India retain ODI WC dominance over Pak

Win by 7 wicketsin one-sided match; Bumrah, Kuldeep, Rohitstar

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

Call it motivation or momentum, but how far can a team battling inconsistency ride on those two factors in a big-ticket tournament?

Pakistan had both on their side going into Saturday’s blockbuster World Cup contest against a high quality Indian side in Ahmedabad but the factors soon faded away, eventually costing them a morale-crushing seven-wicket defeat, their 8th against India in ODI World Cups.

Put in to bat, Pakistan were on the right track at least for the first 30 overs, but what transpired thereafter was a nightmare the Men-in-Green will be eager to forget if they are to make a case for finding themselves in the top four in the competition.

Having restricted Pakistan to 191, India’s hunt was spearheaded by a classic 53rd ODI half century from the skipper Rohit Sharma, who ensured early Navaratri celebrations for the jampacked Narendra Modi Stadium crowd, with his fireworks that included six mighty sixes. And half of those six were conceded by Pakistan’s resident speed demon Haris Rauf. With World Cup debutant Shubman Gill (16) back in the side after recovering from a bout of dengue, Sharma allowed himself to get his eye. The youngster, slamming a flurry of boundaries, three of which came off Hasan Ali, provided India with a flying start before Shaheen Shah Afridi applied the brakes by taking Gill’s wicket.