That’s all for today. Simon Burnton’s report from Ahmedabad is below, and we’ll be back in the morning for live coverage of England v Afghanistan. Bye.
India captain Rohit Sharma speaks
The bowlers set the game up for us. Restricting them to 190 was a great effort – at one stage we were looking at 270/280. We pride ourselves on the fact that whoever gets the ball does the job for the team. It’s my job as captain to read the conditions and decide who is the best guy to bowl.
We’ve been very clear with what we want to do: who bats in what position and what happens is someone isn’t fit. Guys got runs and wickets going into the World Cup, so all in all it’s looking good. We don’t want to get too excited or too low. It’s a long tournament and we want to stay balanced. That is the key.
The Pakistan captain Babar Azam speaks
We started well, then suddenly we collapsed in the middle overs. It’s not good. We were aiming for 280/290 but that collapse cost us. With the new ball we were not up to the mark, though Rohit played an outstanding innings.
“If Geoffrey Boycott was called anything,” says John Starbuck, “it was (politely) the Barnsley Bore, which was inaccurate, as he came from Fitzwilliam, which is in Wakefield.”
The player of the match is … Jasprit Bumrah. He did bowl beautifully (7-1-19-2), but I assumed it would be Rohit. Anyway, here’s what he had to say.
It felt good. We try to analyse the wicket as soon as possible; we realised it was on the slower side and that a hard length would make run-scoring difficult. We knew as the ball got a little older it might reverse and grip a little bit. We were waiting for that and trying to make it as difficult is possible.
[On his ability to size up conditions so quickly] When I was young I used to ask a lot of questions to my senior and I think that helped me build up a lot of knowledge.
[On Rizwan’s wicket] It was turning [for Ravindra Jadeja] but not consistently. I count my slower ball as a spinner so I thought it could be a good option to make run-scoring difficult. I was trying to do that and it gripped - was one of those days.
[On bowling Shadab Khan] There was a little phase when there was reverse swing. It was an outswinger that I tried to bowl, and it was one of those occasions when the white ball did reverse swing. I’m very happy with the execution. As a youngster I saw Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram bowl some magical deliveries, so if he’s praising [the ball] that’s a good thing for me.
It’s now India 8-0 Pakistan at ODI World Cups, and this is the most emphatic win of the lot. Their captain Rohit Sharma was inspired with both brain and bat. First he presided over an almighty Pakistan collapse from 155/2 to 191 all out; then he pre-empted any new-ball ferocity from Pakistan by whacking six sixes in a 63-ball 86.
India win by seven wickets with 117 balls remaining!
30.3 overs: India 192-3 (Iyer 53, Rahul 19) Shreyas Iyer does just that, crashing Nawaz down the ground for four to finish the match and bring up his first World Cup half-century. India have pulverised Pakistan with almost 20 overs to spare.
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30th over: India 186-3 (Iyer 48, Rahul 18) Rahul mows Hasan Ali disdainfully down the ground for four. The rest is dot balls, which means Iyer will have the chance to reach his fifty and maybe finish the match in the next over.
29th over: India 182-3 (Iyer 48, Rahul 14) Rahul muscles Nawaz down the ground for his first boundary, aided by a misfield from the sliding Iftikhar. From a neutral perspective, this has been a lamentable mismatch.
28th over: India 175-3 (Iyer 47, Rahul 8) KL Rahul has quietly become a key player at No5. He’s bang in form, too: in his last 10 ODI, going back to the Asia Cup, he averages over 100. This is a chance to gently massage that average, which he does with a couple of singles and a classy back-foot punch for two off Rauf. India need 16 to win.
27th over: India 170-3 (Iyer 45, Rahul 5) “In response to Jeremy Boyce, I am considerably older than you and at no time did I hear Sir Vivian referred to as The Prince,” says Adam Roberts. “No-one outside Yorkshire called Boycott ‘King Geoff’ - if he had to be acknowledged it would be [redacted].”
26th over: India 168-3 (Iyer 44, Rahul 4) Haris Rauf, who was manhandled by Rohit Sharma earlier in the innings, replaces Afridi. His last ball is a jaffa that straightens to beat KL Rahul, who seems to be struggling to deal with the lack of pressure.
The contest is not long for this world, so while I remember, here’s a plug for Simon Burnton’s World Cup diary.
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25th over: India 165-3 (Iyer 41, Rahul 4) Iyer drives Nawaz just short of extra cover. These two look unsure of the best way to dot the Is and cross the Ts. Thus far they have dealt solely in singles.
“I sat on the loo in the first innings just as India took their fourth wicket so I did, of course, stay there until the end of the Pakistani innings,” writes Deepak Puri. “A prolapse is a small price to pay for an Indian victory.”
Thank heavens Jim Royle wasn’t a cricket fan.
24th over: India 162-3 (Iyer 39, Rahul 3) Afridi’s performance is a bit of a silver lining for Pakistan. His form since returning with injury hasn’t been great, but tonight he has bowled with intelligence and intensity. His sixth over costs just one, which leaves him with figures of 6-0-36-2.
23rd over: India 161-3 (Iyer 38, Rahul 3) India need 31 from 27 overs; an arse-nipper it is not.
I’ll let you decide whether that link is safe to click.
22nd over: India 157-3 (Iyer 36, Rahul 1) “I can assure you that back in ‘t day Geoffrey was known as King Geoff, what with his hundred hundreds, hundred run-outs of his batting partners, taken to contact lenses rather than his old spectacles, and all,” says Jeremy Boyce. “When Viv hit the scene he was obviously the successor, so he was the Prince, young, handsome and dashing, just like the Ki....”
How funny. To a quadragenarian whippersnapper like me, he’s only ever been King Viv.
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WICKET! India 156-3 (Rohit c Iftikhar b Afridi 86)
No century for Rohit Sharma, who has been duped by the returning Shaheen Afridi. He dragged a wide slower ball to midwicket, one hand coming off the bat, and Iftikhar Ahmed took a simple catch.
Rohit walks off looking thoroughly cheesed off at missing out on a ton, though a standing ovation should make him feel better. He made an elegant, sadistic 86 from 63 balls, with six sixes. Before that he captained like almost flawlessly, so the player of the match adjudicator has an enviably simple job.
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21st over: India 154-2 (Rohit 85, Iyer 35) Iyer makes it back-to-back sixes for India, pummelling Nawaz down the ground, and then Rohit belts a cut for four.
India are going to obliterate the record for their fastest ODI runchase against Pakistan. That was in the Asia Cup in 2018, when they won with 21 overs to spare.
20th over: India 139-2 (Rohit 80, Iyer 28) Rohit sweeps Shadab round the corner for four. Afridi made a good sliding stop, only to knock the ball against his trailing arm and over the boundary.
Shadab’s next ball is a high full toss. He might as well have thrown it straight into the crowd, because that’s where Rohit put it. It’s his sixth six, and he is 20 runs away from – and I’m going to keep repeating this statistic because it is absurd – an eighth century in his last 15 World Cup innings. Nobody else has scored more than six.
As we mentioned, Pakistan’s next game is against Australia on Friday. India beat Bangladesh next, then New Zealand a week tomorrow. Also, I’ve just realised Pakistan’s last league game is against England. Imagine if that’s a de facto quarter-final.
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19th over: India 129-2 (Rohit 68, Iyer 27) Another quiet over from the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz. Three singles from it, the last of which brings up a classy fifty partnership.
“Is there an accurate figure for the number of spectators today?” asks Molly Blake.
I don’t think there has been an official attendance, accurate or otherwise. I’d imagine it’s definitely in six figures.
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18th over: India 126-2 (Rohit 67, Iyer 25) The score is India 7-0 Pakistan. Not World Cup wins against each other, but sixes hit in this match. Shreyas Iyer has just struck the seventh, launching Shadab Khan down the crowd. (It’s also 7-0 in World Cup head-to-heads, though it’s about to become 8-0.)
“What is it with Pakistan when they face India in a World Cup?” wonders Krishnamoorthy V. “The closest parallel that comes to my mind is the aversion of Torres to the net after moving to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool.”
For a long time their ODI record against India was excellent, but in the last 15 years or so – with one entirely glorious exception – it has been hopeless.
17th over: India 117-2 (Rohit 66, Iyer 18) Pakistan should try to rationalise this defeat on the grounds that they always lose to India, and almost every other team should lose to India in the league phase as well. The net run-rate hit isn’t ideal, but there’s plenty of time to make that up. If they beat three of England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, they will qualify for the semi-finals. Two wins might be enough.
16th over: India 116-2 (Rohit 65, Iyer 17) Rohit guides Shadab past past for four. It’s a shame that this has turned into yet another mismatch, but India have played with intimidating authority. It’s hard to see anyone beating them, although many of us thought the same in 2019.
“It was an argument about Duckworth-Lewis and not a foot-rub that really got Tony ‘Rocky Horror’ thrown out of that window,” says Niall Mullen.
The word is that the practice of everyone sitting in exactly same position for superstitious reasons during a nervous runchase stems from a misunderstanding when somebody put the Pulp Fiction soundtrack on in the dressing-room. (NB: clip contains adult/Tarantinian language)
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15th over: India 110-2 (Rohit 61, Iyer 16) Pakistan are feeding Rohit Sharma like a bowling machine. Another short ball from Rauf is pulled easily into the crowd, and a single takes Rohit to 61 from 48 balls. It looks like he is heading for – and this is a preposterous statistic – his eighth century in the last 15 World Cup innings.
14th over: India 101-2 (Rohit 52, Iyer 15) Shadab Khan replaces Hasan Ali, and Rohit drives his first ball for a single to reach another half-century: 36 balls, three fours, four sixes. He started a bit skittishly but since then it’s been the usual imperious stuff.
“Is it just net run-rate stopping Pakistan putting in 3 slips and a gully?” wonders Niall Mullen.
Net run-rate and pride. Marsellus Wallace didn’t think much of either, although his monologue about protecting net run-rate didn’t make the final cut.
13th over: India 96-2 (Rohit 49, Iyer 13) Too straight from Rauf, and Iyer moves into double figures with a simple flick to the fine-leg boundary. Time to start singing Bon Jovi: India need 96 to win.
12th over: India 88-2 (Rohit 47, Iyer 7) Iyer swivel-pulls Hasan Ali expertly for four, and India need 104 from 38 overs.
11th over: India 81-2 (Rohit 46, Iyer 1) Another quick wicket might make things interesting – and Rauf almost gets it with an excellent yorker to Shreyas Iyer, the new batter. Iyer squeezed it into the ground and reacted smartly to knock the ball away as it deflected in the general direction of the stumps.
Rauf tries to get himself going with a gratuitous throw back towards Iyer, which leads to a chorus of pantomime boos from the crowd. Iyer gets off the mark with a mistimed pull for a single.
That was a really good over from Haris Rauf. If only Pakistan’s attack had 250 to defend.
10th over: India 79-2 (Rohit 45, Iyer 0) “I don’t get this ‘150-2 at 30 overs is a good platform’ thing that appears to be revived as both a tactic and a commentary cliché,” says Gary Naylor. “Morgan’s England got rid of it (until the final in 2019, which they almost lost as a result) and won far more than they lost by asking the best batters to hit the most boundaries whenever they were in.
“Everyone castigates the 4, 5 or 6 for getting out for 30 off 25 balls but is 50 off 60 that much better if it means 8, 9 and 10 have to make 30 off 25 to get up to a competitive score? You risk 200 all out of course, but the reward is a lot of 340+ scores.”
That’s a lot of numbers, and my head hurts slightly. I broadly agree with you, though surely it depends on pitches, context and the strengths of a particular side. For example, a more old-fashioned approach has worked brilliantly for South Africa this year. And much as I love Eoin Morgan, and feel exceptionally smug having defended him when so many people wanted rid of him between 2015-18, I think Australia’s 2007 team might have been the first to turn a 50-over innings into a sprint.
WICKET! India 79-2 (Kohli c Babar b Hasan 16)
No runchase goodies for Virat Kohli today. He cloths a pull straight to mid-on and walks off after making 16 from 17 balls. His average in this World Cup is now a pitiful 78.
9th over: India 77-1 (Rohit 44, Kohli 15) Another devastating statement of intent from Rohit Sharma, who drives Haris Rauf’s second ball over long on. That’s his 300th six in ODIs, which puts him 300 up on you and me.
Kohli survives a run-out chance after being called through for a dodgy single. He was short of his ground when Afridi’s throw from mid-on missed the stumps at the striker’s end.
Good lord, make that 301 sixes: Rohit has opened the face to drive a slower ball spectacularly over extra cover and into the crowd. Sadism is rarely as elegant as this. As we said earlier, he doesn’t want to beat Pakistan, he wants to humiliate them.
“Sympathy for King Geoff?” sniffs Jeremy Boyce. “I suppose one should show a little kindness to anyone who insists on bowling in their cap. Joel Garner it wasn’t... Anyway, Prince Viv, not for the first or last time, put the old pretender firmly in his place.”
Yes, although by all accounts he should have been out for 20-odd to Mike Hendrick (but not first ball as is often suggested). And surely Viv was the king?
8th over: India 63-1 (Rohit 31, Kohli 14) The left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz assumes the position. Rohit Sharma humours him for a few deliveries and then flicks lazily over midwicket for six. We’ve seen greatness so often from these two that it’s easy to lose sight of how good they are.
This is getting very ugly for Pakistan, who face being thrashed in a manner that could fracture morale ahead of a vital game against Australia on Friday. The loser of that one will be in all sorts.
7th over: India 54-1 (Rohit 23, Kohli 13) Afridi decides to test Rohit with the short ball, and instantly regrets it. Rohit hooks effortlessly into the crowd at long leg, the first six of the entire match.
Kohli adds bleach to Pakistan’s wounds with back-to-back boundaries, a pull through midwicket followed by an exhilarating cover drive. India are romping to victory, and we haven’t yet had 50 overs in the match.
6th over: India 39-1 (Rohit 16, Kohli 5) Of those who have played at least 10 innings at a men’s World Cup, only Lance Klusener (124.00), Andrew Symonds (103.00) and Ben Stokes (66.42) have a higher average than Rohit Sharma (66.17). He’s been slightly skittish tonight and almost offers Hasan Ali a return catch with an uppish drive.
A good over from Hasan includes five successive dot balls to Kohli.
5th over: India 38-1 (Rohit 15, Kohli 5) Afridi switches round the wicke to Rohit, who edges a lusty yahoo between slip and backward point. He’s playing very aggressively here, especially as the required run rate is below 3.5 an over. That’s Kohli’s first boundary.
Kohli looks suspciously at the pitch after defending a ball that keeps a bit low. The next delivery is full, wide and skimmed thrillingly through the covers for four.
“Thank you for the painful reminder of that devastating denouement in 1979,” says Brian Withington. “In the spirit of recycling, I quote from my email to you of 2021 (which I don’t think got used then).
“I watched the 1979 WC final on a black and white TV in my student accommodation and distinctly recall the disappointment when Joel Garner comprehensively yorked Graham Gooch, who was desperately trying to retrieve the situation.
“I recall reading later Brearley’s admission that he was mistakenly swept along by the tea-time euphoria that all he and Boycott needed to do was keep going - he mentioned Derek Randall in particular as congratulating them on the game being in the bag.
“On reviewing now it’s striking that there was both full lunch and tea intervals as well as a break between innings, and I’m guessing it was 60 overs a side, too!”
Lord Beefy also told Brearley and Boycott to keep going, which doesn’t quite compute. After taking a subterranean dive into that game for a Wisden piece in 2019 I had a lot more sympathy for Brearley and Boycott.
4th over: India 31-1 (Rohit 14, Kohli 0) Rohit cuts Hasan Ali to the fence, inside-edges short of the keeper and then flicks beautifully through midwicket for four more. The way India have started suggests they don’t want to beat Pakistan; they want to humiliate them.
3rd over: India 22-1 (Rohit 5, Kohli 0) That was a much better over from Afridi, who induced a couple of false strokes from Rohit before dismissing Gill. Early wickets are Pakistan’s only hope.
WICKET! India 23-1 (Gill c Shadab b Afridi 16)
Silence. Gill slaps Afridi straight to backward point, where Shadab Khan takes a very sharp catch. Afridi strikes the usual pose, arms spread wide, and Gill goes for a silken cameo of 16 from 11 balls.
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2nd over: India 22-0 (Rohit 5, Gill 16) Hasan Ali shares the new ball with Shaheen, but Gill ups the punishment with three fours in the over. He drives exquisitely between extra cover and mid off for four, an almost identical boundary to the one he stroked in the previous over, waves another drive to the cover fence and helps a poor delivery to fine leg.
If there has ever been a more elegant opening partnership than Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, I’d like to see them.
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1st over: India 10-0 (Rohit 5, Gill 4) Rohit Sharma makes the most languid statement of intent, flicking Afrdi’s first ball up and over the leg side for four.
Shubman Gill, back in the side after Dengue fever, times his first ball past extra cover for four more.
There’s no more than a hint of inswing for Afridi, who has an LBW appeal turned down when Gill is hit by a full toss, and that’s a chastening start for Pakistan.
Here come the players. Shaheen Shah Afridi will open the bowling to Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. A wicketless first spell is not an option.
“Just back from a lovely long bike ride,” says Jeremy Boyce. “Glad I got off before I checked the score otherwise it could have been a nasty fall, much like Pakistan’s innings. As for the lack of close finishes, isn’t it a bit like the Rugby WC: te pool games can be too one-sided, the whole level will ramp up once the knockouts start. Anyway, this one isn’t over yet, and lest we forget, it’s a funny old game cricket...”
That’s true to an extent, but there are differences – in the rugby World Cup you have quarter-finals, whereas here there will only be three knockout games. There are more minnows in that tournament too. The odd thing about this World Cup so far is that even the meetings between the heavyweights have been one-sided.
Collapse update... last 8 wickets fell for 36, comfortably Pakistan's worst such figure in World Cup (previously - 60, v E in 1992 and v WI in 2019), and their third worst in any ODI. Ninth worst by any team in WC, second worst v India in WC. List: https://t.co/LHAN2Ntmjb
— Andy Zaltzman (@ZaltzCricket) October 14, 2023
On the plus side, at least they didn’t lose eight wickets for 11 runs in their own World Cup final.
“Afternoon Rob!” writes Kimberley Thonger. “The lesson to be taken from that Pakistan innings is, when on the platform, trying to board the train to Big Score, mind the gap.”
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Thanks Tim, hello everyone. Never mind the zinda, that was just plain bad from Pakistan, who collapsed miserably from 155/2 to 191 all out and are facing an eighth consecutive defeat to India at an ODI World Cup.
It was an outstanding team effort from India – all five bowlers took two wickets apiece, just as they did in the 2011 semi-final – but there was a sad familiarity to Pakistan’s demise. Sad for Pakistan fans and neutrals: this is the 14th match of World Cup and we still haven’t have a close finish. Don’t expect one today. The cornered tigers of 1992 would struggle to defend a total that feels at least 80 below par.
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An innings of two halves
What on earth happened there? I feel as stunned as Mohammad Nawaz looked. Pakistan were 155 for two with their two mainstays, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, motoring along – in the middle lane, but still, their only problem was failing to find top gear. Then Babar got out, to the erratic Mohammed Siraj, and the wheels fell off. Pakistan lost eight wickets for 36 in 13.1 overs of nothing at all from their point of view.
The player of the match at this stage is Rohit Sharma, by a mile. He kept making things happen with his bowling changes, showing some inspired faith in Siraj and Hardik Pandya, getting two wickets from all five of his main bowlers, bringing Bumrah back at just the right moment, and calling for some clever reviews. It’s all been a bummer for the game, a stunner for the flag-waving fans, and a masterclass for anyone who is interested in the art of captaincy.
Can India knock off the 192 they need for victory? Can they do it in 30 overs? Or will Pakistan astound us all over again? Find out soon with the great Rob Smyth. Thanks for your company, correspondence and satirical thoughts about stadiums named after prime ministers.
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PAKISTAN ALL OUT FOR 191!
Haris Rauf LBW b Jadeja 2 Yet another triumph for Rohit, who decides to review when this ball seems to Marais Erasmus, and many other people, to be sliding down leg. It’s hitting! And Pakistan’s calamity is complete, with seven overs unused.
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155-2 in the 30th over @TimdeLisle? Platforms ain't what they used to be, and not just in this match.
— Gary Naylor 85 (@garynaylor85) October 14, 2023
42nd over: Pakistan 190-9 (Shaheen Shah Afridi 1, Haris Rauf 2) Yet another bowling change does the trick. Since Babar was out, we’ve seen seven wickets fall for 34 off 11.4 overs. “Only Pakistan can do this!” says Nasser Hussain, suddenly forgetting that he used to captain a team that always had a collapse up its sleeve. And still does – as do Australia at the moment. That said, this will surely go down as one of the all-time great capitulations. Only some magic from Shaheen Shah Afridi can save Pakistan now, and it’s not going to come from his bat.
Wicket! Hasan Ali c Gill b Jadeja 12 (Pakistan 187-9)
Two in two balls! Hasan Ali, the only lower-order batter to show any fight, gets a top edge, and that’s a well-deserved wicket for Jadeja.
40th over: Pakistan 187-8 (Hasan Ali 12, Shaheen Shah Afridi 0) That was another surprise bowling change from Rohit: Bumrah off, Hardik back. He couldn’t be thinking he needed to save Bumrah up for the death, could he? Maybe he wanted Hardik to find some rhythm. His first ball was a loosener and Hasan belted it back past him for four, but then Rohit’s magic touch came into play yet again. This has been a masterclass, entitled Leadership on the Big Stage.
Wicket! Mohammad Nawaz c Bumrah b Hardik 4 (Pakistan 187-8)
Nawaz finally tries a shot in anger – and clumps it straight to mid-on!
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39th over: Pakistan 182-7 (Mohammad Nawaz 4, Hasan Ali 7) As Jadeja returns, Pakistan need to do something. Anything. And they do, but only thanks to a stroke of luck – Hasan edges and Rohit, at slip, doesn’t get down to it, allowing it to squirt away for four. That’s the only thing Rohit has got wrong all day.
38th over: Pakistan 176-7 (Mohammad Nawaz 3, Hasan Ali 2) Another commanding over from Bumrah, just two from it. Replays have shown that the ball to Shadab was a leg-cutter, whereas the one to Rizwan was an off-cutter. Magisterial stuff.
37th over: Pakistan 174-7 (Mohammad Nawaz 3, Hasan Ali 2) The batters are stunned, tongue-tied. Kuldeep, a strong candidate for Best Supporting Actor, finishes with two for 35 off his ten overs. After the first one, which went for eight if I remember right, he was immaculate.
36th over: Pakistan 172-7 (Mohammad Nawaz 2, Hasan Ali 1) Bumrah has been so good today – thrifty at the start, lethal on his return. His figures are like something from the Seventies: 6-1-18-2. But oh, Pakistan… In five overs of fecklessness, they have almost certainly ruined the match. India are not just heading for an eighth successive World Cup win over their local rivals – they’ve got a great chance to improve their run rate too.
Wicket! Shadab Khan b Bumrah 2 (Pakistan 171-7)
Not another one! Bumrah has attached a magnet to the ball, and another one to the bails. This is such a shame: a fine, tight contest, suddenly reduced to a procession.
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35th over: Pakistan 170-6 (Shadab Khan 2, Mohammad Nawaz 1) For 29 and a half overs, Pakistan were steady, a touch sedate – no fireworks, no sixes, but they calmly built their base to reach 155 for two. And then they threw it all away in five and a half overs of chaos, losing four wickets for 14. This is why they are always being described as mercurial.
WICKET!! Rizwan b Bumrah 49 (Pakistan 168-6)
The big one! And it’s another triumph for Rohit, who saw the chance to go in for the kill and brought back his big gun Bumrah. His off-cutter, too good even for a batter with his eye in, homes in on the off bail. And Pakistan are in tatters.
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33rd over: Pakistan 166-5 (Mohammad Rizwan 48, Shadab Khan 0) For most of the day, it seemed as if Messrs Ebb and Flow had been denied a visa. But they’re in the building now. Pakistan, who were cruising along at 155 for two, have lost three wickets for 11 in no time. It’s all down to Rizwan, who has been watching all this and getting becalmed – only seven off the past five overs.
WICKET! Iftikhar b Kuldeep 4 (Pakistan 166-5)
And another! Kuldeep dishes up the wrong’un, Iftikhar misses a sweep, the ball hits his gloves and he’s bowled round his legs. Unlucky.
Wicket! Shakeel LBW b Kuldeep 6 (Pakistan 162-4)
Given on review! Marais Erasmus is unconvinced again, and this time he gets it wrong. The ball is pitching on leg, hitting leg, and it’s a mystery why Shakeel missed it – maybe he blundered in going back when he could have been sweeping.
Three reds 🟥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 14, 2023
Saud Shakeel is out! Great review from India ✅ pic.twitter.com/7OOQPgRsfm
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32nd over: Pakistan 162-3 (Mohammad Rizwan 48, Saud Shakeel 6) Five off the over from Siraj. He’s been expensive but incisive, as was Hardik Pandya. The other main bowlers – Bumrah and the two spinners, Kuldeep and Jadeja – have been the opposite, toothless but thrifty. Only Shardul has offered neither economy nor a cutting edge, and he’s been given just two overs.
31st over: Pakistan 157-3 (Mohammad Rizwan 47, Saud Shakeel 2) Kuldeep has been quietly getting through a very good spell, six overs now for just 19. At drinks, India are on top, but they need to get rid of Rizwan, the keeper who is also a proper batter – and such a fighter. His partnership with Babar was 82 off 17.1 overs, not earth-shattering but rock-solid.
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30th over: Pakistan 156-3 (Mohammad Rizwan 47, Saud Shakeel 1) The Pakistanis have done well not to lose two wickets in a row, but they nearly manage it now as Saud Shakeel takes a quick single first ball, doesn’t see the need to get his skates on, and only escapes because Siraj, sprinting toward extra-cover and pirouetting impressively, can’t produce a direct hit.
WICKET!! Babar b Siraj 50 (Pakistan 155-3)
Another stroke of genius from Rohit. He keeps Siraj on when many captains would not have and is rewarded with a crafty off-cutter that jags back, keeps low, beats Babar’s ill-judged cut and gets the off stump flashing. Siraj makes the breakthrough again!
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Fifty to Babar Azam!
29th over: Pakistan 150-2 (Babar Azam 50, Mohammad Rizwan 43) Kuldeep continues but the spell is broken now and he has a freebie for Babar – a full-toss outside off, duly driven square for four. Babar goes to fifty off 57 balls with seven fours. It’s been old-school, but authoritative, and elegant as always. The question is whether the boring bit – the half-hour before Siraj came back on – will prove too costly.
28th over: Pakistan 144-2 (Babar Azam 45, Mohammad Rizwan 42) Just as Babar is wondering how on earth to break this spell, Rohit breaks it for him. He takes Jadeja off, presumably wanting to save up his last three overs, and brings back Mohammed Siraj. As in the Powerplay, Siraj comes bearing gifts, spraying the ball around. Babar clips for four, almost giving Hardik a catch at midwicket; Rizwan seems a clip so early that it goes straight for four more, and every other ball leaks at least one. Suddenly, Pakistan are back in the driving seat.
27th over: Pakistan 131-2 (Babar Azam 37, Mohammad Rizwan 37) Another miserly over of spin, from Kuldeep this time – two singles and then four dots to Babar, who has lost that lovely fluency of his. The past five overs have yielded only 17 runs. What is this, 1987?
26th over: Pakistan 129-2 (Babar Azam 36, Mohammad Rizwan 36) Jadeja is still on top of the batters, allowing two singles and a two that comes off Rizwan’s top edge. The bowlers have done very well against Babar, who, in the past five overs, has made only five off 13 balls.
25th over: Pakistan 125-2 (Babar Azam 35, Mohammad Rizwan 33) Babar, facing Kuldeep, tries the sweep, which is not one of his shots. He misses, the Indians appeal, Marais Erasmus feels it’s pitching outside leg, Rohit reviews. Ooh, it’s close, just pitched in line, brushing the leg bail… but it’s umpire’s call.
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24th over: Pakistan 123-2 (Babar Azam 34, Mohammad Rizwan 32) Good again from Jadeja, just three singles from the over. He has none for 25 from six. The fifty partnership comes up – the first one of the day. These two are so comfortable together, Babar classical, Rizwan feisty.
23rd over: Pakistan 120-2 (Babar Azam 33, Mohammad Rizwan 30) The Pakistanis have mostly played orthodox creekit strokes but now Rizwan, still revelling in that reprieve, decides it’s time to be playful, scooping Kuldeep over his left shoulder like someone being superstitious with the salt.
Here’s Adam Hirst in Rio. “The Boris Johnson Stadium,” he writes, “is a sad sight these days. Dilapidated, barely used, was built to hold 350m a week but never got anywhere near that. Never even tried to.”
22nd over: Pakistan 114-2 (Babar Azam 32, Mohammad Rizwan 25) Jadeja very nearly nabs Rizwan, cutting at one that’s too low, getting a bottom edge and picking up a streaky four. But Rizwan keeps calm and cashes in next ball, swinging to leg for four more. He’s such a competitor. Rohit, who had a slip a few minutes ago, has now gone on the defensive, which doesn’t seem entirely wise.
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21st over: Pakistan 105-2 (Babar Azam 31, Mohammad Rizwan 17) Rohit, who seemed reluctant to bowl Taker at all, takes him off after two overs and opts for spin at both ends. Back comes Kuldeep, with a change of ends, and he does well, conceding only two singles. In the commentary box, Sachin Tendulkar is sitting next to Waqar Younis, demonstrating Indo-Pak harmony. Sachin seldom has much to say but he doesn’t have to because he’s a charming presence, an ambassador in aviator shades.
20th over: Pakistan 103-2 (Babar Azam 30, Mohammad Rizwan 16) Jadeja tightens the screws and bowls five dots to Babar. India are perhaps narrowly the happier of the two sides, but Pakistan’s hopes will be high for as long as these two stay together.
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19th over: Pakistan 102-2 (Babar Azam 30, Mohammad Rizwan 15) You know those players who get to 30 without anyone noticing? Babar is one of them, like Joe Root, and even more fluent. He has faced only 28 balls here. He brings up the Pakistan hundred in style, with a cover drive on the up off Thakur. If there is ever another edition of the MCC Coaching Book, Babar will surely be on the cover.
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18th over: Pakistan 96-2 (Babar Azam 25, Mohammad Rizwan 14) Jadeja – such a performer, more of a rock star than the Indian pacemen – still can’t recapture the mojo of his first over. Rizwan, so quick to read the length, cuts him for four.
17th over: Pakistan 90-2 (Babar Azam 24, Mohammad Rizwan 9) Hardik gets a rest after going for plenty of runs (28 off four overs) but getting a vital wicket (Imam-ul-Haq). Here is Shardul Thakur, who starts as badly as Siraj – a straight half-volley, serenely dispatched down the ground by Babar. It’s followed by an even worse ball, outside leg, which somehow gets flicked for just a single. Pakistan have to be ruthless with the junior bowlers.
16th over: Pakistan 84-2 (Babar Azam 19, Mohammad Rizwan 8) Jadeja’s second over is less eventful than his first as the batters work him around for five singles.
15th over: Pakistan 79-2 (Babar Azam 16, Mohammad Rizwan 6) Hardik continues and Rizwan plays a lovely wristy flick, too well timed to be cut off on the deep-square boundary.
Before that there’s a cutter that bounces about three times before it reaches Rahul. “This pitch is low, slow,” Nasser Hussain says, “probably the lowest we’ve seen in this World Cup.” A caption shows that Ahmedabad has also offered the least seam movement of the venues used so far.
“The main problem with the Rishi Sunak Stadium,” says Mark Beadle, “is that there are no rail links to it from anywhere north of Birmingham.”
14th over: Pakistan 75-2 (Babar Azam 16, Mohammad Rizwan 2) No wicket but still, that’s a great start from Ravi Jadeja, replacing Yadav at the slow end. Just a single from the over, and he turned his first ball past Rizwan’s outside edge, which may have led the ump to think the next one was doing more than it really was.
That’s drinks, with the game beautifully poised.
Not out!
No, not even umpire’s call. It straightened a little, but not enough.
Mohammad Rizwan is given out LBW but he reviews successfully and survives.#INDvPAK | #CWC23 | #IsBaarUsPaar pic.twitter.com/Ejtl1ZrOd6
— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) October 14, 2023
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Review! Rizwan given LBW to Jadeja
This doesn’t look out, but it’s been given…
13th over: Pakistan 73-2 (Babar Azam 15, Mohammad Rizwan 0) The bad news for Pakistan is that Imam has sold his wicket cheaply. The good news is that both openers did their job, laying a foundation, and they now have two more openers to build on it – Babar and Rizwan, who, since Jason Roy’s relative decline, have been the world’s best opening pair in T20 internationals.
WICKET! Imam-ul-Haq c Rahul b Hardik 36 (Pakistan 73-2)
Rohit does it again! Just when everyone is wondering why Hardik is still on, he persuades Imam to chase a wide one. KL Rahul takes a good low catch, diving to where first slip would be.
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12th over: Pakistan 68-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 32, Babar Azam 15) Siraj gets a breather as Rohit brings on a spinner. It’s Kuldeep Yadav with his left-arm wrist spin. He has bothered Babar in the past but he makes a shaky start here, dropping short to Imam, then too full on the pads, to hand him an easy two and four.
11th over: Pakistan 60-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 25, Babar Azam 14) Hardik Pandya continues. His bandana is handsome, but his bowling is not: Babar pulls him for four with a lordly roll of the wrists, then whips him for four more. Pakistan back in the driving seat.
“Fun, innit?” says Dean Kinsella. “Rohit definitely give Siraj a bit of stick a couple of times before the wicket. Unusual these days. Its all about cosseting and encouragement in pro sport now. So I call that top-class captaincy. He knew what Siraj needed.”
10th over: Pakistan 49-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 23, Babar Azam 5) Siraj, cheered by the wicket, finally bowls the over he should have begun with: line and length, five dots and a single.
“The Rishi Sunak Stadium,” says Simon McMahon, “is an improvement on what was there before, but the atmosphere is not the best, despite its size. Polite, and slightly reserved, but with an ever-present undercurrent of arrogance and intolerance. And the prices are extortionate.” I’m enjoying this seam of satire on a Saturday.
9th over: Pakistan 48-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 22, Babar Azam 5) So here is Babar, the most prized Pakistan wicket. He is greeted not by Bumrah but by Hardik Pandya, unexpectedly promoted from fourth seamer to third. Babar says thanks very much and helps himself to his first four, clipped off the toes.
The TV director is showing how Kane Williamson broke his thumb – he was taking a quick single and was hit by a throw as he arrived at the non-striker’s end. Unbelievably bad luck.
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Wicket! Shafique LBW b Siraj 20 (Pakistan 41-1)
8th over: Pakistan 41-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 20) Siraj continues to go for singles. Rohit, looking grumpy for once, has a word with him – and next ball they get the breakthrough! The ball is full, maybe keeping low, and Shafique simply misses his flick. He doesn’t bother reviewing, sensing that it was heading for leg stump. A relief for Siraj, and a triumph for Rohit.
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In other news, Kane Williamson finds the cricket gods adding injury to injury.
Cruel blow for Kane Williamson, first full match back after tearing ACL in March and he breaks a thumb after being hit by a stray shy at the stumps. NZ keeping him in the official squad in the hope he can play the back end of group stage but Tom Blundell called up as a reserve
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) October 14, 2023
7th over: Pakistan 37-0 (Abdullah Shafique 18, Imam-ul-Haq 18) For the first half-hour, Pakistan seemed to be quite happy just to see off Bumrah. Not any more: Shafique goes down the track, meets a back-of-a-length ball on the up, and lofts it over the bowler’s head for four. When Bumrah met chutzpah.
Imam joins in with a crisp leg glance for four, a good recovery after there ball thudded into his box. Nine from the over, and runs off Bumrah count double.
6th over: Pakistan 28-0 (Abdullah Shafique 13, Imam-ul-Haq 14) Rohit Sharma, Mr Unflappable, sticks with Siraj. He’s managed to stem the flow of fours, but he’s now getting milked for singles like a finger-spinner. Siraj has only nine dots from his first 18 balls; Bumrah has 16.
5th over: Pakistan 23-0 (Abdullah Shafique 10, Imam-ul-Haq 13) Just when it feels as if Pakistan are on top, Bumrah keeps it so tight to Imam that he bowls a maiden. He’s the Indian Glenn McGrath – a strike bowler and a stock bowler, rolled into one.
“Good evening Tim,” says Philipp Lohan, making me wonder where he is. “Just back from a night out here in Montreal, Canada…” Aha. “…and in two minds whether sleep is more important that this game? Thoroughly enjoyed not hearing a single jeer or whistle while the Pakistan national anthem was played. Wonder whether the English fans in the Rishi Patel Stadium will display the same decorum!” Good to find that the British prime minister is so well known in Canada.
4th over: Pakistan 23-0 (Abdullah Shafique 10, Imam-ul-Haq 13) If this was a T20, Siraj would now be at fine leg. As it is he gets a chance to redeem himself. His first ball to a right-hander is too wide, so Shafique can just caress it to the cover boundary. After seven balls, Siraj has gone for 16 – but then he manages three dots and two singles, grabbing respectability from the jaws of embarrassment.
3rd over: Pakistan 17-0 (Abdullah Shafique 5, Imam-ul-Haq 12) Bumrah gets some shape away for the first time but Shafique is equal to it, keeping his hands soft to make sure the edge falls short of slip. Next ball he deflects past slip, so we finally get a single. Good stuff from Bumrah though: 2-0-5-0.
“It is difficult to keep politics out of sports,” says V Krishnamoorty, “more so when it is India-Pakistan. A Pakistan victory today will be poetic justice to the systemic state-sponsored Islamophobia prevalent in India.
“I am from India.”
2nd over: Pakistan 16-0 (Abdullah Shafique 4, Imam-ul-Haq 12) The other new-ball bowler is Mohammed Siraj, whose first over is rather different. The first ball is a freebie on the pads, glanced for four by a grateful Imam-ul-Haq. The second is straighter but too full, driven back past the bowler for four more. Siraj has left himself no leeway and suffers for it later in the over, getting tucked square for four more. Lovely timing from Imam, and no nerves. Pakistan are getting ’em in boundaries.
1st over: Pakistan 4-0 (Abdullah Shafique 4, Imam-ul-Haq 0) Bumrah, the human catapult, is spot on for the first five balls. Abdullah Shafique has to play at them all, and can’t get any of them away. Finally Bumrah strays onto the legs and Shafique flicks, fluently, for four. Honours even!
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The players are out there, the hubbub is huge, and the ball is in the hands of Jasprit Bumrah.
“I’ve got goosebumps just sitting at home watching this one,” says Simon McMahon. “Imagine what it must feel like to be actually playing in it. I‘ve no idea to be honest, but I’d imagine it’s a mixture of nerves, excitement, focus, pride? Maybe a bit like doing the OBO for the biggest game of the World Cup so far…” Ha, lovely thought. Big as The Guardian is, somehow I’m not sure the hopes of a billion people are on my shoulders.
Pakistan fans in the house
India win the toss, which goes down well. I've seen two Pakistan fans, posing for photos and generally being treated like celebrities. One may actually be a celebrity - someone told me he was an influencer. If you hear a chant for Pakistan today he's obviously a bloody good one
— Simon Burnton (@Simon_Burnton) October 14, 2023
The first email of the day is in, and it’s a spicy one. “Today,” says Niall Mullen, “England play Scotland at the Rishi Sunak Stadium. Of course there will be no Scottish fans present as they were not granted visas.”
Teams in full
Pakistan 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Afridi, 11 Haris Rauf.
India 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravi Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj.
Teams in brief: Pakistan
Babar Azam, who says he would have batted second too, names an unchanged side. The ring of confidence.
Teams in brief: India
India make one change, bringing back Shubman Gill in place of Ishan Kishan.
Toss: India win and bowl first
Babar Azam calls wrong, so Rohit Sharma wins the toss and he opts to chase. That’s what New Zealand did on this ground in the first match of the tournament, and it went pretty well.
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Pre-match reading
Why do India dominate Pakistan at the World Cup, but not in other tournaments? Mark Ramprakash has a theory.
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The word on the street.
Roads closed. Traffic building up. The car park I walked past was almost full. Fans congregating at the gates. This is the Narendra Modi Stadium at 9am, five hours before India v Pakistan gets under way and an hour before gates open pic.twitter.com/VVPYSeQd33
— Simon Burnton (@Simon_Burnton) October 14, 2023
Preamble
Morning everyone and welcome to the big one. India v Pakistan is basically the Manchester derby, if Manchester had a population of 1.6 billion.
The setting is Ahmedabad, which has what may well be the world’s second-biggest sports ground. The tickets are going for £250 and the boxes for £19,000, according to my colleague Anand Vasu. There are people wanting a room so badly that they’ve booked into hospital. There will be hardly any Pakistan supporters present because they haven’t been given visas, but hey, you can’t have everything.
Home advantage is on India’s side and so is the form book. These two teams have had seven meetings in ODI World Cups (from 1992 to 2019) and India have won the lot. Then again … Pakistan have a fine record against India in all ODIs, with 73 wins and only 56 defeats. And although the latest meeting, a month ago, was a walk in the park for India, both sides have begun this tournament in commanding fashion – played two, won two.
In any case the most important element today is not the result, this early in a rather rotund round-robin. It’s the margin of victory. We’re now 11 games into the World Cup and not one of them has been tight. The closest thing to a cliffhanger came when Pakistan played Sri Lanka, and they still cruised home by six wickets.
So any game will do as long as it gives us some drama. And if there’s one thing Pakistan can be relied upon to deliver…
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