India makes it six out of six

India made a blistering start to their campaign in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 by beating their arch-rivals by 76 runs at the Adelaide Oval. India rode on to brilliant century from Virat Kohli and couple of half centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina to establish the sixth win over Pakistan in as many matches in the biggest stage of the game. And this time they not only beat them but crushed them with a demoralizing defeat.

Getty Image

The day started off quite nicely for India as Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first on a flat deck that did not have much for the bowlers. Yet there was something early on for the bowlers and Pakistan seemed to have used that as they managed to keep India’s scoring rate down in the first 10 overs. However they managed to pick up only one wicket and that was Rohit Sharma. India’s batsmen Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli rose to the occasion and set the platform for a massive total with a 129-run second wicket partnership. Dhawan missed out on a deserved century as he was run out by a direct throw from Misbah-ul-Haq on 73. But Virat (107) did not give it away and for one more time showed that he is here to rule. Kohli slammed his 22^nd one day international hundred and what a knock it had been. He was well supported at the other end by Suresh Raina who made use of the set platform and scored a brilliant 76 off just 56 balls. However India’s batting in the last 5 overs was never up to the mark as wickets tumbled regularly and the Pakistani pacers restricted India to 300-7. India was clearly short by 20-30 runs and as at one time it seemed India would reach at least the 325-run mark. Pakistan’s Sohail Khan notched up 5 wickets in his first appearance on the biggest stage of the game but nobody really could keep India’s batting under pressure as India managed to pick up runs at a rate of 6 runs per over in the middle overs. Although they made a comeback in the final 5 overs to keep India’s total down, it was never convincing from Pakistan’s point of view.

Getty Image

Coming on to chase 301 Pakistan made the worst possible start as they lost their experienced campaigner Younus Khan (6) with just 11 runs on the board. Youngster Haris Sohail and Ahmed Shehzad somewhat tried to manage the situation and were looking until Ashwin came in and forced Sohail to edge one to the first slip. Pakistan was then 79-2 and still had a good chance of winning the game. The match was still in the balance but 3 quick wickets few overs later drifted the match into India’s favour. From 102-2, Pakistan went down to 103-5 as they lost Shehzad, Shoaib Maqsood and Umar Akmal within a span of 8 balls. And the final nail in the coffin was planted as Mohammad Shami picked up the wicket of Shahid Afridi in the 35^th over. With 147 runs more needed to score to win the match it looked improbable for Misbah-ul-Haq to do it for Pakistan single-handedly. Only what he did was delaying the inevitable and in the process showed that what was needed was just a bit of application which the other Pakistani batsmen failed to do. After Misbah’s wicket India needed only 8 more deliveries to wrap up the Pakistani innings. Mohammad Shami was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he returned with the figures of 9-1-35-4. Umesh Yadav picked up couple of crucial wickets in the middle and Mohit Sharma chipped in two wickets in the end as well. Ashwin got one wicket but his tight bowling at one end kept the pressure up to the batsmen that enabled the seamers to pick up the wickets. Ravindra Jadeja came back after a long time and had a decent day with the ball too. Overall it was a team effort that saw India getting onto the points table after the first match.

Getty Image

It was a wonderful start to the tournament for India while it was just the opposite for the Pakistanis. Almost everything went right for India on the day when it mattered most. India will next face West Indies within a week’s time. And Pakistan will need to pull up their socks in order make an impact in this tournament for it was the worst possible start they could have imagined. It was a one man show in the middle and beside him all that was happening was carnage.

(Cover Image: Getty)

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.