Both teams had won their initial two matches, and the desire to move closer to the semi-finals was palpable on Saturday. However, the match turned out to be more one-sided than many had anticipated. Pakistan struggled, scoring just 191 runs before India made a comfortable chase to secure the win.
Initially, India's decision to field first, made by Rohit Sharma, seemed questionable as Pakistan managed to build a solid foundation, reaching 155-2 in the 30th over. Contributions from Imam-ul-Haq (36), Babar Azam (40), and Mohammad Rizwan (39) played a significant role in this.
However, India responded by taking the final eight wickets for a mere 36 runs in 13.1 overs. The wickets were shared evenly among five bowlers, each claiming two wickets, leading to Pakistan's dismissal with 7.5 overs to spare. Although Pakistan managed to dismiss Shubman Gill (16) and Virat Kohli (16) within the first 10 overs, they couldn't stop Rohit Sharma, who put on yet another spectacular performance.
Sharma's innings featured an incredible display of six fours and six sixes from just 63 balls, as he amassed 86 runs. He narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century when Shaheen Shah Afridi took his second wicket.
Shreyas Iyer (53*) and KL Rahul (19*) comfortably contributed the remaining 36 runs, securing India's victory with 19.3 overs to spare. This significant margin may prove to be a setback for Pakistan in the group stage, with their net run-rate now at -0.137 as they prepare to face Australia in their upcoming match.
