(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] The Rohit Sharma-led India made it eight out of eight against the Pakistan in the ODI World Cups. The the Men in Blue handed over Babar Azam and Co. their first World Cup 2023 defeat at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday. India won their third consecutive World Cup match, defeating Pakistan by seven wickets.
In a one-sided affair, India won the toss and invited the visiting side to start the day with the bat. Pakistan were going fine early on as their openers gave a good kickstart to the team with a 41-run partnership.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj got the much-needed breakthrough and dismissed Abdullah Shafique. Imam-ul-Haq was sent to the pavilion by Hardik Pandya. But Pakistan captain Babar and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan looked solid and built a 50-plus run partnership.
Babar got to his maiden fifty on Indian soil, but he failed to convert it into a big one and got bowled by Siraj. His wicket proved to be too costly for Pakistan as Indian bowlers completely demolished the remaining wickets in no time. From 155/2, Pakistan ended up with a score of just 191/10 in 42.5 overs.
The hosts breezed through the run-chase. Shubman Gill failed to leave an impression at his favorite hunting ground, but Rohit made a mockery of the opposition’s bowling attack.
Rohit scored 86 off 63 balls, which included six fours and six massive sixes but fell short by 14 runs to make consecutive hundreds. Nevertheless, Shreyas Iyer’s fine unbeaten half-century powered India to the target in just 30.3 overs.
In the post-match presentation, skipper Rohit praised the Indian bowlers for their superior performance, which helped the hosts get on top in the game.
“The bowlers were the ones today as well who set the game up for us. I don’t think it was a 190 pitch. At one stage we were looking at 280. The way they showed grit says a lot. That is something we pride ourselves in. Whoever gets the ball does the job. We’ve got 6 individuals who can do the job with the ball,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
The 36-year-old added that the team was very clear in their mind about what is expected from every individual in the team. He also acknowledged that his job is to pick and choose the players according to the situation.
“My job as a captain is important there as well. It’s to read the conditions and figure out who’s the right guy to do the job. It’s only because the guys – before entering the WC – they got a lot of runs. We were very clear what we wanted to do. Didn’t want to be in two minds about who’s going to bat where. All in all, it’s looking good,” he added.
India’s next match is against another neighbouring side, Bangladesh, on 19th October in Pune.
“Want to keep my fingers crossed. Don’t want to get too excited. Don’t want to get too low as well. Want to stay balanced. Keep calm and keep moving forward. Every opposition we come up against are all quality. You have to play well on that particular day, and that’s what we’re looking at,” Rohit concluded.