India vs Pakistan:India crush Pakistan by 228 runs, Kuldeep Yadav stars with a fifer
India vs Pakistan: India crush Pakistan by 228 runs, Kuldeep Yadav stars with a fifer
India vs Pakistan: India defeated Pakistan by 228 runs in the Super 4 of the Asia Cup on Monday in Colombo. India scored a dominant 356 for two against Pakistan, the team’s joint-highest total in ODIs, thanks to undefeated centuries from Virat Kohli (122) and K. L. Rahul (111).
Iftikhar Ahmed, a part-time spinner, was Pakistan’s second-most costly bowler behind Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/79 in 10 overs), leaking 52 runs in 5.4 overs. In retaliation, Pakistan was dismissed for 128 runs in 32 overs. The star bowler for India was Kuldeep Yadav, who finished with a five-wicket haul.
In their rain-delayed inaugural Asia Cup Super Four encounter on Monday at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, an all-around superior Indian team defeated Pakistan after two days of play. The high-profile match was postponed due to rain, and India won by a huge margin of 228 runs to earn two points in the Super 4 stage.
In ODI matches versus Pakistan, it was India’s largest win margin in terms of runs. Given that Sri Lanka and Pakistan both have two points, India’s massive victory propelled them to the top of the Super Fours standings on the basis of their better Net Run Rate (NRR). Only Bangladesh has yet to score in the Super 4s.
India reached a mammoth 356 for 2 after resuming on 147/2 in 24.1 overs because to overnight batsmen Virat Kohli (122*) and KL Rahul (111*), who both hit unbeaten hundreds. Additionally, the bowlers denied Pakistan any chance to win the match by holding them to 128 for 8 in 32 overs.
Fantastic opening for India
India’s openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a fantastic start after being ordered to bat first. To lay the groundwork for a large total for India, they introduced a hundred-run partnership. The renowned Pakistani pacers were held at bay while Rohit (56 off 49) and Gill (58 off 52) sped to their half-centuries. On Sunday, the pair added 121 runs for the first wicket in just 16.4 overs.
Double blows and rain
India got off to a great start, but Pakistan managed to claw its way back with two wickets in two overs. When he dismissed India captain Rohit Sharma in the 17th over, Shadab Khan provided Pakistan a significant breakthrough. In the subsequent over, Shaheen Shah Afridi resumed his onslaught and removed the other set opener, Shubman Gill. After the two knocks, India was reduced to 123/2 in 17.5 overs.
In order to avoid handing up additional wickets to Pakistan, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul cautiously began their innings. In 24.1 overs, the pair steadily advanced India to 147/2 before the skies opened up. The match had to be played on Monday because of the weather.
Batting masterclass
India’s run-machine Virat Kohli and comeback kid KL Rahul put on an incredible exhibition of ODI batting to confound Pakistan’s bowlers after a delayed start on the second day. They eventually achieved fifty runs each while occasionally hitting boundaries as they gradually finished a fifty-run stand.
When it was revealed that Haris Rauf would not take part in the action owing to a niggle, Pakistan was already at a disadvantage. After reaching their half-centuries, Kohli and Rahul switched to attacking the spinners. Before Kohli reached his 47th ODI century, off just 84 balls, Rahul had achieved his sixth ODI century in just 100 balls.
In ODIs, Kohli also set a record by scoring 13K runs in the quickest time ever. He and Rahul also shared a record-breaking 233 runs for the third wicket. Along with Rahul, who hit 111 not out off 106 balls and helped India to an impressive 356 for 2, Kohli finished unbeaten on 122 (94 balls).
Initial setbacks for Pakistan
Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman, the Pakistan openers, struggled to get going against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Imam was caught at second slip by return pacer Bumrah in the fifth over after a sluggish start. Fakhar and Babar Azam took their time to continue Pakistan’s score against the two Indian pacers.
Another significant wicket fell to India in the 11th over when India’s first bowler, Hardik Pandya, clean bowled Babar with an inswinger to reduce Pakistan to 44 for 2. After Hardik finished, rain started to fall once more, causing another lengthy break in play.
Kuldeep show pressure from the scoreboard
After the game had resumed, Shardul Thakur dismissed Mohammad Rizwan in the 12th over with a wicket in his first over. After that, Kuldeep Yadav was the only player in the game. The Indian spinners Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja further constrained Pakistan’s batting due to the pressure of the scoreboard and early wickets.
Kuldeep continued to steadily chip away at wickets, finishing with outstanding figures of 5 for 25 in 8 overs, his second ODI five-wicket haul. In the 20th over, Kuldeep clean bowled Fakhar Zaman (27) to claim his first wicket. In the 24th over, he trapped Agha Salman (23) LBW. In the 28th over, he then defeated Shadab Khan to claim his third wicket.
In the 30th over, Iftikhar Ahmed (23) was caught and bowled by Kuldeep, who then added Faheem Ashraf to round out his five-for in the 32nd over. As pacers Haris Rauf, who did not bowl on Monday, and Naseem Shah did not come out to bat due to niggles, Pakistan finished their pursuit at 128 for 8 as a result.
