Ind vs Pak : ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match 12 India registered their eighth straight win in style and the win was probably their most effortless yet. They defeated Pakistan and further improved their enviable World Cup record in ODIs. Chasing 192 runs, India’s formidable batting line-up never wavered and their captain Rohit Sharma made it even smoother with an outstanding performance. Rohit’s timing was impeccable and he crushed the Pakistani pacers in style with a masterful knock. One memorable moment was his pull shot against Haris Rauf which sailed deep backward over square leg.
Although Rohit did not score back-to-back centuries against Pakistan at the World Cup, his innings provided a platform for Shreyas Iyer and India’s number four, who were assured of an unbeaten 53 runs. Pakistan, on the other hand, never had a competitive unit to defend. They had to wonder how they allowed themselves to collapse from a strong position of 155/2 to a paltry 191 in the 30th over. It was a vital turning point in the game and India seized the opportunity after claiming Babar’s point and then made the contest their own. With this win, India also climbed to the top of the table. In retrospect, given the way the pitch behaved in the 25th over of the chase, a target of 280 runs would have been excellent. However, Pakistan clearly fell short of this mark.
IND vs PAK: India dominates Pakistan
India easily registered their eighth straight win by defeating Pakistan in the ODI World Cup match. Skipper Rohit Sharma’s excellent performance paved the way to victory. Pakistan’s collapse from 155/2 to 191 was the turning point
IND vs PAK: Shreyas Iyer’s half century
Shreyas Iyer completes his half-century with a stunning straight drive as India assert their dominance over Pakistan in a thrilling match in Ahmedabad.
IND vs PAK: Indian captain Rohit Sharma
“The bowlers were also the ones who settled the game for us today. I don’t think it was 190 points. At one point we were looking at 280. The way they showed the toughness says a lot. We are proud of it. Whoever gets the ball does the work. We have 6 people who know how to work with the ball. My role as captain is also important there. It’s about reading the terms and finding out who is the right guy to do the job. It’s just because the guys – before they got to the World Cup – ran a lot. We were very clear about what we wanted to do. I didn’t want to disagree about who hit where. Overall looks good. I want to cross my fingers. Don’t want to get too excited. Don’t want to go too low either. Want to stay balanced. Keep calm and move on. Every opposition we face is of high quality. You have to play well that day and that’s what we’ll look at.”
IND vs PAK: Pakistan captain Babar Azam
“We started well. Good partnership between me and Imam. We wanted to play regular cricket (me and Rizwan). Suddenly we had a meltdown and we didn’t get along well. We wanted to target 280-290 as a starting point. With the new ball, we are not at goal level. The way Rohit plays – he bowled an outstanding innings.”
IND vs PAK: Jasprit Bumrah after his Man of the Match win
“It felt good. You usually try to analyse the gate as quickly as possible. We noticed the wicket was on the slower side so we wanted to bowl hard lengths. We tried to make it as difficult as possible. (How he reads pitches quickly and knows what pitches work) I just think I’m aware. I asked a lot of questions when I was young and it helps me now. Now I’m an expert. When I was younger, they (the seniors) sometimes bothered me (with questions), but it helps to read the gate and try different options. (We slowed the ball down to remove Rizwan) We were bowling in the middle and I saw Jaddu’s ball spin, not too much but a bit. I think my slower ball is the spinner’s slower ball, one of those days when it got loose. (On Shadab’s caught ball) A bit of a bounce, one of those situations where the cue ball flew back.”
