INDIA V PAK: MIND THE GAP

India bundle out Pak for 191 before Sharma hits 86 as hosts ease to a seven-wicket win in high-profile clash

- VIVEK KRISHNAN

Dominant. Breathtaking. Sublime. You can use any of these adjectives to describe India's performance, for all of it would be apt as they crushed Pakistan by seven wickets at a noisy Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Pakistan's performance, on the other hand, was abject and hopeless, imploding on a placid surface to be bundled out for 191 they lost their last eight wickets for 36 runs -- when they should have at least made a hundred more. Even that may not have been enough given Rohit Sharma's stroke-filled 86 off 63 balls, but it would have at least dragged the contest on for more than the 30.3 overs India batted. That was all it took for India to ease to 192/3 and notch up their third successive win of the World Cup campaign.

While India lost early wickets against Australia to stutter in their chase of 200, Sharma seemed in no mood to entertain a wobble on Saturday. He welcomed Shaheen Afridi with a flick towards square leg for four off the first ball of the innings, building on the confidence of his 63-ball ton versus Afghanistan three days ago.

Shubman Gill, playing his first game of the campaign, also looked in gorgeous touch, driving Hasan Ali either side of extra cover for boundaries in the second over.

When Ali tried to shift his line to the stumps, Gill clipped him for a four towards fine leg. Gill's innings ended when he cut a short ball by Afridi to Shadab Khan at point, but Sharma didn't ease up as India raced to fifty in 6.4 overs.

When Afridi pitched the ball short in the seventh over, Sharma pulled towards the deep backward square leg boundary for the game's first six.