In terms of bowling, both nations provided some of the most dangerous bowlers in the world. From Shaheen Afridi to Jaspreet Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, all of them could deliver a nail-biting contest. However, during this World Cup, the batting aspect of both nations shone.
In their first match, Pakistan managed to reach a formidable 286 against the Netherlands. However, it was their second match where they truly excelled. Sri Lanka set a total of 344, which initially appeared to be a comfortable win for the Lankans but turned into misfortune quickly. Pakistan not only put up a solid fight against Sri Lanka but also defeated them, achieving a record for the highest run chase in a World Cup.
Pakistan continued their impressive batting form from the very start of the match, showing their ruthlessness. They showed no mercy to Bumrah and Siraj, effortlessly hitting boundaries. Abdullah Shafique continued his good form after scoring a century against Sri Lanka.
However, Shafique’s sweet form didn’t last long as he was dismissed early with a cross-seam delivery from Siraj. A clear LBW was given, leaving no room for a review. Babar Azam then took to the crease and displayed his classy batting skills. He looked well-set on the pitch after hitting picturesque cover drives and straight drives.
On the other end, Imam-ul-Haq’s stay was short-lived as he was dismissed by Pandya with KL Rahul’s joint effort. He was caught behind after hitting Pandya for four.
Azam and Rizwan formed a solid partnership, looking comfortable, and Azam even reached a well-deserved half-century. However, their magic turned into misery as Azam was cleanly bowled by Siraj.
Despite Rizwan looking comfortable on the other end, Pakistan’s lineup crumbled like dominos. Except for Hasan Ali, no one managed to reach double digits. Rizwan fell one run short of a half-century, despite having scored a century in the previous match.
So, how did such a promising lineup fail?
Firstly, the pitch offered life for the bowlers with turn, bounce, and surprises. Indian bowlers capitalized on this as much as they could, even though they delivered some rough or poor balls. Pakistan failed to capitalize on these opportunities during the later stages.
Additionally, in terms of shot selection, Pakistan’s batsmen made some poor decisions, like outside edges by set batsmen or attempting flick shots at good balls, which backfired. In the early stages, Indian bowlers took some time to figure out the line and length but eventually stuck to it.
Notably, India’s spin lineup was not only economical but also effective. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja each took a couple of wickets while maintaining an economy rate of no more than 4 runs per over.
Regarding consistency, five of the six Indian bowlers secured a brace of wickets, with the exception of Shardul Thakur, who bowled only a couple of overs. It was a combination of consistent bowling and a batting failure from Pakistan that led to India’s victory.
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