It was the most-anticipated match of the ICC Champions Trophy and by the time it ended, it exposed the huge gulf between cricket’s two traditional rivals. India were clinical in their approach and got their campaign off to a resounding start while Pakistan were tentative and their batting looked clueless. India’s all-round effort helped them to a thumping 124 runs win, their biggest in the tournament.
After a delightful batting performance that saw India post 319/3 in 48 overs, the second half was a one-way affair as struggling Pakistan batsmen had no answers to the disciplined effort with the ball. It took India only 33.4 overs to run through the batting lineup as Pakistan managed to put just 164 on the board.
A rain interruption after 4.5 overs resulted in Pakistan’s target being revised from 324 runs in 48 overs to 289 runs from 41 overs and matters only got worse for them once Indian bowlers took charge. Opener Azhar Ali made fifty and barring Mohammad Hafeez, no Pakistan batsman could cross 20.
Umesh Yadav took three wickets while Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya took two wickets each. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dealt the first blow when he had Ahmed Shehzad trapped in front of the wicket for 12 runs. Pakistan’s batting failed to match up to the rising required run-rate and they never came close to overhauling India’s challenging total.
Earlier, Indian batsmen once again proved their superiority as each of the top four got half-centuries. It was a near-perfect exhibition of first-class batting as India posted a massive score despite the loss of momentum owing to frequent rain breaks. If Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan provided a strong start with an opening partnership of 136 runs, Virat Kohli anchored the chase with yet another brilliant knock.
After the first rain break that lasted 49 minutes, Dhawan switched gears. Having missed the warm-up game against New Zealand due to illness that had even required hospitalization, Yuvraj with his powerful knock of 53 from 32 balls, put all doubts to rest. He put on a 93-run stand with Virat before Hardik Pandya joined the party, smashing 20 from six balls to guide India close to the 320-mark. Yuvraj smashed Hasan Ali for 25 runs from 11 balls and it took him only 29 balls to get to his fifty.
The blitzkrieg in the end meant India amassed 72 runs from the last four overs.
Pakistan were once again guilty of dropping catches and their fielding remained poor. Virat was dropped on 43 and Yuvraj on eighth. Opting to field first after winning the toss, captain Sarfaraz Khan handed the ball to Imad Wasim after Mohammed Amir had started with a maiden. Wasim was also handed the final over and he conceded 23 runs. Playing Wahab Riaz over Junaid Khan proved costly as Riaz ended up with the most expensive figures in the Champions Trophy. The aggressive Pakistan bowler was carted for 87 runs from just 8.4 overs before he headed to the dressing room after hurting his ankle.
Brief scores: India 319/3 in 48 overs (Rohit Sharma 91, Virat Kohli 81, Shikhar Dhawan 68, Yuvraj Singh 53; Shadab Khan 1-52) beat Pakistan 164 in 33.4 overs (Azhar Ali 50, Mohammad Hafeez 33; Umesh Yadav 3-30, Ravindra Jadeja 2-43, Hardik Pandya 2-43) by 124 runs (D/L method).
Man of the Match: Yuvraj Singh
