Converting the lead to 8-1, India demolishes Pakistan once again in the World Cup by winning the match by 61 runs. India proved that it is no longer the greatest rivalry, which they sell on emotions. The India-Pakistan match has only become a revenue generator for the broadcasters; in no cricketing aspect, the tag of the “greatest rivalry” has left any value. Bowling first when Pakistan captain, Salman Agha, picked Abhishek Sharma's wicket, cricket lovers smelt the thrill of a good match, but it only stayed for a few minutes as Ishan Kishan sent Shaheen Shah Afridi’s delivery into the stands just after that. It was the moment fans knew Ishan Kishan was set to share his magic all along the field. The 27-year-old Jharkhand boy proved why they say, "form is temporary, but class is permanent." Standing tall on the opportunity again, Ishan held his nerves like a lion protecting its kingdom. His 77 runs in just 40 balls shaped the match and wrote the very first episode of India’s win.
Bowlers act according to the script
Ishan’s 77 runs helped India reach not only a fighting but also a winning total of 175 runs. Alongside Kishan, Surya’s fighting 32, Tilak’s steady 25, and Shivam Dube's cameo of 27 runs formed the base of a blockbuster match.
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Hardik Pandya, with the new ball, continued the charm with a wicket maiden in the very first over. After that, Pakistan's batters never looked settled. Bumrah removed the bone from them, striking twice in his very first over. By the time the audience came in front of the TV after the break, the match had gone beyond Pakistan’s reach; they were standing on 13 runs, losing three wickets in the first two overs, in a tense match like this.
The script that Ishan Kishan started to write, Indian bowlers just put the characters in place to make it a success. Kuldeep took one wicket while Axar, Bumrah, Varun and Hardik took two wickets each.
No longer the greatest rivalry
In front of the shadows of Indian bowlers, the ray of hope from Usman Khan’s bat felt faded. They lost a wicket to part-time bowler Tilak Varma and also allowed Surya Kumar Yadav to use Rinku Singh’s arm in the bowling. It is not only about part-time bowlers, but it also reflects the quality of Pakistan batters. It has degraded so much that teams like the Netherlands are capitalising on their weaknesses. Maybe there is a bit of oxygen left in their bowling, but Pakistan has struggled to maintain the legacy of their once-great batters like Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Malik, Younus Khan, and Misbah-ul-Haq. As a result, India won the match by 61 runs and secured a spot in the Super Eights.
