INDIA: India secured a thrilling victory over Pakistan in Ahmedabad, extending their winning streak and securing first place in the standings. India dismissed Pakistan for just 191 runs, with Rohit Sharma’s 86 off 63 balls contributing to their victory.
Rohit Sharma once again showed why he is one of the greatest batsmen in the world as he dominated the Pakistani bowlers throughout his innings. His blistering knock included 6 fours and 6 maximums.
India scored 10 runs in the very first over of the chase thanks to Shubman Gill’s comeback, hitting his first ball for a boundary. In the subsequent over, Gill scored three fours against Hasan Ali, but Shaheen stopped him. The first wicket had little impact on the match, as Rohit trolled the Pakistani attack to establish the tone.
Asked to bat by the Indian captain after the toss, Pakistan just could not hold on to their nerves. Pakistan’s batting performance against India was a dramatic meltdown, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan putting Pakistan at 150/2 after some early dismissals. Despite being targeted for boundaries, Mohammad Siraj managed to trap Abdullah Shafique’s leg-before-wicket, giving India the first breakthrough.
Hardik Pandya started the match with a costly start, but Babar and Rizwan combined well, with Babar playing exquisite strokes and Rizwan displaying his range of strokes by hitting boundaries off Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. Babar reached fifty runs for the first time against India in his seventh try in ODI cricket.
Rohit’s decision to bring back Siraj seemed unsuccessful, but he dismissed Babar, allowing India to seize the opportunity. Pakistan’s problems worsened with Kuldeep’s removal of Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed. Bumrah’s off-cutter hit the off-stump, causing Pakistan to lose four wickets in rapid succession. They were unable to bounce back and finished with 191.
Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged the man of the match for his ferocious bowling, taking two wickets for just a mere 19 runs in his 7 overs. All the other bowlers also bagged two wickets each, making it a complete team performance, and the remaining job was completed by the captain himself and other batsmen who chased the target in just 30.4 overs.
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