ICC World Cup 2023: Bowlers give India an easy win against Pakistan

The highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan unfolded as a one-sided affair. Indian bowlers delivered a dominant performance, dismantling Pakistan's batting lineup and securing a comfortable victory for their team. Captain Rohit Sharma, continuing his excellent form with the bat, played a pivotal role in the successful run chase, guiding India to the 192-run target in just 30.3 overs. With this victory, India maintains its unbeaten record against Pakistan in ODI World Cups.

Chasing a modest total on a flat Ahmedabad pitch proved to be a straightforward task. Opener Shubman Gill made a brisk start but quickly departed. However, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli steadied the ship with a 56-run partnership. While Virat played with caution, Rohit aggressively took on the Pakistani bowlers, eventually reaching his half-century. After Kohli's dismissal by Hasan Ali, Shreyas Iyer provided valuable support to Rohit, as the duo crafted a 77-run partnership for the third wicket. Rohit's (86) innings came to an end when he fell 14 runs short of a century, dismissed by Shaheen Afridi. Following that, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul saw India through to victory by seven wickets, with Iyer (53*) comfortably reaching his fifty.

In the first innings, Pakistan's batting display appeared to be on an entirely different pitch. They lost their opener, Shafique, early in the innings, and later, Hardik Pandya removed Imam-ul-Haq. With the team struggling at 73/2, captain Babar Azam (50) and Mohammed Rizwan (49) formed an 82-run partnership to stabilize the innings. However, their partnership was disrupted when Siraj dismissed Babar Azam, triggering a collapse in Pakistan's batting order. They lost their last eight wickets for just 36 runs. Indian bowlers took control, securing wickets one after another, and Pakistan was ultimately all out for 191 in 42.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah (2/19), Mohammed Siraj (2/50), Ravindra Jadeja (2/38), Kuldeep Yadav (2/35), and Hardik Pandya (2/34) each claimed two wickets.

With three consecutive victories, India is set to move to Pune for their upcoming match against Bangladesh on October 19. On the other hand, Pakistan will take on Australia on October 20.

Scorecard:

Pakistan: 191/10 (42.5 overs)

India: 192/3 (30.3 overs)