from 1993 to 2002.
In what was an action-packed encounter, India once again proved their supremacy in World Cup clashes against Pakistan, while Rohit Sharma’s exceptional leadership and batting prowess added to the spectacle.
