Kuldeep Yadav is down for a chat. He says that 100 percent it is going good for him and he tried to focus on his length and bowl slow as the pitch was on the slower side. Adds that he bowled well in the first few overs, not offering much width due to the field restrictions. Adds that he tried to bog down Rizwan and he wasn’t sweeping much, so, tried to force him into playing a bad shot. On the wicket of Saud Shakeel, he says that he saw him playing a few paddles in the last game and luckily was able to get him out with the wrong’un. On the crowd, he says that he is excited to play in front of such a crowd against Pakistan and just tried to enjoy it.
As far as Pakistan are concerned, they have simply imploded under pressure and it was a collapse that only they could have manufactured. Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq came out with good, positive intent and got themselves going with boundaries in the first couple of overs. With not much movement in the air nor off the surface, both batters looked at ease until they were dismissed in the space of five overs. Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan then got together and handled the pressure well in the middle phase. Both Babar and Rizwan brought their experience into play during the 82-run stand. However, Babar perished shortly after completing his fifty, and it all went downhill for Pakistan from there. They needed Rizwan to stay out in the middle, especially after Babar’s departure but an absolute ripper by Bumrah crushed Pakistan’s hopes. None of the incoming batters could not handle the pressure and in no time, Pakistan were rolled over for just 191.
This has been a sensational display of bowling by India and this performance shows why they are one of if not the favourites to win the World Cup. At the start, Mohammed Siraj went searching for swing and was guilty of bowling a bit too full and straight. In the process, he leaked a lot of boundaries, which allowed the two Pakistan openers to get going. It was made up by Jasprit Bumrah bowling tidy spells from the other end. A few overs later, Siraj redeemed himself by accounting for Shafique before Hardik Pandya got into the act to remove the other opener. In the middle phase, the spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja did manage to keep things quiet against Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. Brought back on for another spell, Siraj nipped out the Pakistan skipper, which opened the floodgates for India. A couple of overs later, Kuldeep Yadav went bang, bang, to pile more misery on Pakistan. At that stage, Rohit Sharma sensed an opportunity to bring Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack, and the move worked like a charm as the latter breached the defences of Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan to peg back Pakistan even more. Towards the end, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja completed the formalities and put an end to Pakistan’s struggles with the bat.
Wow, this has been a collapse of some enormity! Pakistan go from 155-2 to be bowled out for 191! India have turned the game around in the space of 15 overs to skittle Pakistan out in this high-voltage clash. Rohit Sharma was brilliant with his captaincy throughout and the Men in Blue will be the happier of the two sides going into the halfway mark.
42.5 overs (0 Run) OUT! LBW! Gone with the wind! Another loud appeal for LBW and the umpire stands still. This time though Rohit Sharma does review it. Ravindra Jadeja is back to bowl from around the stumps to the right-hander and fires one in at the pads. Haris Rauf leans on and looks to play it with a straight bat but the ball slides on and beats the bat to crash into the pads. It seems to be sliding and there’s nothing on UltraEdge either. The Ball Tracking shows that it is sliding on but not as much and is hitting leg stump. Jadeja rounds up proceedings with his second wicket and Pakistan have been bundled out for a meager 191.
42.4 overs (1 Run) On the stumps, Shaheen Afridi steps out to slog it away but only manages to get it off the inside edge to short fine leg for a single.
42.3 overs (0 Run) Flatter one on off, patted away onto the off side.
42.2 overs (0 Run) Comes from over the wicket now and almost wraps things up. Around off, turning back in a long way, Shaheen Afridi goes down to play the reverse sweep but misses and gets hit on the pads. The bowler and skipper appeal but the umpire says no.
42.1 overs (0 Run) Full and quick, at the stumps, Shaheen Afridi leans forward to defend.
41.6 overs (1 Run) Bangs in a short-pitched delivery over leg stump, Shaheen Afridi manages to crouch a bit and half-pull it away in front of fine leg for a single.
41.5 overs (0 Run) Fuller in length around off, angling across, nudged away to mid-wicket. Five dots in the over so far.
41.4 overs (0 Run) Nice and full on the stumps, Shaheen Afridi defends it from his crease.
41.3 overs (0 Run) A slower bumper now, over the stumps and loops up over the head of a ducking Shaheen Afridi.
41.2 overs (0 Run) Brings out the big heave but cannot find the timing. Fuller again on middle, Shaheen Afridi gets the front leg out of the way and hits it off the inner half toward mid on.
41.1 overs (0 Run) Pitched up on middle and leg, Shaheen Afridi solidly defends it out.
40.6 overs (0 Run) Pushed through on off stump, Haris Rauf leans on and pushes it toward mid off.
40.5 overs (2 Runs) Quicker and fuller on the pads, Haris Rauf flicks it away down to fine leg and picks up a couple of runs.
40.4 overs (0 Run) On off stump, pushed back to the bowler.
40.3 overs (0 Run) KL Rahul goes up in appeal for a caught behind but he’s just messing around a bit. Fired in fuller around off, Haris Rauf looks to play it late and run it off the face of the bat but is beaten past the outside edge.
40.2 overs (0 Run) Pushed through quicker and on a nagging length around off, Haris Rauf blocks it out.
Haris Rauf is the last man in for Pakistan.
40.1 overs (0 Run) OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Another one bites the dust! Ravindra Jadeja joins in on the fun now and gets rid of Hasan Ali. Jadeja bowls it from ’round the wicket and darts it in, fuller and at the stumps, Hasan Ali is tempted by the length and gets down on one knee to slog it away on the leg side. Ends up slicing it high in the air and only as far as mid-wicket. Shubman Gill stationed there, settles under the skier and reverse cups it comfortably with both hands. Pakistan lose their ninth wicket now as Hasan Ali departs.
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Right then, India are on course to extend their lead against Pakistan to 8-0 in ODI World Cups. That said, the job is only half done as the Pakistan pace attack will pose a strong challenge. Will Pakistan manage to recover after a disappointing batting effort and turn up with the ball? We shall find out when we return in a bit for the chase.