World Cup 2023 | Rohit's Onslaught, Bumrah's Magic Downs PAK As India Makes It 8-0

Jasprit Bumrah celebrates Mohammad Rizwan's wicket in World Cup 2023 (AP)

Brief Scores: Pakistan: 191 all out (42.5 overs) [Babar Azam: 50 (58), Mohammad Rizwan: 49 (69); Jasprit Bumrah 2/19 (7), Hardik Pandya 2/34 (6)] lost to India: 192-3 (30.3 overs) [Rohit Sharma: 86 (63), Shreyas Iyer: 53* (62); Shaheen Afridi 2/36 (6), Hasan Ali 1/34 (6)] by seven wickets.

Team India comprehensively trounced Pakistan in their much-celebrated World Cup 2023 showdown in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The win also granted the ‘Men in Blue’ their third in succession this tournament, and extended their unbeaten World Cup run against their arch-rivals to 8-0.

Indian bowlers trigger colossal PAK collapse after Babar Azam’s 50

After getting invited to bat first, Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq made full use of pristine batting conditions on offer in Ahmedabad with confident strokes against India’s new-ball threat. However, just at the brink of powerplay’s conclusion, Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj trapped Shafique, while all-rounder Pandya folded up Imam a while later to remove both Pakistan openers at 73.

Skipper Babar Azam and fellow batting veteran Mohammad Rizwan thereafter raised a counterattacking third-wicket stand, one which took them past the 150-run mark without further casualty. Babar went on to register his first half-century of the tournament, and the 29th of his glittering ODI career before he was cleaned up by Siraj against the run-of-play.

The sudden breakthrough triggered a colossal batting collapse within the Pakistan camp as they lost their final eight wickets for just 36 additional runs. Apart from Siraj, his new-ball partner Jasprit Bumrah also rattled Rizwan and Shadab Khan’s stumps to hand India crucial breakthroughs towards the backend of Pakistan innings.

The two fast bowlers, alongside Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav all claimed two wickets apiece in the match, while Ravindra Jadeja polished off the tail with two quick scalps to dust out Pakistan’s batting response for just 191 inside 43 overs.

Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer overcome PAK with ease in run-chase

Indian captain Rohit Sharma made his intentions clear from the outset by clipping Shaheen Afridi for an elegant boundary towards his leg side. The dashing opener left a trail of scorched earth for Pakistan bowlers to ponder upon with outrageous strokes in the powerplay, and raced to his fifty from 36 deliveries.

His junior opening partner and comeback man Shubman Gill clubbed four hits across the fence in his entertaining 16, while batting veteran Virat Kohli failed to entertain a lively Ahmedabad crowd with a rare batting failure.

Sharma, however, did not looked back and sealed India’s fate with a 77-run third-wicket partnership with Shreyas Iyer. The Indian captain launched six boundaries and six sixes during his 63-ball 86 before he eventually became the second of Shaheen Afridi’s two victims of the evening.

Iyer crossed his 50 in his unbeaten knock by landing the finishing blow on Pakistan alongside KL Rahul, with more than 19 overs still intact in the game for Team India.

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