AHMEDABAD: The Men in Blue put up a commanding display with bat and ball in the main World Cup match here to earn a convincing seven-wicket victory. India captain Rohit Sharma’s flowing form demolished Pakistan’s renowned bowling attack. The Babbar Azam-led team collapsed, losing the last eight wickets for 36 runs, and the Indian batters appeared well prepared from the start to chase the Pakistani total of 191. Pakistan was called in to bat after India won the toss. Before losing his wicket, Shubman Gill, who was playing in his debut ODI World Cup match, scored some brilliant knocks. In the second over of India’s inning, he hit three straight fours against Hasan Ali.Shubman was out due to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling, thus whatever optimism Pakistani fans may have felt after his wicket was short-lived. Rohit, who was proficient in his power hitting, was joined by Virat Kohli. Before being caught off the bowling of Hasan Ali during the powerplay, Kohli also delivered a few powerful smashes. Pakistan’s bowlers made a valiant effort to make a breakthrough, but Rohit and Shreyas gained control and led the way. As Indian batters scored during the game played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in this city, the sea of Indian supporters, many of them were wearing blue, cheered and waved. By 14 runs, Rohit came short of achieving his justly deserved century. As Rohit made his way back to the pavilion with a score of 86, Shaheen claimed his second wicket of the evening. Rohit reached the milestone of 300 ODI sixes, which had been hit in 254 games, during his swiftly paced innings. Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi leads the list with 351 sixes in 308 games, while Chris Gayle, a cricketing legend from the West Indies, hit 331 maximums in 301 games. Shreyas 53* and KL 19* led India to a convincing 7-wicket victory after Rohit left, giving India an 8-0 World Cup advantage against its bitter rivals. Indian bowlers destroyed Pakistan’s batting order earlier in the innings by taking two wickets apiece from Bumrah, Siraj, Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja. After 42.5 overs, Pakistan was declared out for 191 runs. Mohammad Rizwan scored 49, and Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam scored 50 (from 58 balls). Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, the two Pakistani openers, got off to a strong start. The pair gambled on some sloppy deliveries from Mohammed Siraj while playing cautiously against the disciplined Jasprit Bumrah. ‘Miya Magic’ Siraj struck in the eighth over and got one to jag in, catching Abdullah Shafique’s leg before. Rohit continued with his pacers, though, and the strategy paid off. Imam and skipper Babar Azam worked to make sure Pakistan scored at a healthy rate and maintained the lead. Babar struck three fours off Hardik Pandya in his first ten balls, getting off to a good start quite fast. Imam attempted a wide shot but ended up edging a Pandya delivery to wicket-keeper KL Rahul just as Pakistan was approaching a run rate of about six. India had a chance to take another wicket thanks to Ravindra Jadeja, but Mohammad Rizwan reviewed the ruling and was able to avoid being out when it was discovered that the ball had strayed down the leg side. Mohammad Rizwan’s pads were struck, and the umpire raised his finger. However, upon review, it was seen that the ball had strayed down the leg side, and Rizwan was able to survive the call. Later, Rizwan and Babar worked together to keep Pakistan within five at the 20-over point. The game was effectively controlled by India’s spinners over the next several overs, with Kuldeep Yadav in particular showing superb control. They were released from their bonds when the Pakistani pair scored 13 runs against Siraj in the 28th over. Babar reached his ODI half-century against India thanks to a stunning four through the point. In contrast, Siraj’s delivery crashed into Babar’s off-stump in the 30th over after beating Babar’s outside edge. Then, in the 33rd over, India’s top spinner Kuldeep dealt Pakistan two significant blows by dismissing Iftikhar Ahmed for four and Saud Shakeel for six.With a stunning pitch in the 34th over, Jasprit Bumrah absolutely misread Rizwan and struck out the Pakistani hitter. Against India, Rizwan was unable to get his first ODI fifty and returned to Pavellion – one run short of the milestone. In short succession, Bumrah took another wicket, this time Shadab Khan, who had only scored two runs. In the 40th over, Hardik struck out with a beautiful ball to get Mohammad Nawaz out for 4, and in the next over, Ravindra Jadeja got Hasan Ali out for 12, leaving Pakistan at 187/9. Haris Rauf was the final batter Pakistan faced, and Jadeja bowled him out for 191 in 42.5 overs. Brief score: India 192/3 (Rohit Sharma 86, Shreyas Iyer 53*; Shaheen Afridi 2-36) vs. Pakistan 191 (Babar Azam 50, Mohammad Rizwan 49; Jasprit Bumrah 2-19).
