On Saturday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Indian cricket team handed a thrashing defeat to Pakistan. The record remained intact as India won all 8 out of 8 ODI World Cup matches against the Men in Green. A superb bowling performance by Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah laid bare the weaknesses of the Babar Azam-led Pakistan. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah clinched 2 wickets, and Indian Captain Rohit Sharma did the rest of the damage with his precious willow.
Pakistan started well with the bat after losing the toss to India. Pakistan was 155/2, but as soon as Babar got dismissed, the remaining Pakistani batsmen went down like nine pins. India bowled out the visitors at a score of 191 in 42.5 overs. Rohit, with the bat, almost ended up with the match in the first powerplay itself with his monstrous hitting. The Men in Blue chased down the target in just 30.3 overs.
A one-sided win by 7 wickets boosted India’s net run rate, resulting in Pakistan’s cricket team robbing Peter to pay Paul as their net run rate further dipped. The NRR of Pakistan goes into negative 0.137. India is now placed at number 1 in the points table with 6 earned points, whereas the 1992 World Cup champions are placed 4th on the table.
A Train Wreck of a Batting Performance by Pakistan
Pakistan’s chances of winning the match sank like a stone immediately after India dismissed Babar and Mohammad Rizwan. The Pakistani openers, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, played some shots initially in the first innings, but Mohammed Siraj trapped Shafique LBW. As soon as the first powerplay ended, Hardik Pandya enticed Imam into a drive, and the southpaw threw away the good start by playing a loose shot, resulting in an edge on his bat.
Babar and Rizwan formed an 82-run partnership for the third wicket but failed to convert it into a substantial stand. A body blow was delivered by Siraj, who bowled the big fish, Babar, just after he reached his maiden fifty on Indian soil. The next four batsmen looked so timid that they couldn’t even produce double-digit scores, leaving the Pakistan team dangling, and all of this unfolded in front of the wildest blue-clad crowd. Nasser Hussain, while commentating, said that, “It’s a Collapse only Pakistan can Manufacture,” and it all makes sense.
Rizwan was the last hope for the Fans in Green, who turned up as a mere drop in the ocean, and they couldn’t even be spotted in the vast blue sea at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Unfortunately, the last hope didn’t last long as Jasprit Bumrah knocked over Rizwan for 49. In his very next over, Bumrah cleaned up Shadab for 2.
Ravindra Jadeja did the rest, taking the last two wickets of Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf, and Pakistan ended the lackluster innings on 191. Jasprit Bumrah finished with figures of 7-1-19-2. All the bowlers except Shardul Thakur ended up taking 2 wickets each. Pakistan lost 8 wickets in just 36 runs, making it the third-worst batting collapse for Pakistan in ODIs.
Phew Phew Phew Innings by the Indian Wrecker in Chief
Shaheen Shah Afridi provided the early breakthrough in the form of Shubman Gill. But Hitman Rohit’s performance was head and shoulders above the rest as the Skipper just missed his 8th World Cup ton by just 14 runs and got trapped by a slower delivery from Hasan Ali.
Nevertheless, the 36-year-old batsman scored a match-winning 86 runs off 63 balls, including 6 fours and 6 sixes. Rohit has now smashed 300+ sixes in ODIs and became the first Indian to do so and the third overall after Shahid Afridi (351) and Chris Gayle (331). A fine finishing touch was given by Shreyas Iyer, who reached his 15th ODI fifty, with the help of KL Rahul’s unbeaten 19 runs.
I Count My Slower Ball as a Spinner’s Slower Ball – Jasprit Bumrah
After winning the Player of the Match, Jasprit Bumrah, in the post-match presentation, shared his insights on how he quickly reads pitches and understands which lengths work. Jasprit Bumrah mentioned that it’s all about being aware, and that his habit of asking a lot of questions when he was young has helped him in his career. Additionally, Jasprit Bumrah also explained the tactics he used during the match, particularly the slower ball he used to dismiss Mohammad Rizwan.
“It felt good. Usually you try to analyze the wicket as soon as possible. We realized the wicket is on the slower side so we wanted to bowl hard lengths. We were trying to make it as difficult as possible. (On how he reads pitches quickly and understands what lengths work) Just being aware I guess. I used to ask a lot of questions when I was young and that helps me now. Now I’m experienced. In my younger days they (seniors) were used to being troubled by me sometimes (with questions), but it helps to read the wicket and try different options,” said Jasprit Bumrah.
“(On the slower ball to get rid of Rizwan) We were bowling in the middle overs and I saw Jaddu’s ball was turning, not too much but a little bit. I count my slower ball as a spinner’s slower ball, one of those days where it came off. (On the ball that got Shadab) Little phase where there was reverse swing, one of the occasions when the white ball was reverse swinging,” he added.