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India completed a seven-wicket drubbing of Pakistan in their 2023 World Cup clash in Ahmedabad on Saturday, extending their spotless record in the tournament's history over their subcontinental rivals.
Despite a strong start with the bat by Pakistan, India's bowlers stormed back in style at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Barring Shardul Thakur, the rest of the pack shared two wickets apiece to skittle the Men in Green for 191 despite the score reading 155/2 at one point.
In reply, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma continued his rich vein of form and carted the bowlers around for a 63-ball 86. The hosts never looked back and wrapped up a thumping victory with more than 19 overs to spare.
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India have surged to the top of the points table with six points from three outings at the 2023 World Cup, pipping New Zealand on net run rate.
On the back of their dominant showing against Pakistan, here are India's player ratings from their win on Saturday:
World Cup 2023: Bumrah leads bowling masterclass in Ahmedabad
Rohit Sharma: 10/10
He earned a 9/10 for his masterful innings with the bat against Afghanistan and missed out on the perfect score owing to some questionable on-field tactics.
None of the kind this time though for Rohit Sharma, who was at his astute best with his bowling and field changes as every move worked a charm. He picked up from where he left off with the bat as well, coming close to a record eighth hundred in ODI World Cups.
Shubman Gill: 5/10
Shubman Gill's much-awaited World Cup debut came at last and he started off with a lovely drive through extra cover, as if he was never sidelined with dengue.
The way he was timing the ball, a solid score was on the cards for the right-hander before he perished to Shaheen Afridi.
He gets a 5/10 owing to the fact that he looked in good touch despite missing the first two games of the 2023 World Cup. A big score shouldn't be far away again.
Virat Kohli: 4/10
When was the last time Virat Kohli didn't score much against Pakistan? He's human after all, eh?
India's No. 3 delighted fans with a couple of glorious cover drives. There was a mix-up in between with Rohit though and Kohli had to put in a despairing dive which wasn't going to save him had the throw hit the stumps.
A tame dismissal, however, cut his stay in the middle to 16 off 18 deliveries.
Shreyas Iyer: 7/10
Shreyas Iyer constructed another fluent ODI half-century, pacing his way without much fuss even as his skipper was going all guns blazing at the other end.
Good time spent in the middle plus an excellent display of maneuvering the ball off the spinners were the two big takeaways from his performance. He didn't shy away from using his feet and taking the attack when required too as he remained unbeaten on 53 off 62 deliveries.
KL Rahul: 6/10
Once again, KL Rahul's rating is down to him not having much to do. He was tidy with his wicketkeeping again on a pitch where the ball often kept low as he conceded a solitary bye owing to the awkward bounce off the turf.
He was happy to knock it around with the bat and remain unbeaten on 19 off 29 deliveries thereafter and is yet to be dismissed in the 2023 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya: 6.5/10
Hardik Pandya bagged a couple of wickets but his tactics at the start of his spell were quite surprising. Instead of peppering Imam-ul-Haq with the short ball, he resorted to that strategy against Babar Azam instead and was duly dealt with.
Hardik returned to remove Mohammad Nawaz, Pakistan's last recognized batter in the midst of their alarming collapse and was also spotted egging the crowd on to cheer for the team with his energy right up there.
Ravindra Jadeja: 9/10
Ravindra Jadeja was switched on from the first delivery of the game as he was typically sharp on the field and put in multiple saves in the backward point region.
It clearly rubbed off on his bowling too as he got the first ball to turn sharply past Mohammad Rizwan's bat before deceiving him with a quicker one, only for DRS to give Rizwan a lifeline after he was adjudged lbw.
Jadeja was extremely tight with his line and length and orchestrated a brief slowdown in the company of Kuldeep Yadav. He duly returned to clean up the tail as he finished with 2/38 to continue his excellent form at the 2023 World Cup.
Shardul Thakur: 2/10
The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium seemed to be right up Shardul Thakur's alley. A dry, black soil pitch without much bounce in it was ideal for Thakur's cutters and cross-seamers.
As it turned out though, he bowled just two overs and was guilty of bowling too full as Babar and Rizwan negotiated him with ease. India will certainly want him to show better control, especially on potentially flatter pitches as the tournament rolls along.
Jasprit Bumrah: 10/10
What is left to be said about Jasprit Bumrah that hasn't been said already? Even in the absence of swing early on and with Pakistan starting positively, he conceded just 14 runs off four overs while barely bowling any freebie.
Once he returned for his second spell, the genius of Bumrah came to the fore again. A cracking slower delivery bamboozled Rizwan before he squared Shadab Khan up to knock the top of off.
He also held onto a good catch at mid-on to dismiss Nawaz and the Player of the Match award he agonizingly missed out on against Afghanistan was inevitably his this time.
Kuldeep Yadav: 10/10
The redefined version of Kuldeep Yadav has emerged as a lethal weapon for India. He was at it again in Ahmedabad, as he kept Rizwan and Babar quiet through the middle-overs showing excellent control over his variations.
Kuldeep's double-whammy saw the wheels come off in Pakistan's batting essay, trapping Saud Shakeel in front before getting Iftikhar Ahmed to drag the ball onto his stumps around his legs.
It was yet another crafty display of bowling by the wrist-spinner as he reiterated his worth to this Indian side as they look to go the distance at the World Cup.
Mohammed Siraj: 7/10
It seemed as though Mohammed Siraj picked up from where he left off against Afghanistan although it wasn't really in the ideal sense. Having bowled on both sides of the wicket, he looked lackluster with the new ball even as he started to get into his rhythm once he pulled his length back.
A cross-seamer that jagged back in trapped Abdullah Shafique plumb in front before he cramped Babar for room and bowled him with a peach.
It was a day where Siraj blew hot and cold with the ball but when he got it right, he produced two crucial moments that set it up for his colleagues to trigger the collapse.
How would you rate India's performance against Pakistan at the 2023 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section below!
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