India fired on all cylinders in what was supposed to be war minus the shooting, blowing away arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in a World Cup face-off that ended in a damp squib after causing unbridled hysteria and logistical hassles.
In what is seen as the pinnacle of cricket by fans in the subcontinent, Indian captain Rohit Sharma emerged as the undisputed star of the match, scoring a 63-ball 86 to power his team to the modest target of 192 with as many as 19.3 overs to spare here on Saturday.
Jasprit Bumrah was a tiger on the prowl and Mohammed Siraj displayed wolf-like aggression before skipper Rohit completed the annihilation as India produced a near-perfect performance in one of the most lopsided World Cup games between the arch-rivals.
Rohit just casually flaunted his repertoire of strokes, which included a pull shot behind square of Shaheen Shah Afridi and a square driven six off Haris Rauf, as India were home by 8.05 pm local time.
The win was India’s eighth in the 50 over global event, where Pakistan had never been able to match their neighbours in terms of skill, strategy or execution since 1992.
Just like he brushes his teeth, drinks water, pulling and hooking is a part of Rohit’s daily chores. The 1150 gram willow is an extension of his arm and those strong but supple wrists does its job at his beck and call. On the day, it responded to his call 12 times - six of which went over the ropes.
People love to err on side of caution but Rohit is ready to err on side of risk - whether its spin of coin or dismissing a fast bouncer from his presence.
There will be days when he might fail and look silly but on days he succeeds, he would look regal, like he did on Saturday.
It is very difficult to better perfection but if anything was synonymous with perfection, then decimating Pakistan for 192 in 42.5 overs would come closest.
Five bowlers, showing different facets of bowling and sharing equal spoils is rarity but there couldn’t have been a more opportune setting to tick all boxes like Rohit’s men did on the day.
Bumrah (2/19 in 7 overs), Siraj (2/50 in 8 overs), Kuldeep (2/35 in 10 overs), Hardik Pandya (2/34 in 6 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/35 in 9.5 overs) were relentless in their pursuit of choking the opposition into submission.
This Pakistan team never had the depth to compete with India and that one T20 World Cup game which India lost in Dubai back in 2021 was just an aberration.
For the 1 lakh plus spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the garba started one day in advance and the story of this absolute dominance by India will be remembered for times to come.
For the rest of the country, Bengal can celebrate an early Durga Puja and in the northern part of India, it could an early Diwali.
Motera was the Indian cricket fan’s the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ on Saturday. One could be swayed by such atmosphere but just like Rohit, his team has also learnt the art of staying in its bubble.
It was imposing and in-your-face and at times intimidating. The vibe was felt when the entire stadium sang the national anthem.
Siraj and Bumrah basically hoodwinked the Pakistan batters with the semi-old ball and a bagful of tricks for which they had no answer.
This was Pakistan’s second lowest score against India in ODI World Cup after the 180 all-out in 1999.
The two new ball bowlers made the semi-new ball talk by altering the length and using the wobbly seam to run through a circumspect middle-order and put India on course of their eighth victory in ODI World Cups.
Kuldeep’s role as the supporting protagonist was also laudable as he operated like a sly fox, removing Saud Shakeel (6) and Iftikhar Ahmed (4) in quick succession to hasten the slide.
Rohit’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss might have raised a few eye-brows but the Indian team always had things under control despite a 82-run third wicket stand between skipper Babar Azam (50 off 58 balls) and Mohammed Rizwan (49 off 69 balls).
It was a matter of one wicket and once Siraj got one to just move in a shade from a shorter length, the Pakistan skipper misjudged it completely and remained rooted to his crease trying to steer it to third man. The sound of timber was what the entire Motera wanted to hear.
Rizwan, on cusp of his half-century got a wobbly seam slow off-cutter from Bumrah (2/19 in 7 overs), which entered through the gap between bat and pad as Pakistan’s resistance ended at that moment.
Babar and Rizwan had a partnership going but if one looks at how the ODI landscape has changed, they were well behind par during the stand.
With two new Kookaburras used from both sides, the balls don’t generally get old but the two Indian pacers, on a flat track, altered the length suitably to make the inroads at the right junctures.
In case of Kuldeep, he knew Saud and Iftikhar aren't good at sweeping and it brought about their downfall. It only helped that Jadeja was parsimonious at the other end.
When the Indian innings commenced, it wasn't a question of how but when will they wrap up things. Rohit ensured it happened in a jiffy.
Pakistan: 191 all out in 42.5 overs (Babar Azam 50, Mohammad Rizwan 49; Jasprit Bumrah 2/19, Mohammed Siraj 2/50, Kuldeep Yadav 2/35, Ravindra Jadeja 2/38)
India: 192/3 in 30.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 86, Shreyas Iyer 53 not out)
India have defeated Pakistan seven times out of seven at the tournament since they first met in Sydney in 1992, a run that Babar Azam’s side will hope to end when they meet the hosts in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Is it luck? Have India benefitted from winning five of the seven tosses? Are Pakistan more susceptible to pressure?
“We played seven games and our neighbouring country reminds us every second day about the 7-0,” Pakistan legend Wasim Akram said.
“Frankly speaking, I can’t single out one reason for the losing streak.”
Inzamam-ul-Haq, who ended up on the losing side for Pakistan on four occasions, believes pressure has been a factor.
“Maybe India handled the pressure better than us on the day of the match and winning most of the tosses also gave them an advantage,” he said.
Even when Pakistan won the toss twice, their luck did not change.
They were outdone by Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliance in the chase at Centurion in South Africa in 2003 and by Rohit Sharma at Manchester in 2019 when India were sent in to bat.
The defeat at the 2019 tournament cost Sarfaraz Ahmed the captaincy.Due to a quirk of the playing format, Pakistan and India never met in the first four World Cups.
Both were favourites to meet in the final when they were co-hosts in 1987, but each fell in the semis.
The first encounter happened in 1992 at Sydney, a low-scoring affair that was remembered more for Pakistan’s Javed Miandad jumping up and down in a bizarre attempt to mimic India wicketkeeper Kiran More.Pakistan failed to chase a modest 217-run total, losing by 43 runs.
However, that defeat was soon forgotten when Imran Khan’s team staged a remarkable recovery to win their first and only 50-over World Cup title.
‘It was hellish’
Four years later, Pakistan lost again by 39 runs in India’s backyard in Bangalore.
The defeat resulted in a furious reaction back home – skipper Wasim Akram was even alleged to have feigned injury.
“It was hellish,” recalls Akram. “No one digested that defeat and we had to return home under tight security and couldn’t go out of our homes for days.”
At the 1999 World Cup, Akram and his team were subjected to a match-fixing inquiry after they lost by 47 runs to India and slumped to a shock loss to Bangladesh.They still managed to finish as runners-up.
Despite boasting an intimidating three-pronged pace attack of Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan lost their 2003 World Cup encounter by six wickets.
A high-profile semifinal also went to India by 29 runs in Mohali in 2011, a match where respective prime ministers Manmohan Singh of India and Yousuf Raza Gillani of Pakistan watched from the stands.
“To be honest, I don’t know the reason why we always lost,” Shahid Afridi, the skipper in 2011, said.
“We played so well to reach the semifinals and fell short in Mohali. I also heard some silly things but it was a matter of respect and as captain I told my players to give their best.”
India bowler Harbhajan Singh, left, celebrates the dismissal of Pakistan’s captain Shahid Afridi, right, during the Cricket World Cup semifinal match between Pakistan and India in Mohali, India on March 30, 2011 [File: Gurinder Osan/AP]
A packed house in Adelaide saw Virat Kohli’s century subdue Pakistan by 76 runs in the 2015 World Cup.
Pakistan once again fell short in 2019, again in Manchester, as they lost by 83 runs in a rain-hit game.
So can it be eighth time lucky for Pakistan when they renew their rivalry in Ahmedabad on Saturday at this World Cup?
“That jinx will be broken one day and this current Pakistan team is capable of doing that,” said Akram.“We broke the Twenty20 World Cup jinx after five defeats in 2021 in Dubai, so the 50-over jinx can also go.”
