India continued their outstanding performance in the ICC World Cup 2023 by securing a seven-wicket victory against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma, who had previously scored 140 runs against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup, once again displayed his batting prowess, emerging as the top scorer for the victorious team with 86 runs off 63 balls, including 12 boundaries.
In addition to the 36-year-old Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer was the second-highest run-scorer for the winning side, contributing 53 runs.
The Indian batsmen’s dominant performance allowed the home team to reach the 192-run target in the 31st over, with 118 balls to spare, significantly improving their net run rate (NRR).
This victory marked India’s eighth consecutive win against their arch-rivals in World Cup history.
Whether it was bowling or batting, the day belonged to the Indian team. In the first innings, their pacers dismantled the Pakistani batting lineup, limiting them to 191 runs, with all five key bowlers—Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Hardik Pandya—claiming two wickets each.
Apart from Babar Azam (50), Mohammad Rizwan (49), Imam-ul-Haq (36), and Abdullah Shafique (20), none of the Pakistani batsmen put up significant resistance, and the entire team was dismissed for just 191 runs.
The Men in Green were at 155-2 but suffered a dramatic collapse, losing eight wickets for only 36 runs.
Pakistan’s middle-order, including Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Shadab Khan, failed to reach double-digit scores.
India has now won all three of their matches in the World Cup, with their next match scheduled against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. Meanwhile, the Green Shirts will face Australia next in Bengaluru on October 20.
Babar Azam led Pakistan faces a challenging road ahead, with their next three matches against Australia, Afghanistan, and the formidable South Africa. The latter two matches will be played on the tricky wicket of Chennai.
