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India extended their dominance over Pakistan in World Cups by completing an absolute hammering by seven wickets during their match in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14. It seemed like the Men in Blue made a wrong decision to bowl first as Pakistan got off to a great start.
However, the hosts triggered an exceptional batting collapse where Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for 36 runs. From 155/2, they were bundled out for 191 on the pitch which certainly got better to bat on under the lights.
Any hopes of Pakistan picking up early wickets and causing panic were dashed by Rohit Sharma's sensational knock of 86. Shreyas Iyer also got a half-century under his belt as India now have a 8-0 record against Pakistan in World Cups.
On that note, let's take a look at three moments from the game that caught the attention of fans on social media:
#3 Hardik Pandya talking to the ball
Hardik Pandya's ability to make things happen out of nowhere makes him a vital cog in this Indian team. While the Men in Blue picked up the wicket of Abdullah Shafique early, the prolific Imam-ul-Haq had gotten off to a start and threatened to take the game away alongside captain Babar Azam.
After almost being frustrated that nothing was happening in the air or after the pitch, Hardik was seen having an animated talk with the cricket ball in his hand. Coincidentally, Imam edged one behind on the next delivery, and the all-rounder was pumped up, giving a classic send-off. Fans were curious about just what Hardik was talking to the ball as it seemed to make a difference!
#2 Jasprit Bumrah doing Shoaib Akhtar's celebration
While five of the six bowling options used by India picked up two wickets each, Jasprit Bumrah won the Player of the Match award for his incredible 2/19 in seven overs.
The spell included two of the finest deliveries bowled in the 2023 World Cup so far that both Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan didn't have any answers to. Rizwan tried to work a well-disguised slower delivery from Bumrah toward leg side but ended up seeing his off-stump disturbed.
Bumrah was getting the ball to reverse a bit and squared Shadab up with an absolute peach. While it was the Marcus Rashford celebration in the previous game, Jasprit Bumrah unleashed the iconic Shoaib Akhtar celebration with his hands wide this time. Fans were mesmerized and thrilled to see the skills on display by the star pacer.
#1 Rohit Sharma's mammoth sixes
Pakistan couldn't quite trouble India with the new ball and captain Rohit Sharma's intentions were pretty clear from ball one. The veteran opener went past 300 sixes in ODIs, which included some of his vintage pull shots to short deliveries that were almost like bread and butter for him.
While Rohit missed out on what could have been an incredible eighth World Cup hundred in just 20 innings, he ensured his aggressive knock took the sting out of Pakistan's bowling attack. Even Virat Kohli, like a fan, couldn't help but admire from the non-striker's end to one of the sixes that Rohit hit to Haris Rauf over the covers.
The Indian captain opened up after the game that the umpire had asked him the secret to his big shots and that's why the opener was seen flexing his muscles in reply.
Watch full highlights of the match here.
