Ahmedabad, October 15: In front of a cheering crowd of over 100,000 supporters wearing blue jerseys, India produced an impressive performance to defeat Pakistan by seven wickets in a one-off match of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
India’s victory on a challenging pitch with unpredictable bounce, their third consecutive win, was orchestrated by Jasprit Bumrah’s clever variations and Kuldeep Yadav’s precise wrist-spin as he claimed figures of 2-19 and 2-35 respectively. Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja also played their part, taking two wickets each. Pakistan collapsed for just 191 runs in 42.5 overs.
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Despite leading at 155–2, Pakistan’s batting collapsed and they lost eight wickets for just 36 runs in 13 overs. The collapse marked their worst performance for the last eight wickets in their men’s ODI World Cup history. Notably, no Pakistani batsman managed to hit a six, leading Nasser Hussain to describe the collapse as “a collapse that only the Pakistan team can pull off”.
Chasing the target of 192 runs, India captain Rohit Sharma performed brilliantly, scoring a brilliant inning of 86 runs off 63 balls, hitting six fours and as many sixes. Shreyas Iyer also made a valuable contribution by remaining unbeaten on 53 runs in 62 balls. The win extended India’s winning streak against Pakistan in the Men’s ODI World Cup to eight consecutive wins and took India to the top of the points table.
Opting to bowl first, India patiently waited for the breakthrough as Abdullah Shafiq and Imam-ul-Haq started with seven fours each in the opening seven overs. Mohammed Siraj, who struggled early and hit four fours, made the breakthrough by trapping Shafiq LBW with a cross-seam delivery.
After Imam hit two fours off Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder made up for it by taking a brilliant catch off Imam’s bat by KL Rahul. Although India had a chance to secure their third wicket when Ravindra Jadeja had Rizwan out LBW on one run, the review showed that the ball missed the leg-stump.
Babar Azam showed excellent form, particularly in his superb drives through cover, while Rizwan showed finesse with sweeps and cuts. However, the Indian spinners applied pressure conceding just 11 runs in 24-27 overs. Azam brought up his maiden ODI half-century against India with a brilliant drive-through cover.
Azam’s brilliant innings and his 82-run partnership with Rizwan ended when he was bowled by Mohammad Siraj. Pakistan’s batting collapsed due to this dismissal, as Kuldeep Yadav had Saud Shakeel out LBW and Iftikhar Ahmed was bowled by Kuldeep’s googly.
Jasprit Bumrah came back and bowled Rizwan with a brilliant off-cutter, and later, he bowled Shadab Khan with a length ball that went straight down the pitch. Mohammad Nawaz was caught at mid-on off the bowling of Hardik, while Hasan Ali was caught in the deep off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja, ending Pakistan’s innings.
Shubman Gill, who came to chase India’s target, played a promising innings and hit four fours before getting out in the third over. Rohit Sharma struggled initially but found his rhythm and showcased his skills by hitting several boundaries, while Virat Kohli added to the fun with some brilliant drives.
Rohit provided the entertainment by hitting mesmerizing sixes, including his 300th ODI six, before being dismissed for 86. Iyer and KL Rahul comfortably secured the remaining runs, with Iyer completing his half-century with a winning six to seal a brilliant win for India.
