–India 319 for 3 (Rohit 91, Kohli 81*, Dhawan 68, Yuvraj 53) beat Pakistan 164 (Azhar 50, Umesh 3-30) by 124 runs (DLS method)
For what can be significant part of a match against many other teams, India were not at their best in the first match of their title defence. Yet, confirming how far Pakistan have fallen behind modern limited-overs cricket, they lost by a whopping 124 runs. Even if Pakistan had not grappled with the age-old problem of dropped catches – Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli plundered 45 off 24 and 38 off 12 after being reprieved – Pakistan might have still had to chase 280, which on the evidence of their batting might have been handful. Thanks to the fielding lapses, all of India’s top four scored half-centuries – only the third time for them – to set Pakistan 324, which, given their batting, was pretty much game over.
At various times, though, Pakistan could have held India back. The match began with Mohammad Amir beating Rohit Sharma’s bat three times in a maiden over, but the next ball was bowled by Imad Wasim and misfielded at point to sum up Pakistan’s day. There is no data to suggest India might struggle against unsubtle left-arm spin early in the innings, but Rohit, Dhawan, and later Kohli, got a soft start to their innings through Imad’s welcome. It might be safe to presume Pakistan wanted to get rid of Imad’s overs when India were taking it easy: since the 2015 World Cup, they had scored 4.95 an over in the first 10. Imad wasn’t hit out of the park – first eight overs for 43 – but India’s batsmen got set with no threat to their wickets.
A curiously slow partnership – 56 in 12.1 overs – followed between Rohit and Kohli. Having got two more Imad overs out of the way, Pakistan finally went to Amir and Hasan Ali from the 30th over onwards. This is when India were pulled back. A rain break didn’t help. The bowling was accurate, but India didn’t go out of their way to hit either. These overs – from around 25 to 40 – can be the difference between 300 and 325, which can be crucial in matches against stronger opposition. Here India scored 75 in those 15 overs.
In his 90s, Rohit was run out failing to keep his bat down as he dived. For a moment it seemed Pakistan’s out-and-out defensive tactics might work. They had their best bowlers on when India were looking to break free, and the frustration had given them an opening. For defensive tactics to work in modern ODIs, though, you need fielders on your side and you need to keep at it for the duration of the innings. Pakistan couldn’t manage either.
Wahab’s nightmare continued as his length continued to be all over the place. Injury was added to insult as he did his ankle but not before registering the most expensive analysis in Champions Trophy: 87 in 8.1 overs. Poor Imad had to come back – in the absence of two frontline bowlers – to be hit for three successive sixes by Pandya in the last over of the innings.
This was all too much for a struggling batting unit, which has been able to win them only one of the last 13 matches against top-eight sides in which their bowlers have conceded over 250. There was hope, but only for about half an hour when it rained. The moment the rain relented to leave Pakistan 289 to get in 41 overs, it was back to despair for them even though India were a little sloppy in the fielding, dropping two catches, missing a couple of run-outs, and letting the odd ball slide through their reach.
Only three batsmen managed to play 20 balls, and because these batsmen did so at a strike rate of 77, 55 and 77, the others were obliged to play high-risk cricket and give India a sixth straight win over them in ICC events.
Team Pakistan is capable of doing better. All the best in the encounters to come.
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