The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That's all for now from the match center. We will have more action coming your way tomorrow with England taking on Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. For now, this is Soorya and Bala signing off. Good night!
Right then. That's the end of a much-awaited clash. It was a bit lopsided but the Indian fans certainly got to enjoy some brilliance from the bowlers and a destructive innings from the skipper. India's winning streak against Pakistan in ODI World Cups lives on at the end of it all.
It was a tough outing for Pakistan. They might have to sit back and answer some questions. They had a solid foundation, but could not capitalize on it. It might have been a case where they were targeting too many on a pitch that was starting to die down once the ball got old. The middle-order needs to step up big time for them. So does the spin duo of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz. They would hold the key to Pakistan's success as the pitches start wearing down.
Lots of positives for India today. The bowlers delivered as a unit, which would give immense confidence to the captain. The magic of Jasprit Bumrah stood out, as well as the revival of Kuldeep Yadav. Both of them are going to play a key role for the side as the tournament goes further. Rohit Sharma would also be happy with the form of his batting unit, including himself. Totally dominated the chase and did not give an inch to the opposition.
Rohit Sharma waxed lyrical over his team's bowling unit and he couldn't be more true. Our expert columnist Shashwat Kumar opines along similar lines after a magnificent performance by the bowlers today - here's a read!👇
Rohit Sharma (India captain): No doubt about it. The bowlers were the ones who set the game for us today as well. Restricting them to around 190 was a great effort. I don't think it was a 190 pitch. At one stage we were looking at 280 or 270. They were 155/2. But the way they came back and showed grit tells a lot about the guys who were out there. That is something we pride ourselves in - whoever gets the ball does the job for the team. We've got six individuals who can do the job for us with the ball. It cannot be everyone's day every day. The guy who is having a good day needs to make sure he gets the job done for the team. And obviously my job as the captain is important there as well - to read the conditions, assess who is guy who can trouble the batters. That's my role to figure out who is the right guy who can trouble the batters. (Blessed with the depth of this team?) I'm not going to answer that (laughs). Touchwood. The guys before entering the World Cup got a lot of runs. The role clarity as well, who is going to bat where, things like that (are important). We didn't want to be in two minds as to who is going to bat where and what happens if this guy doesn't play. The bowlers came in, did the job for us. Lot of five-fers leading into the World Cup as well. All in all it's looking good. We don't want to get too excited or too low as well. We want to stay balanced and that's the key playing a tournament like the World Cup. We've got to keep calm, keep it balanced and keep moving forward. (Relief that this game is out of the way?) I've said it quite a few times now - we wanted to play against a quality opposition and that's how we want to look at this World Cup. Every opposition is a quality opposition and can beat you on a particular day. What has happened in the past or what will happen in the future doesn't matter. We've got to do well on that particular day.
Babar Azam (captain, Pakistan): We started well. We got a good partnership going. We just planned to play normal cricket and build partnerships, but suddenly we had a collapse in the middle order, and did not finish well. Not good for us. The way we started, we wanted to target 280-290, but the collapse cost us. And the total was not good. With the new ball, probably we are not upto the mark. Different game, different situation. Rohit (Sharma) was outstanding today. We tried to take wickets and win the match, but didn't happen.
It was a frustrating outing for Pakistan and it showed in Haris Rauf's reaction as he hurled the ball back at Shreyas Iyer after Rohit Sharma took him down. Here's a watch at that moment!👇
Jasprit Bumrah is the Player of the Match for his outstanding returns of 2/19. Here's what he has to say: It felt good. Usually you try to analyze the wicket as soon as possible. We recognized the wicket was on the slower side so we wanted to bowl those hard lengths to make it difficult. We then felt it would reverse a little with the old ball. (How does he succeed on different pitches) Just being aware - when I was young I used to ask a lot of questions. I think that helps me now. Now I am able to read different wickets. That helped me develop a lot of knowledge and that helps you sometimes to read the wicket and try a lot of options. (On the slower one to Rizwan) We were bowling in the middle and I saw Jaddu's ball turned a little bit. I count my slower ball as a spinner's slower ball as well so I felt it could be a useful option. I tried to use that and it gripped - one of those days. There was a little phase where there was reverse swing. It was not a leg-cutter (to dismiss Shadab) - it was the outswinger I was looking to bowl. One of the rare occasions where the white ball was reversing. I've seen him (Waqar Younis) and Wasim Akram bowl some magical deliveries as a youngster. If he's praising it's a special praise for me.
The crowd and fans all over the world were eagerly waiting for this World Cup encounter between two top sides. If you expected a close competition, you may not be satisfied, but the Indian fans won't complain. It was absolute annihilation out in the middle. Pakistan were in the game for probably the first half of their batting innings, but India did not give them an inch thereafter.
The target of 193 runs was never going to threaten the Indian batters. And the openers certainly started off in style. The boundary off Shaheen Afridi off the first delivery of the chase certainly set the tone. Shubman Gill got a good start but couldn't carry on. But Rohit Sharma had no qualms. He was at his belligerent best today, driving and pulling at will and dominating the Pakistan pace attack. His innings of 83 came from just 63 deliveries and included 6 boundaries and as many hits over the fence. When you play such a destructive innings in the chase of a sub-par total, you more or less ensure that the team won't lose.
Shreyas Iyer also had a good outing in the middle today. He needed a good knock under his belt and the stage was set today. Iyer played a calm knock alongside KL Rahul once his skipper departed. The duo ensured that no more wickets were lost as they chased the total down with ease.
No Pakistan bowler could dictate the terms today. It was clearly a new ball wicket with the ball coming nicely onto the bat in the initial overs and dying down after the middle of the innings. The Indian top-order took the cue from the Pakistan innings and ensured that they scored heavily in the first 20 overs. By the time the ball started to stop and turn, they were well into the comfort territory. The number of loose balls early in the innings did not help Pakistan as well. In the end, an easy chase for the home side and they are now 3 out of 3 in the campaign so far.
'Vande Mataram' is being played at the ground and the entire crowd chimes in. We saw that in Chennai and Delhi and it's a third time in the last week that we're witnessing this!
India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets with 117 balls remaining. This is their second biggest victory margin against Pakistan in ODIs in terms of balls remaining.
India win! 8-0, the streak lives on!
FIFTY for Shreyas Iyer. His 15th in ODIs and first against Pakistan!
30.3 Mohammad Nawaz to Shreyas Iyer, FOUR! SEALED IN STYLE! And it's a fifty for Shreyas! Steps out to the pitch of this full length delivery at the stumps and pumps it straight back over the bowler's head. As authoritative as they come and it fittingly caps off yet another display of dominance by the Men in Blue. India annihilate Pakistan by 7 wickets to make it 8-0 in their favor in Men's ODI World Cups!
30.2 Mohammad Nawaz to KL Rahul, stops in the pitch as he flights it full at the stumps. Rahul checks his push on the up past cover for a single into the deep
30.1 Mohammad Nawaz to Shreyas Iyer, slowed up on a full-ish length on middle and leg stump. Shreyas hangs back and works it to deep square leg for a solitary run
Another over ticks by. India is just one scoring shot away from a dominant victory.
Video
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Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
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![[Watch] Frustrated Haris Rauf throws ball at Shreyas Iyer after being hit for 2 sixes by Rohit Sharma in IND vs PAK 2023 World Cup match](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/10/19fe0-16972921835061-1920.jpg)
