| 0.0 : The D-day is here. It is game number 22 of the tournament and on paper it is just a league game. JUST. But in reality, it is nothing less than a final, if not more. The tickets for this fixture were sold out very quickly as soon as the dates were announced and now, everyone is ready. Grab your colas, your popcorns or whatever source of eating or drinking and fasten your seat belts. It is India-Pakistan again. |
| For a statistician, this will be nothing more than another one-sided contest. In spite of Pakistan being the better side in the previous two decades, they have never defeated India in a World Cup. And now, with tides changed, the task seems even more improbable. But this is the same Pakistan unit which beat England a few days ago, shocking the world. That is how unpredictable they are. Take them lightly at your own peril. |
| The experienced guys on both sides will be quietly confident but there still will be butterflies in the stomach. Do Pakistan have a mental block against India in World Cups? Will their young guns be able to shake off that block without much burden on their shoulders? Same goes to India. Having beaten Pakistan 6 times in a row in World Cups, the seventh chapter cannot be something different for the Indian fans. That brings a separate amount of pressure. Who will wilt? Who will sustain? For our sa |
| WEATHER REPORT - How's the weather? Will it rain? Will we get a full game? Will it be a washout? These are the common questions being asked since the last couple of days. We cannot say anything about the future but it has not rained since morning. However, the skies are getting overcast. This is what the forecast suggests - 'A mainly dry and bright start, but showers will soon start to cross from the southwest. A mix of sunny spells and heavy showers will then prevail, the showers turning heavy |
| PITCH REPORT - Michael Clarke says the toss won't matter a lot. States it looks a good wicket, it is a little dry and there is a little moisture underneath the wicket as there was rain yesterday. Mentions it should be a good batting wicket but you have to get through the new balls. Ends by saying the weather might play a role in the decision taken by the captains during the toss as DLS could come in play. |
| TOSS - It is time for the flip of the coin. The two captains are out there. Virat Kohli has the coin in his hand, he tosses it, Sarfaraz Ahmed calls tails and it lands in his favor. PAKISTAN WILL BE BOWLING FIRST! |
| Pakistan skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed, says the overhead conditions should assist the bowlers early on and they would want to make use of it. Informs they have two spinners and both are quality spinners and can make a difference. Ends by saying India against Pakistan is a big game and they are focused on it. |
| Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, says they would have bowled first as well, the conditions are pretty good for bowling at the moment but the wicket is good, looks a little dry though and he hopes the two wrist spinners can make use of it later on. States the team which holds its nerve will probably win the game and they are very focused. Informs they have a forced change as Shikhar Dhawan has to sit out due to an injury and Vijay Shankar comes in as he gives them a lot more balance. |
| Pakistan (Playing XI) - Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK/C), Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim (IN FOR ASIF ALI), Shadab Khan ( IN FOR SHAHEEN AFRIDI), Hassan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir. |
| India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Vijay Shankar (IN FOR SHIKHAR DHAWAN), MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah. |
| Time for the National Anthems! The two teams make their way out to the middle. Pakistan will sing their first and then it will be India's turn. |
| Done and dusted with the National Anthems! It is time for the action to get underway. Pakistan are in a huddle and now make their way out to the middle. A new opening pair for India as KL Rahul walks out with Rohit Sharma. The former will take strike and he will be facing Mohammad Amir who has the first new ball in hand. He is in excellent form in this tournament so far. Pakistan would love it if he strikes early. Two slips in place. Here we go... |
| 0.1 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Starts off right on the money! On a length and around off, angles this one away. Rahul shuffles across and keeps it out. |
| 0.2 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Once again on a length and around off, no movement on the first two balls for Amir. Rahul is solid in defense once again. |
| 0.3 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Well bowled! Amir goes full this time, gives the ball more opportunity to do its bit. It does tail back in and Rahul strokes it to mid on by getting his front leg out of the way. |
| 0.4 : M Amir to KL Rahul, This is wider outside off, Amir wants Rahul to play a loose shot early on. Rahul shoulders arms to it. |
| 0.5 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Another one outside off, Rahul leaves it alone again. |
| 0.6 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Third leave in a row! Outside off again and Rahul lets it be. A maiden to begin with by Amir. Good start for Pakistan. |
| Hassan Ali to bowl from the other end with the second new ball. |
| 1.1 : H Ali to R Sharma, Goes fuller in length but no movement on offer. Rohit strokes it to mid off. |
| 1.2 : H Ali to R Sharma, Just short! A loose shot. Fullish again and this one comes back in from outside off. Rohit looks to drive it with loose hands but it goes off the inner half uppishly but short of the bowler. |
| 1.3 : H Ali to R Sharma, FOUR! Rohit and India are off the mark with a boundary! Streaky one but they won't care. Hassan Ali drags his length back and this one jags back in after pitching. Rohit looks to put bat on ball but the ball goes off the inner half, over the stumps and into the fine leg fence. |
| 1.4 : H Ali to R Sharma, Hits the length hard and gets it to bounce nicely. Rohit stands tall and defends it onto the ground. |
| 1.5 : H Ali to R Sharma, First runs off the middle! On the pads, Rohit works it through square leg and takes two. |
| 1.6 : H Ali to R Sharma, Three to end a good second over for India. This is on the pads again, Rohit flicks it past square leg. The fielder gives it a chase and pulls it back before the ball crosses the ropes. Saves a run for his side. |
| 2.1 : M Amir to R Sharma, Caught in two minds here! Rohit is a little worried about the inswinger. He first looks to defend this ball around off but then seeing it angle away, tries to leave. Too late till then and Rohit gets a bottom edge to the keeper. It goes on the bounce. |
| 2.2 : M Amir to R Sharma, A bumper now with a lot of fizz. Sharma is beaten for pace as he looks to pull. |
| 2.3 : M Amir to R Sharma, Good length and outside off, Sharma leaves it alone. Amir is warned OFFICIALLY for running onto the danger area. An early warning, he needs to be careful now. Sarfaraz is not happy about the early warning but the umpire says he did warn him before. |
| 2.4 : M Amir to R Sharma, Back of a length on the pads, Rohit Sharma works it towards square leg and gets to the other end. |
| 2.5 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Angles this one away from the batter, Rahul shoulders arms to it. Watchful start by KL. |
| 2.6 : M Amir to KL Rahul, A single to end! Rahul works it towards square leg and takes one. He too gets off the mark. |
| 3.1 : H Ali to KL Rahul, A little too straight this time, Rahul works it down to fine leg for one. Hassan is bowling a little too straight. They have two slips in place and this is not the line he should be bowling. |
| 3.2 : H Ali to R Sharma, Perfect! On a length and around off, it is kept out. |
| 3.3 : H Ali to R Sharma, FOUR! Beats the diving mid off fielder and it races away! Lovely shot. It is just a mere push there. Fuller on off by Hassan. Rohit uses the pace and strokes it past the mid off fielder and it races away to the fence. |
| 3.4 : H Ali to R Sharma, BEATEN! Rash shot! Shorter in length and outside off, Rohit looks to slash at it but there is not that much width on offer. He gets beaten. The ball also moves away after passing the bat. Sarfaraz has no problem to collect it though. |
| 3.5 : H Ali to R Sharma, Goes wide of the crease and then angles it on off, Rohit is solid in defense. So after the initially shaky start, Rohit now seems to be hitting the middle. |
| 3.6 : H Ali to R Sharma, Just as I write that, an unconvincing defensive shot. Length and around off, this one comes back in. Rohit looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 4.1 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Amir continues bowling it on a length and angles it away. Rahul leaves it alone. |
| 4.2 : M Amir to KL Rahul, FOUR! Good shot! Rahul had no intentions to keep that down. It is short and on middle, Rahul is up for the challenge. He goes back and pulls it over the square leg fielder for a boundary. First for him. |
| 4.3 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Almost drags it on! Rahul gets carried away with the last boundary. He looks to smash this through the off side but goes too hard at it and also away from the body. He gets an inside edge past the leg pole and towards the keeper. |
| 4.4 : M Amir to KL Rahul, On the fuller side outside off, Amir may have rolled his fingers on this delivery. Rahul shoulders arms to it. The umpire walks down to the middle of the wicket, has a look and then warns Amir for the SECOND TIME OFFICIALLY! Amir really needs to be careful, one more mistake and he can't bowl in this game. |
| 4.5 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Back of a length on off, Rahul keeps it out. |
| 4.6 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Well bowled! Once again rolls his fingers on this delivery. It pitches and moves away. Rahul ends up playing inside the line and gets beaten. |
| 5.1 : H Ali to R Sharma, On a good length and around off, Rohit blocks it late. |
| 5.2 : H Ali to R Sharma, Back of a length and on middle, Rohit works it towards mid-wicket for one. |
| Amit - I know why Amir is continuously stepping on that danger area. Pakistan are fielding two spinners in their side today. By landing on those areas, Amir wants to create some footmarks which will assist his team's spinners. Well, Amit, Sarfaraz may not want to lose out Amir so early in this innings, just to help his spinners. |
| 5.3 : H Ali to KL Rahul, Goes short this time and around off, Rahul gets on top of the bounce and pulls it through mid-wicket for one. |
| 5.4 : H Ali to R Sharma, FOUR! Short, wide and smashed! Width on offer outside off and Rohit pounces on it. He slaps it past the diving cover-point fielder and it races away to the fence. Sarfaraz is not happy with that line and rightly so. |
| 5.5 : H Ali to R Sharma, Sarfaraz is happy with this though. Hassan lands it on a length and outside off, Rohit shoulders arms to it. |
| 5.6 : H Ali to R Sharma, SIX! Stand and deliver! Trademark Rohit Sharma. Slightly shorter and on off, the key here was Rohit picks the length early. He just leans back a little and pulls it high and handsome over the mid-wicket fence. A very good over for India, 12 from it. |
| 6.1 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Good length and outside off, it is left alone. |
| 6.2 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Another good delivery! Around off and Amir gets it to slant away. Rahul leaves it alone. |
| Just like you bat in partnerships, you bowl in partnerships as well. Amir is building pressure at one end while Hassan is releasing it at the other. Pakistan need pressure to be built from both ends. A bowling change might be seen soon. |
| 6.3 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Good length and just outside off, Rahul guides it down to third man and gets to the other end. |
| 6.4 : M Amir to R Sharma, Good running! Rohit drops it towards the off side and takes off. The fielder does score a direct hit at the keeper's end but Rahul was well in. |
| 6.5 : M Amir to KL Rahul, Good delivery again! Length and on off, Rahul ends up playing outside the line, he gets an inside edge to short fine leg. |
| 6.6 : M Amir to KL Rahul, A bye! Length and outside off, Rahul lets it be. This bounces just ahead of Ahmed who fails to stop it cleanly and a run is taken. A good over though from Amir. He is keeping it tight, Pakistan need the same from the other end. |
| Wahab Riaz is on now! This change was on, Hassan Ali was not bowling that well. |
| 7.1 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, Starts off with a ball on the pads, this is worked through square leg for one. |
| 7.2 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Shorter in length and on middle, this one skids through. Rohit awkwardly pulls it towards square leg for one. |
| 7.3 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, Back of a length on off, Rahul stands tall and defends it onto the ground. |
| 7.4 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, Another back of a length delivery, Rahul waits for it and then guides it down to third man for one. |
| 7.5 : W Riaz to R Sharma, A little fuller and on off, Rohit lunges and defends it onto the ground. |
| 7.6 : W Riaz to R Sharma, FOUR! Just over! Wahab goes short and on the body, Rohit helps it on its way, hits it uppishly but just over the jumping short fine leg fielder and into the fence. Spoils the over, another good one for India. |
| Imad Wasim is on now! Change from both ends for Pakistan. |
| 8.1 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, False start for Imad as he bowls this one down the leg side. Rahul looks to flick but misses. Wided. |
| I Wasim to KL Rahul, On the stumps, this is pushed back to the bowler. |
| 8.2 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Flatter on the stumps, Rahul works it through square leg for one. |
| 8.3 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Another one on the pads, Rohit flicks it through square leg and rotates strike. |
| 8.4 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Goes wide of the crease and attacks the middle stump. Rahul strokes it back to the bowler. |
| 8.5 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Fires this into the pads, Rahul pushes it to mid-wicket. |
| 8.6 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, A single to end! On the pads again, Imad continues to bowl a straighter line. Rahul flicks it through square leg for one. Just the four from the over, a tidy start by Imad. |
| 9.1 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, A big, big confusion but no harm in the end! Pakistan should have had their first wicket. A huge miss there. Wahab bowls it on middle, Rahul works it through mid-wicket. They take one, Rohit wants a second and is sprinting to the other end. Rahul initially starts off but then calls 'NO' with his hand up. Rohit does not spot that untill he reaches halfway. Zaman in the deep, picks the ball up and in a rush, without looking, throws it to the bowler's end. Wahab fails to co |
| 9.2 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Good length on off, it is guided to point. |
| 9.3 : W Riaz to R Sharma, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. One run added to the total. |
| 9.4 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, Outside off, this is guided down to third man for one. |
| 9.5 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Another confusion! This is worked towards mid-wicket and Rahul wants a run but Rohit sends him back. |
| 9.6 : W Riaz to R Sharma, FOUR! Brings the 50 up for the team in style! Riaz bowls it shorter and outside off, Rohit plays it late and cuts it past point. No chance for third man. Once again the last ball spoils Wahab's over. India have dominated Powerplay 1. They are 53 for no loss after it. |
| POWERPLAY 2 time. Danger period for Pakistan. Neither opener has been dismissed. Just like Australia experienced against India, the Men In Green might be in line for some upswing in the run rate now. 4 fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle till the 40th over. |
| 10.1 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, FOUR! Swept and swept nice and fine! Played that with the angle. It is fired in on the pads, Rahul goes down on one knee, uses the pace of the bowler and hits it to the fine leg fence. |
| 10.2 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Well played again! Rahul uses his feet but does not get to the pitch of the ball. He still manages to chip it over the mid-wicket fielder. They take two. Imam in the deep fumbles and an extra run is taken. |
| 10.3 : I Wasim to R Sharma, On the pads again, this is worked towards short fine leg for one. |
| 10.4 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, BEAUTY! That has straightened! This is pitched around leg, the ball straightens after pitching. Rahul looks to play it with a closed face of the bat but misses to get hit high on the pads. |
| 10.5 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Wayward throw! Another run out opportunity missed! Rahul pushes this towards point and sets off. Rohit responds. Shadab is quick to the ball but releases a wild throw by diving across to his right, way too away from the keeper. Pakistan have not started well in the field. Maybe the nerves of such a big game has gotten to them. This is one example as Shadab is usually a brilliant fielder and he has messed up big time over here. |
| 10.6 : I Wasim to R Sharma, A dot to end! On off, Sharma keeps it out. 9 from the over, another productive one for India. |
| Shadab Khan into the attack now. |
| 11.1 : S Khan to KL Rahul, FOUR! Bad ball to start. Short and wide outside off, turning away, Rahul uses the width, goes deep in his crease and cuts it behind point for a boundary. |
| 11.2 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Another bad ball, short and wide outside off, cut through point for a single this time. |
| 11.3 : S Khan to R Sharma, More rubbish from Shadab. A plethora of half trackers from the leg spinner. Rohit picks the length in a trice and wallops the pull in the mid-wicket region. Almost gets a boundary but Hassan Ali runs to his right and stops the ball well. Two runs taken. |
| 11.4 : S Khan to R Sharma, SIX! Oh dear. Bad, worse, worst nothing beyond the superlative. This is a horror start from Shadab. After bowling it short, he does not land this one at all. Rohit pulls it over mid-wicket for half a dozen. |
| 11.5 : S Khan to R Sharma, FOUR! Now the length is full and Rohit drives it behind point. Seems like there is no fielder out when India are batting. 43rd ODI Fifty for Rohit. 7th against Pakistan. 3rd 50-plus score on the trot for him in this World Cup. Looks good to get his second ton in this edition. |
| 11.6 : S Khan to R Sharma, Full and around off, watchfully defended. 17 from the over! Have India got the kickstart they needed? |
| 12.1 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 12.2 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Quicker one outside off, Rahul looks to cut but misses. |
| 12.3 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Short in length, punched off the back foot for a single. |
| 12.4 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Full and straight, watchfully defended. |
| 12.5 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Arrowed in on middle, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 12.6 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Landed outside off, played straight to point. |
| 13.1 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Full on middle, Rahul drives it straight back. 'PAKAD!' yells Sarfaraz. Shadab dives to his right but misses the ball. A single taken towards long on. |
| 13.2 : S Khan to R Sharma, Full and outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 13.3 : S Khan to R Sharma, Tossed up outside off, driven through the covers for a single. |
| 13.4 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Floated around off, watchfully kept out. |
| 13.5 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Struggling for control, bowls this too full, outside off, Rahul strokes it towards long off for a run. |
| 13.6 : S Khan to R Sharma, Around off and outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 14.1 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Fuller and on middle, this is hit down to long on for one. |
| 14.2 : I Wasim to R Sharma, On off, Rohit strokes it through covers for one. |
| 14.3 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Good stop! This pitches on off and then straightens. Rahul looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards short third man where the fielder makes a good diving stop. A run only. |
| 14.4 : I Wasim to R Sharma, On off again, this is defended. |
| 14.5 : I Wasim to R Sharma, A single now as Rohit eases it down to long off. |
| 14.6 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, A dot to end a tidy over by Imad. Fires it on off, Rahul pushes it to covers. |
| 15.1 : S Khan to R Sharma, FOUR! Lovely placement! Shadab is struggling here. He has gone for 24 in the 13 balls he has bowled. Shorter and outside off, Rohit goes back and guides it past point for a boundary. |
| 15.2 : S Khan to R Sharma, Better! Lands it on off and gets it to spin away. Rohit puts in a good stride forward and looks to defend with soft hands but it goes off the outer half towards backward point. |
| 15.3 : S Khan to R Sharma, Slower through the air outside off, Sharma looks to sweep but misses. |
| 15.4 : S Khan to R Sharma, Three good balls in a row! On off, Rohit blocks it. |
| 15.5 : S Khan to R Sharma, The googly, Rohit picks it and works it down to long on for one. |
| 15.6 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Another single as Rahul pushes it through covers for one. A good comeback by Shadab after going for a boundary on the very first ball. |
| 16.1 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, On the fuller side, this is hit down to long off for one. |
| 16.2 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Another tossed up ball on off, Rohit this time eases it to long off for one. |
| 16.3 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Rahul opens the face of the bat at the very end and guides it through cover for one. |
| 16.4 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Works it with the angle, uppishly but wide of mid-wicket and down towards wide long on for the 4th single in the over. |
| 16.5 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Rahul feels he missed out there! Down the leg side, Rahul looks to sweep but misses. Wided. Had he connected, it would have been a boundary. |
| I Wasim to KL Rahul, Flatter and on off, Rahul pushes it towards point. |
| 16.6 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, A single to end! 6 from the over. Rahul pushes it down to long on for one. |
| 17.1 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Slower through the air and outside off, left alone. |
| 17.2 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Lovely bowling! Slows it up and lands it on off, Rahul leans forward and keeps it out. |
| 17.3 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Flatter and on off, this is pushed through covers for one. The 100 is up for India. This is their first 100-run stand for the opening partnership against Pakistan in ICC ODI World Cups for India. The openers have provided the best possible start. Also, it has come up in very quick time. The foundation is laid here for a big score. |
| 17.4 : S Khan to R Sharma, Flighted ball on off, Rohit strokes it through mid off for one. |
| 17.5 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Another good delivery! The googly on off, Rahul defends it late onto the ground. |
| 17.6 : S Khan to KL Rahul, A very good over by Shadab comes to an end. He ends with a slider on off which Rahul pushes to cover. Need a few more like these do Pakistan. |
| Drinks break. It's all India at the moment! Apart from winning the toss, nothing has gone Pakistan's way. There were a few half chances but they have not taken them and the pair of Rohit and Rahul are just dominating proceedings at the moment. 18 overs done, Pakistan have used all their main bowlers but apart from Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim, to an extent, all have struggled at the big stage. They need to regroup in this mini-break and come out with some different strategy. For India, it's all |
| 18.1 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Shortish and on off, Rohit goes on the back foot and punches it to sweeper cover. |
| 18.2 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Beaten in flight this time, Rahul. He stays back to a full ball around off when he should have been forward but eventually does well to block it on the off side. |
| 18.3 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Slower on off, Rahul guides it to point. |
| 18.4 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, On off again and Rahul pushes it back from where it came. |
| 18.5 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, On the stumps again, Rahul keeps it out. This is turning out to be another good over. |
| 18.6 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Imad ends it well too! Back-to-back tight overs for Pakistan. The last ball is pushed through covers for one. |
| 19.1 : S Khan to KL Rahul, The batsman has pushed it to the cover region. One run added to the total. |
| 19.2 : S Khan to R Sharma, Gets it to drift in from off and then turns it away. RS blocks it. |
| 19.3 : S Khan to R Sharma, Very full outside off, Rohit initially looks to sweep but then seeing the length, jams it out to point. |
| A halt in play as Rohit needs to tie his shoe laces! |
| 19.4 : S Khan to R Sharma, Flatter and on off, this is guided through point for an easy run. |
| 19.5 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Another dot as Rahul defends it towards point. He wanted a run but is sent back. |
| 19.6 : S Khan to KL Rahul, Gets away with one there Shadab! Rahul gets into position early to play the reverse sweep. Shadab looks to fire it in but ends up bowling a full toss. Rahul plays the reverse but straight to backward point. A dot to end! Just the 6 from the last 3 overs. |
| 20.1 : I Wasim to R Sharma, On the stumps, this is pushed down to long on for one. |
| 20.2 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Flatter and outside off, Rahul slaps it through covers for one. |
| 20.3 : I Wasim to R Sharma, On off, it straightens. Takes the outside edge of Rohit's bat and rolls towards short third man for a run. |
| 20.4 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Quicker and on off, Rahul strokes it through covers for one. |
| 20.5 : I Wasim to R Sharma, This is worked to the left of mid-wicket who dives over the ball and a run is taken. |
| 20.6 : I Wasim to KL Rahul, Good running! This is worked to the longer part of the ground towards square leg and the batters take two. |
| STAT ALERT! Whenever India's openers have put on a century stand in the ODI World Cup, their win percentage is 86 percent! (6 of 7 prior instances). |
| Shoaib Malik is on now! |
| 21.1 : S Malik to R Sharma, Flatter and on off, Rohit keeps it out towards the off side and takes one. |
| 21.2 : S Malik to KL Rahul, Shorter on middle, Rahul whips it towards deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 21.3 : S Malik to R Sharma, Works it with the turn through square leg for one. |
| 21.4 : S Malik to KL Rahul, SIX! Just clears the fence! Fifty for Rahul. He has ensured India don't miss Dhawan here. He went about things slowly but a good innings nevertheless. There is a ton on the offering here. Rahul gets to his half ton in style. Sees the length is short, rocks back and pulls it in the gap in the mid-wicket region. It goes all the way. |
| 21.5 : S Malik to KL Rahul, On middle, Rahul paddles it towards short fine leg for one. |
| 21.6 : S Malik to R Sharma, Another single as Rohit works it through mid-wicket for one. Expensive start by Malik. |
| Here comes the Professor. Pakistan desperately need Hafeez to strut his experience. |
| 22.1 : M Hafeez to R Sharma, FOUR! Good afternoon, Professor! What a welcome to the senior guy. Tossed up around middle, Rohit comes down the track and bashes this past Hafeez to the long on fence! |
| 22.2 : M Hafeez to R Sharma, Outside off, pushed through point for a single. |
| 22.3 : M Hafeez to KL Rahul, Comes down the track and drives it straight to short cover. |
| 22.4 : M Hafeez to KL Rahul, Around middle, worked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 22.5 : M Hafeez to KL Rahul, SIX! Oh wow. Rahul gets into the act now. Don't look like India are interested in the Professor's classes. Tossed up outside off, Rahul comes down the track and lofts it cleanly inside out over wide long off! |
| 22.6 : M Hafeez to KL Rahul, Dangerously picks this from the off and middle stump, sweeping it fine but straight to short fine leg. Rahul wants a single but Rohit sends him back. Good call. That went very quickly to the fielder. 11 each from the opening overs of the 2 part-timers. |
| Wahab Riaz is back on! Just the one over for Malik. |
| 23.1 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Length and outside off, Rohit plays it late down towards third man for one. |
| 23.2 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, A bumper but it is a wild one! Way down the leg side, wided. |
| W Riaz to KL Rahul, Back of a length on off, Rahul defends it onto the ground. |
| 23.3 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, Back of a length again on off, Rahul goes back and keeps it out. Wahab now gets an OFFICIAL WARNING for running onto the danger area. So Amir already has been given two and Wahab now has one. Worrying signs for Pakistan. |
| 23.4 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, Goes around the wicket and then lands it on a length around off, Rahul guides it to point. |
| 23.5 : W Riaz to KL Rahul, OUT! Soft dismissal and Pakistan have finally got the much-needed wicket. It has come completely against the run of play though. A good ball though from Wahab. It is just behind the driving length on off. Sticks in the wicket a little. Rahul looks to drive it through covers but ends up chipping it straight to Azam there. He makes no mistake and reverse cups it safely. Rahul will be disappointed as there was a century for the taking. He played a handy role though in the |
| Indian skipper Virat Kohli comes on at number 3, replacing Rahul. Is 57 short of becoming the fastest to 11,000 ODI runs. |
| 23.6 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Needles shot first up by Kohli. He goes after a very wide delivery. Ends up chopping it to point. End of a successful over for Pakistan. |
| Hassan Ali is back on. 3-0-27-0 so far. |
| 24.1 : H Ali to R Sharma, Short and way too wide outside off, Sharma looks to cut but misses. Wided. |
| H Ali to R Sharma, The batsman plays it with an angled bat and guides it to third man. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 24.2 : H Ali to V Kohli, Outside off, Kohli slaps it through covers for a run. Gets off the mark with a confident shot. |
| 24.3 : H Ali to R Sharma, FOUR! Fortunate one! Second time today he has got a boundary in that fashion against Hassan and the bowler can't believe his luck. Shorter and outside off, Rohit looks to guide it down to third man but the ball comes back in sharply. It hits the under edge and goes over the stumps and then to the fine leg fence. |
| 24.4 : H Ali to R Sharma, Good length again around off, this is guided through backward point and towards third man for one. |
| 24.5 : H Ali to V Kohli, Goes short! Kohli mistimes his pull but gets it through the vacant mid-wicket region for two. |
| 24.6 : H Ali to V Kohli, Back of a length on off, Kohli defends it onto the ground. Hassan Ali continues to be expensive. |
| 25.1 : W Riaz to R Sharma, On middle, Rohit works it with the angle towards mid-wicket. |
| 25.2 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Lovely shot! Just times it through covers and takes two. Nicely used the pace of the bowler there. |
| 25.3 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Back of a length on off, Rohit plays it late and down to third man for one. |
| 25.4 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Good running! Kohli taps it towards point and takes off straightaway. Rohit responds and a run is completed with ease. 150 up for India. |
| 25.5 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Slower one on off, Rohit strokes it through covers for one. |
| 25.6 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Angled into the batsman, Kohli looks to flick but misses to get hit high on the pads. A muted appeal from the bowler but he is the only one doing so. |
| 26.1 : H Ali to R Sharma, Outside off, it is left alone. |
| 26.2 : H Ali to R Sharma, SIX! Majestic shot! Into the 90s is Rohit Sharma. Short and wide outside off, Sharma slaps it right off the middle and the ball sails over the point fence. |
| 26.3 : H Ali to R Sharma, Good comeback! On a length and around off, Sharma goes back and defends it onto the ground. |
| 26.4 : H Ali to R Sharma, Length again on off, Rohit guides it to point. |
| 26.5 : H Ali to R Sharma, On the pads, this is worked towards fine leg for one. |
| 26.6 : H Ali to V Kohli, Excellent running! Length and around off, Kohli looks to drive with hard hands but it goes off the inner half towards square leg. They run the first one hard and then go for the second, complete it. Another expensive over by Hassan Ali. His second spell has gone for 19 and he has bowled only 2. |
| 27.1 : W Riaz to R Sharma, This is angled into the batsman, Rohit works it to mid-wicket. |
| 27.2 : W Riaz to R Sharma, On the body, this is pulled towards fine leg for one. |
| 27.3 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Good length on off, Kohli does well to defend it by taking one hand off the handle. |
| 27.4 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Extra bounce there! Wahab is bending his back. Back of a length on middle, it takes off after pitching. Hits Kohli on the glove as he tries to defend. |
| 27.5 : W Riaz to V Kohli, A little bit of width on this one outside off. Kohli guides it down to third man for one. |
| 27.6 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Slower one but it comes out wrong. Way too wide outside off, left alone. Wided. |
| W Riaz to R Sharma, Another easy run as Rohit taps it towards backward point. |
| Mohammad Amir is back! He was brilliantly in his first spell. Can he get either of Rohit or Kohli here? That is probably why he has been brought back on. |
| 28.1 : M Amir to R Sharma, On the pads, this is worked towards fine leg for one. Moves onto 95. |
| 28.2 : M Amir to V Kohli, Back of a length on off, it is kept out. |
| 28.3 : M Amir to V Kohli, Almost does get Kohli. Amir angles this across Virat. Kohli looks to guide it down to third man but misses. A few words by Amir but Kohli does not respond. |
| 28.4 : M Amir to V Kohli, Back of a length again on off, Kohli pushes it to mid off. |
| 28.5 : M Amir to V Kohli, Continues bowling it on a length and around off. VK defends it out. Just the run from the over so far. |
| 28.6 : M Amir to V Kohli, It remains that way! Full and outside off, Kohli shoulders arms to it. |
| Shadab Khan is back on. |
| 29.1 : S Khan to R Sharma, Full and flighted outside off, Sharma drives it through covers and takes a single. |
| 29.2 : S Khan to V Kohli, Keeps a slip in place and bowls it short on off, Virat moves back and punches it down to long on for one. |
| 29.3 : S Khan to R Sharma, Flatter and shorter again on off, it's stroked from the crease to sweeper cover for another single in this over. |
| 29.4 : S Khan to V Kohli, Loopy and full on off, Kohli leans into the drive and chips his drive wide of the cover fielder for one. |
| 29.5 : S Khan to R Sharma, Moves to 99, Rohit! A delightful cover drive by Rohit and he returns for the second run. |
| 29.6 : S Khan to R Sharma, 24th ODI HUNDRED FOR ROHIT SHARMA! Becomes the second Indian after Kohli to hit a ton against Pakistan in the ICC ODI World Cup. What a knock by the Hitman! He reaches there by cracking a short ball through cover-point for one. The Indian dressing room is on its feet. This is also his third fastest hundred in this format. We all know, he doesn't sit back quiet after hitting a century, watch out Pakistan, here comes Rohit aiming for his fourth double hundred. |
| 30.1 : M Amir to R Sharma, The batsman plays it with an angled bat and guides it to third man. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 30.2 : M Amir to V Kohli, FOUR! You need not run for such shots! Outstanding. Not a very bad delivery, it is on a length and around off, Kohli stands tall and hits it on the up through covers. |
| 30.3 : M Amir to V Kohli, Good length on off, Kohli guides it to point. |
| 30.4 : M Amir to V Kohli, Slower one outside off, Kohli guides it down to third man for one. |
| 30.5 : M Amir to R Sharma, Rohit now plays it down to third man for one. |
| 30.6 : M Amir to V Kohli, Goes for a surprise short ball, Kohli is up for the challenge though. He pulls it over mid-wicket and takes two. |
| 31.1 : S Khan to R Sharma, This is flatter and on off, Rohit pushes it down to long on. |
| 31.2 : S Khan to V Kohli, The batsman has driven it through mid-off. They pick up a single. |
| 31.3 : S Khan to R Sharma, Just short! This is fired outside off, Rohit slaps it uppishly but well short of the point fielder who misfields and a run is taken. |
| 31.4 : S Khan to V Kohli, The googly on middle, it is kept out. |
| 31.5 : S Khan to V Kohli, Very full on off, Kohli hits it wide of long off and takes two. The 50-run stand is up. This pair is building up on the good start provided by the opening wicket. They are going along at a good pace too. |
| 31.6 : S Khan to V Kohli, The batsman has pushed it to the cover region. One run added to the total. |
| Imad Wasim is back! His figures read 7-0-33-0. |
| 32.1 : I Wasim to V Kohli, This is fired outside off, Kohli looks to run it down to third man but the ball hits the higher portion and then the middle and rolls towards point. |
| 32.2 : I Wasim to V Kohli, Flatter and on middle, Kohli pushes it down to long on for one. |
| 32.3 : I Wasim to R Sharma, In the air... but soft! Rohit did well to take one hand off. This is floated on off, Rohit looks to drive but the ball sticks on the surface. He takes one hand off the handle and hence, it lands well short of the fielder at extra cover. |
| 32.4 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Flatter now on off, Sharma pushes it through covers for one. |
| 32.5 : I Wasim to V Kohli, This is eased down to long on for one. |
| 32.6 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Another single as Rohit punches it down to long on. |
| 33.1 : S Khan to R Sharma, Well bowled! Sees Rohit come down and shortens the length. RS adjusts and cuts it to point. |
| 33.2 : S Khan to R Sharma, Flatter and outside off, Rohit looks to cut but ends up chopping it towards short third man for one. |
| 33.3 : S Khan to V Kohli, This is hit through covers and Kohli takes a run. |
| 33.4 : S Khan to R Sharma, Big turn there! More than Pakistan, India would love this as it could only get worse. Slower through the air outside off, Rohit lets it be. It turns and bounces away sharply. |
| 33.5 : S Khan to R Sharma, FOUR! That went to the fence in a jiffy. Rohit plays the slog sweep and it runs away from the deep mid-wicket fielder for a boundary. |
| 33.6 : S Khan to R Sharma, A couple to end another good over for India. Rohit pushes this wide of long on and takes two. |
| 34.1 : I Wasim to V Kohli, On off, defended. |
| 34.2 : I Wasim to V Kohli, Flighted on off, Kohli strokes it towards cover where the fielder gets a hand to it and deflects it towards long off. One taken. 200 up for India. |
| 34.3 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Easy two! Rohit works it wide of deep square leg and takes a brace. |
| 34.4 : I Wasim to R Sharma, On the stumps, it is kept out. |
| 34.5 : I Wasim to R Sharma, EDGED AND FOUR! No slip in place! Imad lands this on off, it straightens. Rohit looks to push at it but ends up playing inside the line. The ball goes off the outside edge and to the third man fence. |
| 34.6 : I Wasim to R Sharma, A dot to end! So despite the boundary, just 7 from the over. Rohit pushes this to the right of the bowler who gets there and saves a run. |
| Wahab Riaz is brought back on! |
| 35.1 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Pacey ball! Short and hurries onto Kohli. He looks to pull but the ball hits the glove and rolls towards the leg side for one. |
| 35.2 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Back of a length on off, Rohit pushes it to covers. |
| 35.3 : W Riaz to R Sharma, FOUR! Up and over! Slower one and it is short and outside off, Rohit cuts it over point and it races to the fence. |
| 35.4 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Now a couple! Too easy at the moment for India. This is worked through mid-wicket and the batters take two. |
| 35.5 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Plays this one late and guides it down to third man for one. |
| 35.6 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Another single to end! This is on the pads, it is worked to fine leg for one. 24 from the last 3 overs and that too without any risk taken. |
| Drinks break. India are motoring! They are looking to bat Pakistan out of this game. 14 overs to go and the Men in Blue have two set batsmen in middle. Rohit Sharma is going great guns and Virat Kohli is playing the supporting role superbly. With the firepower left in the Indian batting order, they will be targeting a total close to 350, if not more. Pakistan have been very clueless in the field. They usually do well in the death overs and that's what Sarfaraz will be banking on at the moment. W |
| 36.1 : I Wasim to V Kohli, On off, Rohit guides it to short third man. |
| 36.2 : I Wasim to V Kohli, Very full on the pads, this is whipped down to long on for one. |
| 36.3 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Shorter and on off, Rohit guides it through point for one. |
| 36.4 : I Wasim to V Kohli, Floated up on off, Kohli hits it wide of long off and a run is taken. |
| 36.5 : I Wasim to R Sharma, Rohit dances down the track but does not get to the pitch of it. He strokes it to long off for one. |
| 36.6 : I Wasim to V Kohli, A single to end! 5 from the over. Kohli hits this one down to long on and gets to the other end. End of Imad Wasim with the ball for tonight. Not bad figures for him. He finishes with 10-0-49-0. |
| 37.1 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Length and on off, Kohli plays it late down to third man for one. |
| 37.2 : W Riaz to R Sharma, FOUR! If you bowl short to Sharma, you will be punished. Short and on the body, Rohit swivels and pulls it over backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 37.3 : W Riaz to R Sharma, On the bounce! Goes short again and on the body, Rohit pulls it uppishly but on the bounce to fine leg. One run. |
| 37.4 : W Riaz to V Kohli, A little too straight again, Kohli looks to flick but misses. The ball hits the pads and rolls towards square leg. Leg bye taken. |
| 37.5 : W Riaz to R Sharma, Lovely shot! Stays leg side to the delivery and manages to guide it through backward point. Third man gets across to his right and keeps it down to two. |
| 37.6 : W Riaz to R Sharma, A quick single to end! Full and on middle, Rohit strokes it towards mid on. |
| Change in bowling. Hassan Ali returns. He has been very expensive in first 5 overs, conceding 45. Time for redemption? |
| 38.1 : H Ali to R Sharma, FOUR! Hassan is a marked man! Starts his new spell with a short ball and Rohit pulls it without any issue over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 38.2 : H Ali to R Sharma, OUT! Rohit Sharma is gone! No double century this time. Tries to be cheeky and that brings his downfall! Hassan delivers it on a length outside off and Rohit shuffles across the stumps with the intention of spooning it over short fine leg. But he doesn't get the desired connection and Wahab Riaz takes a simple catch inside the ring. Sharma is gutted with himself. He wanted to get his fourth double ton at the grandest stage. Anyway, a handsome knock by The Hitman and he w |
| Hardik Pandya is the new man in. He can add to Pakistan's misery here. If he gets in, he can take the game away quickly from Pakistan. |
| 38.3 : H Ali to H Pandya, Pandya defends it from within the crease. |
| 38.4 : H Ali to H Pandya, Short in length and outside off, Hardik cuts it powerfully and it races away. The sweeper cuts it off at the very last moment and saves two for his team. |
| 38.5 : H Ali to H Pandya, On the pads, Pandya flicks it in the gap at mid-wicket and calls for two. Completes it with ease. |
| 38.6 : H Ali to H Pandya, Short and outside off, Pandya tries to cut but misses. End of a successful over from Hassan. |
| Shadab Khan is back on! |
| 39.1 : S Khan to V Kohli, FOUR! Welcome back into the attack, Khan. Short and on middle, Kohli goes back and pulls it in the vacant mid-wicket region and bags a boundary. |
| 39.2 : S Khan to V Kohli, Misfield and another run! Shorter and on off, Kohli slaps it towards cover. They take one. The fielder fumbles and they run another. |
| 39.3 : S Khan to V Kohli, This is guided towards short third man for one. |
| 39.4 : S Khan to H Pandya, BEATEN! Floats it up on off, Pandya looks to drive it through the off side but is beaten by the away turn. |
| 39.5 : S Khan to H Pandya, The batsman has driven it through mid off. One run added to the total. |
| 39.6 : S Khan to V Kohli, Another misfield! This is pushed towards long on where the fielder runs to his right but does not stop the ball cleanly. Two taken. |
| Powerplay 3 has been signaled! Maximum of 5 fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle till the end of the innings. We are into the final 10 overs of this Indian Innings. With the likes of Pandya and Kohli at the crease and Dhoni - The Finisher yet to come, Pakistan are staring at a total around 350, if not more, unless they lift their bowling. |
| 40.1 : H Ali to H Pandya, Very full on middle, this is hit down to long on for one. |
| 40.2 : H Ali to V Kohli, Very full on the pads, Kohli works it towards fine leg for one. 250 up. |
| 40.3 : H Ali to H Pandya, Short of the keeper! Slower one and outside off, Pandya slashes but the ball takes the outside edge and goes on the bounce to Ahmed. |
| 40.4 : H Ali to H Pandya, Very full on the pads again, Pandya flicks it towards fine leg and gets to the other end. |
| 40.5 : H Ali to V Kohli, Another very full ball, difficult to get under those. Kohli hits it to long on and takes one. |
| 40.6 : H Ali to H Pandya, Good running again! Slower one on middle, Pandya works it with soft hands towards mid-wicket. The weight on the shot is perfect so two taken. Still only 6 from the over. Pakistan will take that. |
| Wahab Riaz is back into the attack. He has been very good at the death for Pakistan. They will need him to do the same. |
| 41.1 : W Riaz to V Kohli, FOUR! Not the best start for him but the perfect start to the over for India. Full and on off, easy pickings with mid off up. Kohli lofts it over that fielder and bags a boundary. Pressure on the bowler. |
| 41.2 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Now cleverly guides it down to third man and takes one. |
| 41.3 : W Riaz to H Pandya, Goes short and outside off, Pandya looks to pull but the ball rushes onto him and it ends up going to mid off. |
| 41.4 : W Riaz to H Pandya, Played to the point region by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 41.5 : W Riaz to V Kohli, On middle, Kohli hits it back to the bowler. |
| 41.6 : W Riaz to V Kohli, A single to end as Kohli works it through square leg and gets to the other end. So despite the boundary early on, only 7 from the over. |
| 42.1 : H Ali to V Kohli, Slower one on off, Kohli drops it towards point and gets to the other end. |
| 42.2 : H Ali to H Pandya, SIX! That has gone off the top edge! Outrageous. Speaks volumes about the quality of the bat now-a-days. Also, it was a slower one outside off, Pandya is completely foxed. He is way too early into the slog. The ball goes off the top edge and clears the third man fence. |
| 42.3 : H Ali to H Pandya, Lovely bowling! Another slower one outside off, Pandya does not pick it again and is way too early into the shot. Misses and it goes closely past the off pole. |
| 42.4 : H Ali to H Pandya, FOUR! Easy-peasy! A high full toss on the pads, Pandya says thank you very much and whips it over backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 42.5 : H Ali to H Pandya, A dot! Quick and outside off, Pandya is late in the cut shot. |
| 42.6 : H Ali to H Pandya, Now a couple! 13 from the over. Slower one and shorter in length. This is pulled gently towards mid-wicket for two. |
| Mohammad Amir is back! He was exceptional in his first spell and will have to be at his best at the death. |
| 43.1 : M Amir to V Kohli, Brilliant running again! Also, Kohli brings his 51st fifty. Consecutive fifties for him and it is another top knock. He gets there by working it towards deep mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 43.2 : M Amir to V Kohli, FOUR! Dismissed! Brute! Full and on off, Kohli shuffles across and smashes it through mid off. 6 from the first two balls. |
| 43.3 : M Amir to V Kohli, Make that 7 as Kohli chops this towards point for a quick run. |
| 43.4 : M Amir to H Pandya, FOUR! Slapped! Another outstanding shot! Slower one and on off, Pandya stands tall and slaps it through covers for a boundary. |
| 43.5 : M Amir to H Pandya, OUT! In the air... taken! Pandya holes out. Amir has the last laugh. This is full and on middle, Pandya brings out the helicopter shot. Does not get the power he needed to clear the ropes behind and it goes towards wide long on where Azam takes it. A decent cameo from him comes to an end. Pakistan will be relieved to see his back. |
| Here comes the inventor of the Helicopter shot - Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The crowd has gone bonkers seeing him coming down the stairs. Can he put on a show? |
| 43.6 : M Amir to V Kohli, Slower one on middle, Kohli pushes it down to long off for one. A wicket but 12 from it. |
| 44.1 : H Ali to V Kohli, On off, it is pushed to cover. |
| 44.2 : H Ali to V Kohli, FOUR! 11000 ODI runs for Virat Kohli. He is the fastest to do so and he gets that milestone up in style. He receives a ball down the leg side and just flicks it to the fine leg fence. |
| 44.3 : H Ali to V Kohli, FOUR! Another poor ball and Hassan pays the price again. Down the leg side, Kohli works it fine, finer than the last ball and a boundary results again. |
| 44.4 : H Ali to V Kohli, Shorter in length and on middle, Kohli pulls it through mid-wicket and takes two. So a dot to start the over but 10 from the next three balls. |
| 44.5 : H Ali to V Kohli, 11 from the 5 balls bowled! Kohli pushes this through covers and takes one. |
| 44.6 : H Ali to MS Dhoni, A single to end the over. He has already conceded the most runs by a Pakistan bowler in a World Cup game. Back of a length around off, Dhoni guides it down to third man for one. 12 from the over again and Hassan has gone for 84 in the 9 overs he has bowled. |
| 45.1 : M Amir to MS Dhoni, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! No MS magic today. Amir gets two huge wickets in the last three balls he has bowled. Amir bowls this full and outside off, it is a scrambled seam delivery. There is a little extra bounce. Dhoni swings but the ball kisses the outside edge and goes into the hands of the keeper. 350 now looks a tough task with Dhoni gone. |
| 0.0 : Vijay Shankar is in next. Interesting move to send him ahead of Kedar Jadhav, who has a SR in excess of 100 in ODIs. |
| 45.2 : M Amir to V Shankar, BEATEN FOR PACE! Length and outside off, Shankar looks to guide it down to third man but misses. |
| 45.3 : M Amir to V Shankar, Does the smart thing now by guiding it down to third man and giving the strike to Kohli. First run for Shankar in the World Cup. |
| 45.4 : M Amir to V Kohli, 300 up for India. Short and on middle, Kohli looks to pull but it goes off the bottom towards mid-wicket and the batsmen take two. |
| 45.5 : M Amir to V Kohli, On the body, it is worked through square leg for one. |
| 45.6 : M Amir to V Shankar, A dot to end a very good over by Amir. Just the 4 and a wicket from it. Back of a length on off, Shankar guides it to point. |
| Wahab Riaz is back! |
| 46.1 : W Riaz to V Kohli, Just over! Slower ball and shorter in length outside off, Kohli initially looks to cut but then tries to bail out. The ball though hits the bat and lobs over the point fielder for one. |
| 0.0 : There is some drizzle in the air now. Virat Kohli is visibly not happy that the umpires are not going off. |
| 46.2 : W Riaz to V Shankar, Length and on off, Shankar strokes it to covers. |
| 46.3 : W Riaz to V Shankar, Back of a length on the body, Shankar pulls it towards deep square leg for two. |
| A catch has been taken behind the wickets. The finger goes up after the appeal is made. Vijay Shankar though is very sure that he has not edged it. He takes the DRS and calmly walks up to his captain to have a chat. There was some noise. Maybe, that was of the bat hitting the surface. |
| 46.4 : W Riaz to V Shankar, NOT OUT! A big gap between bat and ball and the on-field call has to be overturned. Good use of the technology by Shankar. This is full and outside off. Shankar looks to hit it through the off side but there is some noise as the ball passes the bat. Sarfaraz takes it and appeals. The umpire raises the finger. Shankar reviews and is looking confident. Replays roll in and they show that the noise was of the bat hitting the ground. Vijay survives to fight another day. |
| Update 1345 local (1245 GMT) - It's raining now! The players are heading back to the pavilion and the hover cover comes on to protect the playing area. Slowly, slowly more covers are coming on. As soon as Pakistan started to pull things back just a bit, they have to go off. Let's hope that the rain passes away soon and India get to bat their full quota of overs. Stay tuned for more updates... |
| Update 1407 local (1307 GMT) - The rain has reduced into a drizzle and it's looking a lot brighter than it was a few minutes back. The groundsmen are at work and there is one Super Sopper rolling across the stadium. Still waiting for the official verdict on whether India will come out to bat again or not. Stay tuned, we will keep you posted. |
| Update 1428 local (1328 GMT) - Some good news coming in! The drizzle has also stopped and the hover cover is coming off. The two umpires came a little while back to inspect the conditions. There were a few worrisome patches inside the ring but it seems the groundsmen will dry that out quickly. Umpire Marais Erasmus gives a thumbs up to the dressing room of both teams. We are hearing that the match will resume in 12 minutes, i.e. 1440 local (1340 GMT). The mid-innings break will be 15 minutes. Im |
| It's time to resume. Virat Kohli and Vijay Shankar are coming down the stairs of the dressing room. They are waiting near the boundary line for the other players to join. Now, the Pakistani players are in the middle. Shankar will be on strike. Wahab Riaz to complete his over. Here we go again... |
| 46.5 : W Riaz to V Shankar, Goes full around off, Shankar mistimes his shot in the air over covers for a run. |
| 46.6 : W Riaz to V Kohli, WIDE! A slower ball bouncer! Bounces above the batsman's ahead as he tries to pull. Wided. |
| W Riaz to V Kohli, FOUR! Delicate! Lovely from Kohli. Slower one on off, Kohli plays it very late and guides it very fine on the off side and bags a boundary at third man. Sarfaraz is not happy with his bowler. The last ball spoils the over. 9 from it. |
| 47.1 : M Amir to V Shankar, A dot! Gold dust at this stage! Length and outside off, Shankar looks to hit it over mid off but misses. |
| 47.2 : M Amir to V Shankar, Goes very full and on middle, Shankar works it out to mid-wicket and gets to the other end. Sensible from him, he just needs to give the strike over to his skipper at the moment. |
| 47.3 : M Amir to V Kohli, Shorter and outside off, Kohli slaps it through cover-point and takes two. |
| 47.4 : M Amir to V Kohli, OUT! Amir has got the better of Kohli yet again! Another big wicket in the context of the game. This could probably make a difference of at least 20 runs to the final score. Amir bangs it short and it is a quick one. It zips through. Kohli looks to pull but ends up getting a top edge towards the keeper. Amir starts running in celebration and then Kohli has a look at the umpire. Now the bowler turns to see back and umpire Erasmus nods. The Indian skipper is off. Another t |
| Kedar Jadhav arrives in the middle. He has a strike rate of 102.5 in ODIs and India will love if he gets going from the word go. |
| 47.5 : M Amir to K Jadhav, Back of a length on off, Jadhav guides it to point. |
| 47.6 : M Amir to K Jadhav, A single to end! Jadhav guides it down to third man. Another good over for Pakistan. They are once again finishing strongly. Just the 4 runs and a wicket from it. |
| 48.1 : W Riaz to K Jadhav, That has slipped out of Wahab's hand. A full toss outside off, Jadhav fails to put bat on ball. It has been wided. |
| W Riaz to K Jadhav, Slower one outside off, Jadhav guides it down to third man for one. |
| 48.2 : W Riaz to V Shankar, Full again on off, Shankar mistimes it to cover for a single. Singles are something Pakistan won't mind at the moment. |
| 48.3 : W Riaz to K Jadhav, Another wide! Way too wide outside off, left alone. |
| Strange! The Ultra Edge is now shown of the Virat Kohli dismissal and it's detecting nothing. India have a referral left but it seems that the Indian skipper also felt that he hit it. |
| W Riaz to K Jadhav, FOUR! Over mid off and a boundary! A welcome boundary for India. Full and on off by Riaz. Jadhav nonchalantly lofts it over mid off and bags a boundary. India would love a few more. |
| 48.4 : W Riaz to K Jadhav, OUCH! That might have hurt! A short one and it skids through. Jadhav is very late in the pull. The ball hits the glove and rolls towards mid-wicket for one. The fielder does have a shy at the bowler's end but misses. |
| 48.5 : W Riaz to V Shankar, A couple now! Wahab goes short again, Shankar looks to pull but gets a top edge which lands in the deep backward square leg region. |
| 48.6 : W Riaz to V Shankar, A single to end! A low full toss outside off, it is hit towards sweeper cover for one. 12 from the over. A good one for India. |
| 49.1 : M Amir to V Shankar, DROPPED! A tough chance! Amir goes full and on middle, Shankar hits it firmly back towards the bowler. Amir jumps and looks to take it with both hands but the ball bursts through and goes down to long on for one. |
| 49.2 : M Amir to K Jadhav, Just short! More importantly a dot! Slower one wide outside off, Jadhav swings but gets an outside edge which falls just short of Sarfaraz. |
| 49.3 : M Amir to K Jadhav, Another excellent delivery! A very full ball on middle, all Jadhav can do is jam it out towards mid off for one. |
| 49.4 : M Amir to V Shankar, FOUR! Another welcome boundary for India! This was a delightful stroke. Amir bowls it full and outside off, it is the seam-up ball. Shankar lofts it over covers and the ball goes into the fence. |
| 49.5 : M Amir to V Shankar, WIDE! Just outside the tramline on the off side and it has been wided. A marginal call as Shankar did move across to the off pole. |
| M Amir to V Shankar, Full and on middle, Shankar hits it down to long on and takes one. One ball to go, a biggie to get over 340. Can India do so? |
| 49.6 : M Amir to K Jadhav, No, they can't! Just the single on the last ball. Jadhav dances down the track and Amir bowls it short. KJ mistimes it towards deep cover for one. A decent last over from Amir. 9 from it. INDIA END WITH 336/5! |
| A fine finish by India then to end on 336. The rain break did not hamper them much as there were only 20 balls left. With the rain spicing up the pitch a little, this now adds a new dimension to the total. Earlier, it was a challenging total on a good pitch. Now, it is a daunting task on a quickened track. |
| The impetus was laid by a new opening pair today, with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul registering a 136-run opening stand. That was followed by a 98-run partnership for the second wicket and at that stage, it looked like 350-360 was on the cards. But Rohit's wicket stalled the runs a little and the new batsmen found it difficult to score runs. Yet another strong show from the Indian top 3, with each crossing 50. |
| Not the greatest of bowling displays by Pakistan, especially after electing to bowl. They had the conditions in their favour, with the skies overcast but could not make much use of those. And with the ball not swinging around much, they lost patience and started spraying it around. Mohammad Amir continued his resurgence with a 3-wicket haul to follow his 5-fer against Australia. None of the others were impressive. Imad Wasim was economical but he just focused on curtailing the batsmen and did no |
| KL Rahul is down for a chat with Michael Clarke. Rahul says that it has been a while since he opened in ODIs and is happy that he could get the team off to a good start. Stresses that given the fact that Pakistan's new-ball bowlers swing the ball a lot, it was a plan to see off the first 10 overs. Admits that he was nervous, but not because it was India-Pakistan but because he had to wait for more than 2 years in the sidelines to feature in the ODI team. On the pitch, Rahul reckons that the pitc |
| 337 to win then. Pakistan faltered chasing 308 against Australia. India's bowling attack is much more penetrating than the Aussies and bowls with much more control. All the best then. |
| Welcome back. No. Go back. We should have started by now, but the heavens have opened up again. Umbrellas are up in the stands and it is coming down pretty heavily. The good news is, only the hover cover is on, so this may not be a big delay. In fact, bright sunshine is now enveloping the ground. Should not be far from the start. |
| UPDATE - 3.15 PM LOCAL (1415 GMT) - Ohh the fickle English weather. Plenty of sunshine 5 minutes back, heavily overcast now. It has started to drizzle again and the umpires are heading back. There is a massive patch of dark cloud checking the attendance at Old Trafford and its facilities, whether the ground can take the rain or not and the inspection by this rain cloud might take a while. |
| Scratch all that. The players are back on the field. Scratch all that which was scratched any which ways. The players go off again! Boy, this is frustrating. The players had come onto the field, but just when Imam-ul-Haq was taking guard, the drizzle returned and the players were asked to go. Now, the hover cover comes on and ironically, the ground is bathed in sunshine. Virat Kohli sits in the dugout and is having a smile about that. |
| 0.0 : The players are making their way back out to the middle. They had barely gone out. In fact, the Indians were in a huddle even when the hover cover was on. Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman had just gone beyond the boundary and walk back again. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will start off proceedings with the first new ball. Imam to face. Kohli, Dhoni and Rohit in a brief chat. |
| 0.1 : B Kumar to Imam, Starts with a good length delivery around leg, Imam turns it off his pads behind square leg and gets off the mark with a run. Pakistan are underway! |
| 0.2 : B Kumar to F Zaman, Back of a length delivery in the channel outside off, angling away from the batsman at 134 kph, Zaman watches it closely and shoulders arms. |
| 0.3 : B Kumar to F Zaman, Kumar goes closer to the off stump line and delivers it on a fuller length, Fakhar covers the line and keeps it out to the off side. |
| 0.4 : B Kumar to F Zaman, Fakhar also gets off the mark with a gentle nudge off his hips behind square leg. One more run added to the total. |
| 0.5 : B Kumar to Imam, Better line and length from Kumar. Keeps it on a length and just outside off, Imam punches from the crease but finds the cover fielder. |
| 0.6 : B Kumar to Imam, Beauty of a delivery. Considerable movement off the surface this time. Kumar lands it on a good length close to off stump, Imam pushes inside the line and gets beaten by the away shape. Fine first over by Bhuvi! |
| Jasprit Bumrah to bowl with the second new ball. Two slips in place for him as well. |
| 1.1 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Bumrah too, starts off on the pads, Zaman tucks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 1.2 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Very full, missing the batsman's flick, hitting the pads but pitched outside leg. |
| That is the thing with Bumrah. No two balls are the same. He bowls with a shortened runup but generates excellent pace. |
| 1.3 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, FOUR! That is a gift and it gives Pakistan their first boundary. A full toss, wide outside off, Zaman reaches out and drives it through the covers. |
| 1.4 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Beats the outside edge this time. 139 kph, on a length, outside off, zipping away off the pitch, Fakhar flirts with it but without any feet movement and misses. Replays show that the ball landed on the deck and then moved away. |
| 1.5 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 1.6 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Landed outside leg, nicely played with a still bat towards mid-wicket. |
| 2.1 : B Kumar to Imam, Good length ball close to off, Imam plays it close to his body and plays it out from the crease to covers. |
| 2.2 : B Kumar to Imam, Wide! Wrong line on this occasion. Kumar goes for extra pace and loses his line. Clocks in the 140s kph but it's down the leg side. Imam tries flicking but misses. There was some movement after it went past the batsman. |
| B Kumar to Imam, Play and a miss! Kumar this time clocks 144 kph and delivers it short outside off. Imam flashes his bat at it but fails to make any connection. Beaten for pace! |
| 2.3 : B Kumar to Imam, Hurries up the southpaw with his extra pace again. It's delivered in the line of the stumps, angling in, Imam tries working it around but misses to get hit high on the front leg. |
| 2.4 : B Kumar to Imam, Nicely covers the line and defends it off his front foot. |
| 2.5 : B Kumar to Imam, FOUR! Shot! Kumar overpitches a bit on this occasion. He was trying an inswinger but the line turns out to be too straight and Imam flicks it firmly to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 2.6 : B Kumar to Imam, Shortish and around leg, Imam goes on the back foot and pulls it behind towards long leg for one. 6 from this over in spite of a boundary in it! |
| 3.1 : J Bumrah to Imam, On a good length around middle, Imam jumps with the bounce and looks to tuck but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. |
| 3.2 : J Bumrah to Imam, On middle and leg, defended to the leg side. |
| Predicto Praky - This is interesting. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is bowling quicker than Jasprit Bumrah. Bhuvi is consistently in the high 140s while Bumrah is operating in the high 135s. Normally, it is the other way round. |
| 3.3 : J Bumrah to Imam, Well played again, good stride forward, to meet the full ball and stroking it towards mid off. |
| 3.4 : J Bumrah to Imam, Nicely done again. Waits for the ball to come to him, taps it towards cover, sees there is a small gap and calls his partner through for a quick single. |
| 3.5 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Through him! Missed the bat, missed the pad, missed the stumps! Jasprit Bumrah is a class act, isn't he? This was pitched outside leg and Zaman looked to flick it through the leg side. But the ball pitched and zipped off the surface, to beat everything. |
| 3.6 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Landed outside off, this is left alone. |
| There seems to be much more lateral movement off the deck, than the morning. The balls are pitching and then shooting off. |
| 4.1 : B Kumar to Imam, Kumar speeds in with the sunshine on his back. He angles across a good length delivery outside off, Imam without any footwork pushes inside the line and misses. |
| 4.2 : B Kumar to Imam, That's a real beauty by Kumar! He gets closer to the line of off stump and takes the ball away with a great seam position. Imam can do nothing about it and ends up missing it again. Outstanding bowling from both the Indian pacers. |
| 4.3 : B Kumar to Imam, Lands it on middle and off, Imam has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 4.4 : B Kumar to Imam, Another outswinger gets Imam in all sorts of trouble. This one is pitched on and around off at 137 kph and nips away, Imam just plays the line and doesn't follow it. Bhuvi is showing exceptional control over his art. |
| Rohit Sharma from the slip cordon is asking Bhuvi to pitch it much fuller. With the ball moving around so much, that length might be more ideal. Meanwhile, we are having a small delay. Bhuvneshwar Kumar slipped while landing on the front foot and might have hurt his hamstring slightly. Umpire Bruce Oxenford indicates to the ground staff to bring on the hammer. |
| Oh dear. Bhuvi is going off the field. He does not seem to be in too much discomfort but perhaps is taking the right call to have it checked, just in case it worsens. Vijay Shankar to bowl the pending over. |
| 4.5 : V Shankar to Imam, OUT! Trapped right in front! Bhuvi going off has not hurt India much, in fact Shankar has hit the jackpot with his very first delivery in the World Cup! Nothing extraordinary about this delivery. It's full and around leg, quite straight but there is a drastic drop in pace. Imam, who was used to playing faster ones until this one, fails to adjust and is late into his shot. He tries to flick but misses and is rapped on the pads. The appeal goes up and so does the finger. Th |
| Babar Azam walks in at number 3, replacing Imam. Three 50-plus scores in his last 5 innings in ODIs. |
| 4.6 : V Shankar to B Azam, Some movement again off the deck. It's on a good length around off and shapes back in a shade, Babar stays back to defend but it takes the inside half and rolls on the leg side. A single to get off the mark. Eventful over, one run, one wicket and some injury concern for India in it. |
| 5.1 : J Bumrah to B Azam, Darted in on off, Azam defends it watchfully. |
| 5.2 : J Bumrah to B Azam, Outside off, tapped towards third man for a single. |
| 5.3 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, Full and straight, watchfully defended. |
| 5.4 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, The batsman gets an inside edge and the ball hits him on the pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 5.5 : J Bumrah to B Azam, Very straight, just around off, watchfully defended. |
| 5.6 : J Bumrah to B Azam, FOUR! Cracked away! Short and wide outside off, Azam cuts it through point for a boundary! |
| 6.1 : V Shankar to F Zaman, FOUR! Poor line and punished! Shankar drifts down the leg side, Fakhar picks it off his pads and deflects it neatly down the leg side for a boundary. Back-to-back boundaries for Pakistan. |
| 6.2 : V Shankar to F Zaman, Cracked away! Width on offer outside off, Fakhar slaps it through the line towards covers where Rahul misfields and concedes a single. |
| 6.3 : V Shankar to B Azam, Drops it on a shortish length outside off, Babar goes on his back foot and plays it down towards point. |
| 6.4 : V Shankar to B Azam, Outstanding fielding effort by Virat Kohli! He saves a certain boundary. Shankar pitches it up and outside off, Babar plays a delightful cover drive but fails to beat the diving effort of the Indian skipper. |
| 6.5 : V Shankar to B Azam, Again Shankar keeps his length full and serves it on off, Babar tries to play straight but it takes the inner half and rolls towards mid on. |
| Some sawdust is applied on the bowler's landing area. India don't want any more injuries here. |
| 6.6 : V Shankar to B Azam, Shot! Good timing. But once again no run for Babar. A well-timed off drive by him has gone straight to the fielder. Good comeback by Shankar after conceding a boundary off the first ball. |
| 7.1 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, On a good length, around middle, defended in the middle of the pitch. |
| 7.2 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, On a good length outside off, Zaman looks to defend but the ball zips off the pitch and beats the outside edge. |
| India are clearly rushing through their overs. It has gone pretty dark again and an interruption may not be far away. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja is on the field as a substitute for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The camera pans onto the Indian balcony where there is a massive discussion going on with some concern writ on the people's faces. |
| 7.3 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 7.4 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, A short ball, down the leg side, Fakhar looks to pull but misses. |
| We are still waiting for some news on Bhuvneshwar's injury. The whole of India will be praying that he is fit and there is no serious injury concern with him. |
| 7.5 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, A short ball, around middle and leg, FZ is hurried into the pull shot and mistimes it wide of short mid-wicket. |
| 7.6 : J Bumrah to F Zaman, FOUR! Spoils what would have been a maiden. A short ball, down the leg side, this time Zaman connects with his pull and gets it to the fine leg fence. |
| Hardik Pandya is into the attack now. |
| 8.1 : H Pandya to B Azam, Angles into the batsman, Babar has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 8.2 : H Pandya to B Azam, Good length delivery outside off, Azam stays on the back foot and tries to punch but mistimes his shot towards the cover fielder. |
| 8.3 : H Pandya to B Azam, FOUR! Babar finally pierces the gap on the off side! He tried a few times in Shankar's over but without any success but this time he has nailed it. A pitched up ball outside off, Azam strides forward and drives it crisply through the gap at covers for a boundary. |
| 8.4 : H Pandya to B Azam, Pandya pulls back his length a bit and serves it around off, Babar blocks it off his back foot. |
| 8.5 : H Pandya to B Azam, Quick single, good running between the wickets. Pandya pitches it up again around off, Babar tries to drive straight but it goes off the inner portion of his bat to the right of mid on. Azam is on his bike to the other end as the fielder misses his shy at the bowler's end. |
| 8.6 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Swing and a miss! A touch short and down the leg side, Fakhar tries to heave it over the leg side but misses. It hits him on the pads and ricochets to the off side. Dot ball to end a 5-run first over by Pandya. India have not allowed Pakistan off the hook in Powerplay 1. |
| Change of ends for Vijay Shankar. India will be feeling lucky that they have gone with Shankar for this game and not Dinesh Karthik. With Bhuvneshwar injured, Shankar can contribute a few vital overs here. |
| 9.1 : V Shankar to B Azam, In the air... wide! Full and wide outside off, Azam looks to play the cover drive but the ball swings away a tad late, takes the outside edge and goes uppishly. But behind point. A single taken. |
| 9.2 : V Shankar to F Zaman, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 9.3 : V Shankar to F Zaman, Agricultural. Full on middle, Zaman swings hard but gets it off the inner half towards mid on. The fielder gets across to his left but by that time, Rahul swiftly gets across to his right from short mid-wicket and has a quick shy at the bowler's end - only to miss. A quick single taken. |
| 9.4 : V Shankar to B Azam, Around off, solidly defended. |
| 9.5 : V Shankar to B Azam, Down the leg side, Babar looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 9.6 : V Shankar to B Azam, WIDE. Slips this down the leg side, Azam lets that go. |
| V Shankar to B Azam, Full and outside off, BA drives this wide of mid off, calls 'AAJA!' and the batsmen scamper through for a single. Pakistan end Powerplay 1 on 38/1, 15 less than what India were at this stage. |
| Is it only me or does someone else also feel that Babar Azam looks like Kamran Akmal while batting? He has got a good technique, no doubt, but that back foot opening stance, his front foot cover drive and his yells of no and wait remind us of the former keeper a lot. Okay. Remind me a lot. |
| Powerplay 2 begins. Now, India can put a maximum of 4 fielders outside the ring. |
| 10.1 : H Pandya to B Azam, Fullish and outside off, it's pushed through covers for a run. |
| 10.2 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Lands it full and outside off, Zaman tries to flick but gets an inside edge. The ball rolls towards mid-wicket. He has not got his timing right! |
| 10.3 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Digs in a short ball on off, Fakhar gets on top of the bounce and pulls it down to long leg for a run. |
| 10.4 : H Pandya to B Azam, On and around off, a good length delivery, Babar allows the ball to come at him and then plays it down with an angled bat to point. |
| 10.5 : H Pandya to B Azam, Fails to put the bad ball away. Short and wide outside off, Azam slaps it through the line but finds the sweeper in the deep on the off side. Only a run. |
| 10.6 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Lands it on a length in the line of the off stump, Zaman defends it off his front foot to the off side. |
| 11.1 : V Shankar to B Azam, Full and outside off, driven through point where substitute Ravindra Jadeja dives to his left and makes a brilliant stop. |
| 11.2 : V Shankar to B Azam, Full and outside off, pushed through the covers for a single. |
| 11.3 : V Shankar to F Zaman, Landed outside off, driven towards cover where Virat Kohli makes a good stop. |
| 11.4 : V Shankar to F Zaman, Full and outside off, hit hard through the covers for a run. The stand moves to 30 from 41 balls. |
| 11.5 : V Shankar to B Azam, In the slot and nicely driven. Floaty half volley outside off, pretty wide, Babar leans and drives it through the covers. Rohit at sweeper has some distance to cover and the batsmen cross each other twice in the meanwhile. |
| 11.6 : V Shankar to B Azam, FOUR! Nicely played! Could this be the final over for Shankar? A length ball outside off, Azam punches it through point and this time Rohit Sharma cannot cover the distance to his left and the ball finds the fence. A boundary after 20 balls. |
| Time for some spin! Here comes Kuldeep Yadav to bowl some Chinaman deliveries. A slip in place. |
| 12.1 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Starts with a shorter one on off, Fakhar cuts but finds the point fielder. |
| 12.2 : K Yadav to F Zaman, A touch short again, on off, Fakhar mistimes his punch on the off side. |
| 12.3 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Oohhh... this one almost sneaks through! Fakhar is trying to read Kuldeep off the surface. Not a good ploy. Read him from his hands or he will beat you. A wrong 'un landing on off, Fakhar moves back inside the crease and blocks it out at the last moment. |
| 12.4 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Loopy and full outside off, turning away, Fakhar once again has not read it but still does well to push it with the spin to covers. |
| 12.5 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Shortish and outside off, cut through point for a single. 50 up for Pakistan! |
| 12.6 : K Yadav to B Azam, Loopy and full on off, Babar plays it close to his front pad and works it behind square leg for one. Just 2 from Kuldeep's first over! |
| Bowling change. Hardik Pandya to have another go but from the different end. He and Shankar have done a decent job so far. |
| 13.1 : H Pandya to B Azam, On a length outside off, solidly defended to the off side. |
| 13.2 : H Pandya to B Azam, On middle and leg, flicked away for a single. |
| 13.3 : H Pandya to F Zaman, FOUR! A slower bouncer, down the leg side, not a bad ploy but Zaman gets away with it. Fakhar looks to pull but is beaten by the change in pace. He gets a top edge but it runs fine, to the fence behind. |
| 13.4 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Full and outside off, driven through mid off for a run. |
| Here comes the much-awaited news on Bhuvneshwar Kumar! He has tightness in left hamstring and will not return to the field for the remainder of the match. So far, his absence has not been felt by the Men in Blue much but if this chase gets close, then he will be missed big time. |
| 13.5 : H Pandya to B Azam, Full and around off, Azam looks to defend but the ball moves away late and squares him up. An outside edge is induced which runs towards third man. A single taken. |
| 13.6 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Full and wide outside off, FZ throws his bat at it but with his feet stuck in mud. Misses. |
| 14.1 : K Yadav to B Azam, Floated and full around off, Babar steps forward and drives it down through mid off for a single. |
| 14.2 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Flatter and shorter on off, turning back in a bit, Zaman is on the back foot as he punches it back to the bowler. |
| 14.3 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Too full in length outside off, Fakhar drives it square of the wicket on the off side for a single. |
| 14.4 : K Yadav to B Azam, Quicker through the air, the length is a bit short and Babar moves back to tap it down in front of cover-point. He steals a quick single. |
| 14.5 : K Yadav to F Zaman, The shot was on with no cover in the deep on the mid-wicket but Zaman fails to connect well. Flighted and full on off, Fakhar gets down on one knee for the slog sweep but gets a big inside edge onto the pads. |
| 14.6 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Nearly played that onto the stumps. Fakhar tries to put the bowler off by moving down the leg side. Kuldeep smartly follows him and then Fakhar has no option but to play the cut shot. He does so off the outside half of his bat and runs wide of first slip. Chahal retrieves the ball in the deep and the batsmen take three runs. 50-run stand comes up! |
| DRINKS BREAK. It's been a quiet going from Pakistan in this run chase. Fakhar Zaman has not been at his fluent best and losing Imam early has hurt them. Babar Azam has looked unfazed so far but now this pair needs to score at a better pace. The RRR is closing in on 8 and it's not going to be easy to keep up with it in the middle phase. India have done well in spite of losing Bhuvneshwar Kumar to injury. They would like to maintain the same intensity and make their rivals sweat hard for every run |
| 15.1 : H Pandya to F Zaman, On the pads, it's tucked behind square leg for a run. |
| 15.2 : H Pandya to B Azam, Full and on middle, driven straight down the ground and the mid on fielder moved across to his left to stop the ball. He fumbled slightly and a run is taken safely. |
| 15.3 : H Pandya to F Zaman, FOUR! Crunching sound of the bat meeting the ball. Pandya serves it short and on middle, Fakhar is onto it in a flash as he pulls it thunderously to the deep mid-wicket fence. |
| 15.4 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Pandya switches to 'round the wicket and angles in a length delivery on off, Zaman defends it back. |
| 15.5 : H Pandya to F Zaman, FOUR! Is this the over that will shift the momentum in Pakistan's favour? Hardik offers width outside off, Fakhar throws his bat at it and edges it down to third man for a boundary. |
| 15.6 : H Pandya to F Zaman, Short again, this time in the line of the stump, Zaman pulls it in front of square leg and takes a run. 11 from the over, the most expensive one of this chase! |
| The leggie is on! Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl with a slip in place. |
| 16.1 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Full and flighted down the leg side, Fakhar tries to paddle it down but it takes the toe end of the bat and rolls to long leg for a run. |
| 16.2 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Good stop by Karthik (sub)! Short in length outside off, Babar goes on the back foot to play the square cut but fails to middle his shot properly. Karthik dives across to his right from backward point, a bit of a premature dive, but still manages to stop it from racing away. A single taken. |
| 16.3 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Turns it off his pads to the leg side but finds the fielder. |
| 16.4 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, This time Fakhar finds the gap with his flick shot and gets a single. |
| 16.5 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Goes on the back foot and punches it through covers for one. |
| 16.6 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, On the pads, helped across the line but straight towards short fine leg. |
| Kuldeep Yadav is back on. |
| 17.1 : K Yadav to B Azam, Tossed up on middle, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 17.2 : K Yadav to B Azam, On middle and leg, worked through the leg side for a single. |
| 17.3 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Tossed up outside off, Zaman drives it wide of mid off for a run. |
| 17.4 : K Yadav to B Azam, On middle and off, pushed through mid on for one more. |
| 17.5 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Floated again, pushed through cover for another single. |
| 17.6 : K Yadav to B Azam, Well played. Picks the googly off the hand rather than off the pitch, goes back and works it through square leg for a run. Just 5 singles from the over and India maintaining the throttle. |
| 18.1 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Flatter and shorter on off, Babar rocks back and punches it to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 18.2 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Quicker through the air, it's around off and Fakhar plays it out from the back foot to point. He sets off for a run but his partner sends him back immediately. |
| 18.3 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Slower through the air this time, full and around leg, Fakhar tries to flick but misses. It goes off his pads to mid-wicket. |
| 18.4 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Presses forward to a full ball and strokes it down the ground to long off for one. |
| 18.5 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Huge shout for an lbw from Virat Kohli at first slip. Not given. Chahal delivers a skidder around off, Babar stays back to play at it but does so very close to his front pad. Kohli at first slip thinks that it's pad first and goes up in an appeal. Nothing much there from the bowler or the keeper. They now gather to have a chat regarding the DRS but MS Dhoni doesn't agree and that's that. No need to refer it. Coming to this delivery, Babar didn't pick that variation as h |
| 18.6 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Flatter one on middle, Babar moves back and helps it to mid-wicket. |
| 19.1 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Tossed up around off, spinning away, pushed towards cover. |
| 0.0 : Is that a stumping? Looks like lightning-quick Dhoni has caught Fakhar Zaman off guard. Zaman looked to drive but lost his balance slightly. Replays seem to point to the foot to be coming back in... |
| 19.2 : K Yadav to F Zaman, NOT OUT. The back foot is dragged in. Beautifully pitched up outside off, Zaman looked to drive but missed it. He was lured into the shot and got out of the crease, lunging into the same. He missed it and Dhoni whipped the bails off in a flash and appealed. He was not celebrating that time and replays show why. The foot did get dragged in before the bails could be disturbed. |
| 19.3 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Floated full ball outside off, it's driven down to long off for a run. |
| 19.4 : K Yadav to B Azam, Loopy and full on off, turning back in, Babar is forward in defense. Good speed from Yadav. He is giving it a real toss. |
| 19.5 : K Yadav to B Azam, Flatter this time, a bit short and on middle, Azam goes back and defends it on the leg side. |
| Babar Azam pulls out. There is some plastic material that has come out on the pitch. Azam collects it and hands it over to the umpire. |
| 19.6 : K Yadav to B Azam, Quicker one on middle, Babar is on the back foot as he keeps it out on the leg side again. |
| 20.1 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, SIX! This has travelled the distance! 11th ODI fifty for Fakhar Zaman. He continues his good form against the Men in Blue. Flighted ball on off, Zaman sits down on one knee and slogs it handsomely over mid-wicket. The fielder in the deep was interested for a while but it goes over him. |
| 20.2 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Nearly a catch! Floated and on middle, Fakhar flicks it a bit uppishly towards mid-wicket and Kohli puts in a forward diving effort after coming ahead a bit. But it falls just short of him. Good try. Great anticipation. |
| 20.3 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, The batsman plays a sweep shot. One run added to the total. |
| 20.4 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Flatter and on off, defended off the back foot. |
| 20.5 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Walks down to the pitch of the delivery and blocks. |
| An update regarding ball number 18.5. Replays show that the ball hit the pad first and then the bat hit the pad. That would have smashed into the stumps. So if the review had been taken, Azam would have been gone. |
| 20.6 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Finally a run from Babar's bat! He eases it off his pads through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 21.1 : K Yadav to B Azam, Short and outside off, cut straight to point. |
| 21.2 : K Yadav to B Azam, On middle, worked through square leg for a couple. |
| 21.3 : K Yadav to B Azam, Full and around off, swept powerfully through square leg for a single. |
| 21.4 : K Yadav to F Zaman, FOUR! POUNDED! Is Zaman slowly getting his confidence back? Full and outside off, Zaman gets down and mows a slog sweep over mid-wicket! |
| 21.5 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 21.6 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Comes down the track and pushes it towards cover for a run. |
| 22.1 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Fullish and on middle, Zaman makes room and drives it through wide mid off for a single. |
| 22.2 : Y Chahal to B Azam, SIX! High and long! Runs have started to come thick and fast for Pakistan! Loopy full ball on off, Azam kneels down and smokes it over mid-wicket for a biggie. The square boundaries are shorter in dimensions and Babar used it to full advantage. |
| 22.3 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Knocks a full ball down through mid on for a run. |
| 22.4 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Fuller and on leg, Fakhar sits down on one knee for a big slog sweep but it takes the inner half and rolls through square leg for a run. |
| 22.5 : Y Chahal to B Azam, Direct hit was needed! Full and flighted on off, Babar pushes it with gentle hands to covers and sets off for a quick single. Kohli attacks the ball and has a shy at the striker's end but misses as Fakhar dives in. Dhoni collects the ball and deflects it onto the stumps. A stifled appeal there but the onfield umpire doesn't feel the need to take it upstairs. 100-run stand comes up! |
| 22.6 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Deceives the batsman, there. Chahal senses the batsman making his move on the leg side and bowls a leg spinner on the leg stump line. It turns back in and Fakhar has no option but to block it towards covers. |
| 23.1 : K Yadav to B Azam, Full and around middle, Azam gently paddles it through fine leg for a single. |
| 23.2 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Around off, Fakhar pushes it to the off side and takes a quick run. |
| 23.3 : K Yadav to B Azam, Full and around off, worked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 23.4 : K Yadav to B Azam, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 23.5 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Short and outside off, the googly, cut through the covers for a single. |
| 23.6 : K Yadav to B Azam, OUT! BOWLED! Beautiful bowling from Kuldeep. Tossed up outside off, Azam lunges to defend but the ball comes back in, takes the inside edge, exposes the big gap between bat and pad and hits the timber. The 104-run stand has been broken and Pakistan are back in trouble. 220 more needed from 156 balls. |
| Time for Mohammad Hafeez to use his willow. Professor from Sargodha has been in decent form in this World Cup with scores of 84 and 46 under his belt. His experience will be needed here in this big run chase. |
| 24.1 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 24.2 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Pushes this through point for a single. |
| 24.3 : Y Chahal to M Hafeez, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. They pick up a single. |
| 24.4 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, Works this straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 24.5 : Y Chahal to F Zaman, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 24.6 : Y Chahal to M Hafeez, SIX! Hafeez has dismissed it! Flighted delivery landing full in half, Mohammad is down on one knee in a flash and clobbers it over mid-wicket for a maximum. |
| 25.1 : K Yadav to F Zaman, Landed outside off, Zaman lunges to connect but misses. |
| 25.2 : K Yadav to F Zaman, OUT! In the air... and taken! Normally, after a long partnership, a wicket often results in another closely on its heels. Two set batsmen have been dismissed by Kuldeep in the span of 3 balls. Full and around middle, Zaman looks to play the sweep but gets a top edge. There is a short fine leg in place and he runs to his left to accept a dolly. Chahal takes it easily. No century for Zaman and Pakistan doing what they did against Australia. Building a platform and themsel |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed walks in next. A leg slip in place. |
| 25.3 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Full and around off, Sarfaraz looks to defend but the ball spins back in, almost goes through the gap between bat and pad, takes the inside edge, rolls behind but does not hit the stumps! |
| 25.4 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Around off, worked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 25.5 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 25.6 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. A wicket maiden for Kuldeep, his figures read 7-1-26-2! |
| Bowling change. Hardik Pandya is back into the attack. Pakistan are 41 runs behind in the DLS par score at the moment. |
| 26.1 : H Pandya to M Hafeez, A length delivery outside off, Hafeez drives it through covers for a run. |
| 26.2 : H Pandya to M Hafeez, Full and angling in, around off, Hafeez drives it through the line, nicely timed but straight to mid off. |
| 26.3 : H Pandya to M Hafeez, Shortish and on off, Hafeez jumps on the back foot and taps it down to point. |
| 26.4 : H Pandya to M Hafeez, Wide! An attempted slower bouncer slowly goes down the leg side. Hafeez turns inside the crease and lets it through to the keeper. |
| H Pandya to M Hafeez, Shortish and outside off, played down from the crease to point. |
| 26.5 : H Pandya to M Hafeez, OUT! Professor has found the fielder with surgical precision! Should be nicknamed Doctor! A nothing delivery really. Pandya is just lucky to have this wicket. Delivers a full ball on the pads, Hafeez flicks it behind square leg but fails to keep it down. A fielder is placed exactly there and Vijay Shankar makes no mistake. The wheels are coming off for Pakistan after a big stand. They are completely falling apart now. A massive 208 needed and only 139 balls left. |
| Shoaib Malik is the new man in. Pakistan losing their way quickly now. |
| 26.6 : H Pandya to S Malik, OUT! Hardik Pandya gets another! Shoaib Malik drags it on and bags a duck yet again. What an over this is turning out to be! To be honest, once again there was nothing extraordinary with the delivery. Hardik lands it on a length close to off stump and Malik tries to play close to his body. But it takes the inner half of his blade and goes behind to tickle the stumps. Hardik jumps in joy. The Men in Blue are roaring and so are the Indian spectators in the crowd. Pandya |
| Imad Wasim is in next. |
| 27.1 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 27.2 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Around off, well blocked out. |
| 27.3 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Goes back and across and works it through square leg for a single. |
| 27.4 : K Yadav to I Wasim, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 27.5 : K Yadav to I Wasim, Short and outside off, punched off the back foot through the covers for a single. |
| 27.6 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Full on middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| Hat-trick ball... |
| 28.1 : H Pandya to S Ahmed, No hat-trick! Fullish and on off, Ahmed keeps it out safely on the off side. |
| 28.2 : H Pandya to S Ahmed, Sarfaraz gives the charge and Pandya bangs in a short ball. The Pakistan skipper is caught in an awkward position and somehow fends it off on the off side. Hardik smiles. |
| 28.3 : H Pandya to S Ahmed, Some extra pace, on a length around middle, Sarfaraz plays it on the leg side. |
| 28.4 : H Pandya to S Ahmed, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. They pick up a single. |
| 28.5 : H Pandya to I Wasim, Full in length and on middle, Wasim brings down a straight bat and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 28.6 : H Pandya to I Wasim, FOUR! Well controlled pull shot in the end by Imad! Pandya digs in a short ball on middle, Wasim gets on top of the bounce and middles his horizontal bat shot well. It comes from the middle and races through square leg for a boundary. |
| 29.1 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Tossed up around off, watchfully pushed back to the bowler. |
| 29.2 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Floated generously outside leg, Sarfaraz gets to the pitch of the ball but then plays it against the turn through mid off for a single. |
| 29.3 : K Yadav to I Wasim, Outside off, punched through the covers for a run. |
| 29.4 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Short and outside off, punched straight to cover. |
| 29.5 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Full and around off, Sarfaraz gets a big stride forward and defends. |
| 29.6 : K Yadav to S Ahmed, Around off, worked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 30.1 : H Pandya to S Ahmed, Back of a length ball on off, Ahmed works it in front of square leg and crosses for a run. |
| 30.2 : H Pandya to I Wasim, Plenty of width on offer outside off, short and wide, Wasim cuts it behind point and collects a single. |
| 30.3 : H Pandya to S Ahmed, A rising delivery on off, Ahmed controls the extra bounce well and pulls it down to long leg for one. |
| 30.4 : H Pandya to I Wasim, Slower one, shorter in length on middle, Wasim waits and then pulls it through square leg for a run. |
| 30.5 : H Pandya to S Ahmed, Shortish and on off, Sarfaraz dabs it down in the gap at cover-point and pinches yet another single. |
| Slight change in field. There is a fielder placed somewhere near gully. |
| 30.6 : H Pandya to I Wasim, Delivers it down the leg side, it's nudged fine down the leg side for one. |
| Jasprit Bumrah is back into the attack, replacing Kuldeep. His four overs have gone for just 15 runs. Effective as usual and he is the last bowler you want to face when the RRR is over 10. |
| 31.1 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, A length delivery on leg, it's eased away off the pads on the leg side for one. |
| 31.2 : J Bumrah to S Ahmed, Shortish and on off, Ahmed stands tall and works it through mid-wicket. Runs the first run hard but has to settle with that only as the fielder in the deep is quickly onto the ball. |
| 31.3 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, A touch short and outside off, from 'round the wicket, Wasim is on the back foot as he taps it down to point. |
| 31.4 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, Overthrow! Fuller and on off, Wasim forces it down to mid on and Pandya has a shy at the bowler's end. He misses and the batsmen cross for a run. Kuldeep returns the ball towards the striker's end. It hits Sarfaraz' bat and rolls behind square leg. No extra run taken. |
| 31.5 : J Bumrah to S Ahmed, Ahmed opens the face of the bat and helps it to third man. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 31.6 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, FOUR! Fine shot! Short delivery, on off, Imad does well to ride the bounce and pulls it nicely to wide long on for a boundary. This partnership moves to 25 but is scoring at a rate way below the required one, almost half down. |
| Drinks break. It's India and India all the way! The century stand between Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam was the only bright spot for Pakistan as the wickets fell in a heap after that. Kuldeep Yadav has been exceptional in his spell and his magic delivery to dismiss Babar Azam opened the floodgates for India. A really smooth going for them and they are almost looking certain to maintain their dominance over Pakistan in the ICC World Cup. Meanwhile, Vijay Shankar is back into the attack... |
| 32.1 : V Shankar to S Ahmed, Landed outside off, Sarfaraz gives himself room to the leg side and cuts it but finds point. |
| 32.2 : V Shankar to S Ahmed, This is outside off, pushed back to the bowler who mimes a throw back at the stumps. |
| 32.3 : V Shankar to S Ahmed, Outside off, on a length, punched straight to cover. |
| 32.4 : V Shankar to S Ahmed, WIDE. Slips this down the leg side, does Shankar, Ahmed misses his flick. |
| V Shankar to S Ahmed, Low full toss outside off, SA backs away and steers it through point where substitute Ravindra Jadeja flings himself to his right and stops the ball. |
| 32.5 : V Shankar to S Ahmed, Full and on middle, pushed towards long on for a single. |
| 32.6 : V Shankar to I Wasim, Comes down the track and pulls it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 33.1 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, Spears in a fuller length ball on off, Imad brings down a straight bat and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 33.2 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, FOUR! Whacked down the ground! Back of a length delivery angling into the batsman, Wasim goes deep inside the crease and hammers it past the bowler for a boundary. |
| 33.3 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total. |
| 33.4 : J Bumrah to S Ahmed, Bumrah goes for a yorker but it turns out to be a sharp low full toss. Ahmed fails to flick and it goes off his pads to backward square leg. They cross and it's given as a leg bye. |
| 33.5 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, A low full toss again, on off, Wasim bunts it down to mid on for one. |
| 33.6 : J Bumrah to S Ahmed, Slower one. Short and on off, Sarfaraz just guides it down to third man and keeps strike with a single. |
| 34.1 : V Shankar to S Ahmed, OUT! Another one hits the stumps! India on a roll. Shankar on a roll. Pakistan seem to have no goal. They are neither able to attack, nor able to survive. Outside off, on a length, Sarfaraz looks to work it to the leg side but the ball cuts in off the seam, takes the inside edge and hits the leg stump. Sorry state of affairs for Pakistan and Sarfaraz. |
| 0.0 : Shadab Khan is in next. |
| 34.2 : V Shankar to S Khan, Pitches it up and on off, it's driven off the front foot to covers. |
| 34.3 : V Shankar to S Khan, Another pitched up ball outside off, Khan drives it through covers and gets off the mark with a run. |
| 34.4 : V Shankar to I Wasim, Beaten! Some extra bounce there. Shortish and outside off, Wasim flays at it and the ball goes over his bat. |
| 34.5 : V Shankar to I Wasim, Gets behind the line of the delivery and pushes it back in the direction of the bowler. |
| 34.6 : V Shankar to I Wasim, Three dots to close the over. A bit short and outside off, Imad plays it down from the crease but straight to point. A successful over for Shankar! |
| DRIZZLING! The players are leaving the field. The groundsmen run in with the hover cover. Pakistan are 86 runs behind the DLS par score at this stage. A commanding performance by India so far and they would like to return on the field to take the remaining wickets and make this victory even sweeter. For Pakistan, this loss will hurt their NRR badly. Another dismal performance against their arch-rivals at the grand stage. Let's hope for the resumption soon. Stay tuned for more updates... |
| Update 1843 local (1743 GMT) - The drizzle is still on. The officials are spotted under their umbrellas having a chat. The covers are on. We are hearing that the cut-off time for this match is 1915 local. Let's hope for the best. |
| Update 1854 local (1754 GMT) - Good news! The rain has stopped and the covers are coming off. Play to resume at 1910 local and it's reduced to 40 overs. The new target is 302 for Pakistan which means they will need 136 runs in 30 balls. Facepalm. |
| The Indian players are striding out in the centre. Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl. The umpire has signalled the start of Powerplay 3. A slip in place. |
| 35.1 : Y Chahal to S Khan, Full and outside off, Shadab goes hard at it with his drive and sends it to deep cover for a run. |
| 35.2 : Y Chahal to I Wasim, Wide! Tossed up ball way wide outside off, Wasim allows it through. |
| Y Chahal to I Wasim, Short and outside off, this time Imad cuts it to deep point and crosses for a run. |
| 35.3 : Y Chahal to S Khan, Leans forward to a full ball and pushes it through covers for one. |
| 35.4 : Y Chahal to I Wasim, Beaten! Shortish and outside off, Imad rocks back to cut but misses. |
| 35.5 : Y Chahal to I Wasim, Goes down on one knee and slogs it down to wide long on for a run. |
| 35.6 : Y Chahal to S Khan, In the air... SAFE! Floated and full, wide outside off, Shadab reaches out for it and goes for the lofted shot. It takes the bottom half and just clears the in-ring fielder at covers. 6 from the over, Pakistan just looking to bat out the remaining overs, it seems. |
| Jasprit Bumrah comes back into the attack. He has two overs left. |
| 36.1 : J Bumrah to S Khan, Full and around off, heaved wide of long on for a couple. 128 more needed from 23 balls. |
| 36.2 : J Bumrah to S Khan, Pushes this through mid on for a single. |
| 36.3 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, Perfect yorker, around middle, Imad initially lines up for a slog but at the last moment, adjusts to drag it towards square leg. |
| 36.4 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, Short and outside off, Wasim flays it hard over point for a couple. |
| 36.5 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, Punches this off the back foot for a run. |
| 36.6 : J Bumrah to S Khan, FOUR! That is some shot. Outside off, on a length, Shadab backs away and crunches it wide of mid off for a boundary! |
| 37.1 : Y Chahal to I Wasim, Wide! Googly but on the shorter side and way wide outside off, Wasim leaves. |
| Y Chahal to I Wasim, FOUR! Short in length and outside off, Wasim rocks back and clobbers it through extra cover for a cracking boundary. Trying his best to narrow down the deficit margin. |
| 37.2 : Y Chahal to I Wasim, Forces a full ball down to wide long on for a brace. |
| 37.3 : Y Chahal to I Wasim, Nicely flighted delivery, full and around off, Wasim tries to play the slog sweep but it catches the inner half and rolls through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 37.4 : Y Chahal to S Khan, DROPPED BY RAHUL! Flighted leg spinner, landing full and outside off, Shadab swings across the line but fails to time it properly. KL Rahul in the deep probably took it too casually and drops a sitter. A couple of runs taken. |
| 37.5 : Y Chahal to S Khan, Another aerial shot by Shadab. This time he goes with the spin and chips it over covers for a couple of runs. |
| 37.6 : Y Chahal to S Khan, Eases a full ball down through wide mid on for a couple of runs. |
| 38.1 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, FOUR! Hammered down the ground, 200 up for Pakistan! Bumrah delivers it full and on middle, Imad latches onto it and drills it straight down the ground for a boundary. |
| 38.2 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, Play and a miss! Back of a length delivery outside off, Wasim swishes and misses. |
| 38.3 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, On a good length around off, Imad camps back and lofts it over covers for a single. |
| 38.4 : J Bumrah to S Khan, Width on offer outside off, it's punched from the crease to sweeper cover for a run. |
| 38.5 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, Almost five penalty runs! Bumrah digs in a short ball around off, Imad tries his best to put bat on ball but misses. Dhoni fumbles and the ball nearly falls onto the helmet kept behind him. |
| 38.6 : J Bumrah to I Wasim, FOUR! And Bumrah has overstepped! Bumrah bowls it short and wide outside off, Wasim this time manages to put bat on ball and ramps it down to third man for a boundary. |
| Free Hit time! |
| J Bumrah to I Wasim, Goes very full this time, Wasim digs it out down to mid off for one. 12 from the over. |
| 39.1 : H Pandya to I Wasim, Backs a long way across, Pandya follows him, bowls it outside off, Imad looks to paddle but misses. |
| 39.2 : H Pandya to I Wasim, Short and outside off, Wasim slaps it through the covers. There is protection in the deep, so just a single. |
| 39.3 : H Pandya to S Khan, A yorker now, dug out towards long off for a run. |
| 39.4 : H Pandya to I Wasim, Dropped short, pulled through mid-wicket for one. |
| 39.5 : H Pandya to S Khan, Played to the point region by the batsman. They pick up a single. |
| 39.6 : H Pandya to I Wasim, A swing and a miss to end the farce. INDIA WON BY 89 RUNS VIA DLS METHOD. |
| Done and dusted. Or shall we say squashed and swatted? The day started with one question - Will it rain or will India continue their reign? The answer is - India have made it 7 in 7 against Pakistan in ICC ODI World Cups. They have given a real beating to their arch-rivals and have solidified their position in the points table. Their invincible run continues while Pakistan are in the doldrums, just over Afghanistan. |
| In a pressure match, (what pressure match? Ind-Pak matches rarely induce pressure these days) India were forced to use a different opening batsman to replace Shikhar Dhawan. They trusted KL Rahul to do the job and the young man didn't disappoint as he was involved in India's maiden century partnership for the first wicket against Pakistan in all World Cups. After a solid beginning, Rohit Sharma took it forward and hammered a big century and his skipper Virat Kohli also contributed with a fine ha |
| During the chase, before Pakistan could suffer a blow, India suffered a blow as they lost their key bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, to injury. But Vijay Shankar coming in to complete Bhuvi's unfinished over struck gold on the very first ball and claimed the prized scalp of in-form Imam-ul-Haq. Post that, a century stand developed between Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam but as the saying goes, 'one swallow doesn't make a summer'. The 104-run stand was followed by the complete disintegration of the Pakista |
| Towards the end, the match became more of a farce, as people were only waiting for the torture to end. The rain came again and this time, one felt for good, with Pakistan lagging behind by 86 runs in the DLS method. However, just like the 2007 final, the umpires decided to have play again and the revised target was 302 in 40 overs, which meant Pakistan needed an almost impossible 136 from 5 overs. |
| Nothing much to mention for Pakistan in terms of their batting. For the second successive game, they have collapsed from a good position. For India, they have shown their reserve strength, not only with the bat but also with the ball. Kuldeep Yadav showed that he has not lost his form and can pose a threat to any opposition. Please stay tuned for the presentation. |
| ROHIT SHARMA HAS BEEN NAMED THE MAN OF THE MATCH. Rohit says that he is happy with the way India played as a team. Adds they wanted to get on the park and play the game of cricket. Mentions that it was frustrating that their last match got washed out. On his disappointment after getting out, Rohit replies that he wasn't happy with the way he played that shot and feels it was a misjudgement from his side as fine leg was brought up just before that ball (He got out caught at short fine leg attempt |
| Pakistan skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed, says that they won a good toss but could not put the ball in the right areas and praises Rohit Sharma for playing really well. On the logic behind picking two spinners, Ahmed says that there was some moisture on the wicket and the ball was turning as well and Pakistan's spinners did bowl nicely but credits India for batting better. With the bat, Sarfaraz says that Pakistan were going well with the bat but suddenly they lost a flurry of wickets and lost the game |
| Victorious Indian captain, Virat Kohli, says that the pitch did not make too much of a difference throughout, except for the turn. Bides by his original decision to bowl first purely because of the overcast conditions. Is proud of the templates set by the team in each of the three wins with the batting laying the foundation and the bowlers doing their stuff. Feels that everyone is playing their roles perfectly. On Kuldeep Yadav's two wickets, breaking the century stand, Kohli says that Kuldeep w |
| Whoosh! Another India-Pakistan clash ends in a forgetful manner. No competition from the Men In Green at all. India move to second while Pakistan are on 7th. Will a different Team In Green have a better outing on a different day? Come Monday, June 17, 2019, Bangladesh take on West Indies in Taunton. Hopefully, we will get a better contest. ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
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