ICC Champions Trophy 2017, India vs Pakistan: 5 Talking Points

India beat their arch-rivals Pakistan by a mammoth margin of 124-runs via the D/L method in the second match of Group-B at Edgbaston in the Champions Trophy. Winning the toss, Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed chose to field first on a flat track considered to be a batting beauty. It was clear from that decision that they didn’t want to end up on the wrong side if the D/L method came into play.

However, India made Pakistan pay for their indecision as they posted a mammoth total of 319/3 riding on fifties from Shikhar Dhawan (68), Rohit Sharma (91), Yuvraj Singh (53) and Virat Kohli (81*). It was Hardik Pandya’s cameo, 20 runs off just 6 deliveries, that served as the icing on the cake as he took Imad Wasim for three consecutive sixes in the final over.

Pakistan got off to a decent start chasing the total having scored 47 runs for the first wicket. However, they fell like a pack of cards soon as the pressure of run-rate kept mounting. Ultimately, they were bowled out for 164 runs thus giving India an easy victory.

Let us now have a look at the five talking points of the match:

#1 Pakistan Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed’s poor bowling tactics

Mohammad Amir made a terrific start with the ball as he troubled Rohit Sharma with some movement in the very first over of the innings. He swung the ball both ways and bowled a maiden over first up. However, Sarfraz Ahmed showed poor captaincy skills as he brought on Imad Wasim to bowl spin from the other end in the very next over. The condition was tailor-made for seam and swing but he wasted that bowling three straight overs from Imad Wasim.

Thus, he handed over the momentum to the Indians as spin bowling can hardly trouble them. Moreover, Amir induced an edge off Rohit’s willow but Sarfraz had only Azhar Ali stationed at the first slip. He tried his best but the ball was out of his reach. It would only had been a chance if they had another slip stationed there.

Another mistake was not building on the pressure when they got the big wicket of Shikhar Dhawan. Sarfraz introduced spin from both ends as Kohli walked out to bat. The duo of Rohit Sharma and Kohli obliged as introduction of spin made it much easier for them to settle down at the crease. Both carried on and stitched together a partnership of 56 runs for the second wicket.

#2 Rohit-Dhawan’s superb opening stand

Rohit Sharma played a steady knock with the more aggressive Shikhar Dhawan

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were once again seen at their best as they brought up another century stand between them. The duo put on 136 runs for the first wicket in 147 deliveries thus building a solid platform for a big score. They started off cautiously against a fiery Mohammad Amir who was seen at his best. However, spin being bowled from the other end made things a bit easier for them.

Both were off to slow starts as they didn’t want to commit any mistake against the swinging ball first up. But, once the ball lost its shine, the duo went hammer and tongs at the bowlers. The run-rate which was below 4 around the 10th over increased to a healthy 5-runs an over by the 15th over. Both batsmen notched up their fifties and kicked on.

Shikhar Dhawan was the main aggressor in the innings while Rohit Sharma was the calming influence. The partnership came to an end when Dhawan hit a full toss bowled by leg-spinner Shadab Khan straight to Azhar Ali at deep mid-wicket. He looked to be in superb touch and it was unfortunate that his innings came to an end in that way. By the time he departed though, India were sitting pretty at 136/1.

#3 Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh used the platform set by the openers

Kohli and Yuvraj were on sng despite the interruptions

Skipper Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh meant business as soon as they walked out to bat. The rain interrupted the match a few times and Virat and Yuvraj had to start afresh after an interruption. Kohli was the settled batsman at the crease and was batting on 20-odd runs. However, he struggled to time the ball after the interruption. It was then that the Southpaw took matters in his own hands and started hammering the bowlers.

He notched up his fifty in just 29 deliveries with 8 fours and 1 six to his name. Once Virat Kohli found the necessary time to settle down again, he started to fire as well. Yuvraj departed in the penultimate 47th over scoring 53 (32) with India’s score on 285/3. His quickfire knock allowed India to break-free and achieve a total of 300+ runs which looked quite difficult due to the interference caused by the bad weather.

Virat Kohli also showed his class once again as he hammered 81*(68) that included 6 fours and 3 sixes. He finished off India’s innings with a superb boundary over the covers and pushed their total to 319/3.

#4 Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals

Sarfraz Khan departs after being dismissed

Pakistan didn’t help their cause at all as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. They lost their first wicket in the form of Ahmed Shahzad (12) as Bhuvneshwar Kumar trapped him in front of the stumps. Babar Azam was the next to go as Umesh Yadav dismissed him for 8 runs. Pakistan were thus reduced to 61/2 with Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali at the crease.

The duo stitched a brief partnership of 30 runs before Azhar Ali was out caught by Hardik Pandya on the boundary off Jadeja’s bowling for 50. Thus the third wicket fell when the score was 91. From there on, Pakistan failed to show any sort of resilience and kept losing wickets.

Jadeja ran Shoaib Malik out with a superb throw reducing Pakistan to 114/4. They lost the next six wickets for just 50 runs and thus collapsed for a paltry total of 164 runs. Umesh Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-30 in 7.4 overs. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja returned with identical figures of 2-43 in 8 overs each whereas Bhuvneshwar Kumar also chipped in with a wicket.

#5 Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round show

Jadeja produced a moment of magic on the field with

Hardik Pandya first produced a stellar show with the bat, scoring 20 runs off just six deliveries and then returned with impressive bowling figures of 2-43 in 8 overs. He took Imad Wasim for three consecutive sixes in the final over of the Indian innings. Then, he picked up the crucial wicket of Sarfraz Ahmed (15) and accounted for that of Imad Wasim’s (0) too. Moreover, he claimed a superb catch in the outfield to get rid of Azhar Ali also who was well set having scored a fifty.

Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, came on to bowl and immediately accounted for the wicket of Azhar Ali. He didn’t stop there and went on to run Shoaib Malik out with a superb throw.

And if that wasn’t enough, he went on to strike once more removing the well set Mohammad Hafeez for 33 (43). Although, it was a game lit up by the Indian batsmen, their all-round efforts were invaluable.