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Team India began their Asia Cup 2023 Super Four stage with a resounding win over Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Men in Blue hardly put a step wrong since losing the toss and being put into bat by Babar Azam, a decision which turned out to be crucial.
Led by centuries from Virat Kohli and the returning KL Rahul, Team India posted their joint-highest ODI total against the Men in Green. To match their efforts with the bat, the bowlers also put in a spirited shift to bowl out Pakistan for a paltry 128-run total and seal a 228-run win to significantly boost their net run rate.
The contest spanned across two days, with rain only permitting half of the first innings to be played on the first day. While rain lurked around on the reserve day as well, it could not make much of an impression, resulting in a full match being played.
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Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was also full of praise regarding his team's performance.
He said during the post-match presentation:
"Fantastic performance, right from yesterday. When we started, we knew the wicket was good and we had to adjust with the rain, the two experienced (Kohli an Rahul) guys we knew they'd take time to get their eye in and then we can get going."
On that note, let us take a look at three major positives for India after their big win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023.
#1 Openers' intent against the new ball
Pakistan pacers were all over the Indian top order when the two sides clashed in the group stage. However, in the Super Four stage contest, the Indian openers decided to take the game on, with Rohit Sharma announcing his intention with a six off Shaheen Afridi's bowling in the first over itself.
Shubman Gill, in particular, looked like a completely different batter from the one who played against Pakistan in the group stages. After a lackluster 10-run knock off 32 deliveries in the first Indo-Pak game, he scored 58 runs off 52 deliveries after pouncing on the new ball bowlers.
Shaheen Afridi, who had finished the group-stage encounter with figures of 4-32, was hit for 31 runs in his first three-over spell itself and was taken off the attack. The Indian team will be up against such challenging bowling units on a consistent basis from here on, and a refreshing approach against them will help a long way.
Banking on the 121-run opening partnership, Team India were able to capitalize and post a mammoth total on the board. The openers' onslaught also left the bowlers deflated, who just could not find their way back into the contest and were completely devoid of momentum.
#2 KL Rahul settling in like he never left
The biggest focus point from an individual perspective was on KL Rahul, who was playing his first international match since March 2023. He replaced Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI and came in at No. 4 during a crucial juncture in the contest.
Pakistan had just clawed their way back by dismissing both set openers in the space of seven deliveries. Rahul, along with Kohli had to oversee a tough passage of play as Pakistan were looking to capitalize having two new batters at the crease.
However, KL Rahul looked at ease from the first ball itself. The management had stated multiple times that Rahul was batting beautifully in the nets and even during the camp, and that showed. The wicketkeeper-batter paced his innings well to bring the three-figure mark and silence the critics who were doubting his position in the playing XI.
With Shreyas Iyer struggling with his back yet again, KL Rahul's ton comes across as a huge relief for the management.
#3 Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur jointly donning the third seamer's role
Team India, at present, do not have the luxury of playing three frontline seamers for the sake of batting depth. While Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami are all deserving of a place in the playing XI, the reality is that there is only one place for two.
Even in subcontinent conditions, the role of the third seamer is quite important, and if there is something on the surface, like on Monday, then their role becomes crucial.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj made the new ball talk, and even when their spell was finished, the duo of Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur kept the pressure on. The duo claimed the key wickets of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to expose Pakistan's fragile middle and lower-middle order.
If the pair can continue making an impact with both bat and ball consistently, then Team India can persist with this combination heading forward.
Will Team India win the Asia Cup 2023? Let us know what you think.
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