Virat Kohli and KL Rahul hit unbeaten centuries to lead India to an impressive 228-run thrashing of Pakistan in a rain-hit Super Four clash of the Asia Cup.
In the 50-over contest held in Colombo, India successfully defended their total of 356-2 after bowling out Pakistan for 128. This achievement was largely attributed to the impressive batting performances of Kohli, who scored 122 runs, and Rahul, who contributed 111 runs. Together, they accumulated a total of 233 runs for India.
The cricket match concluded with Pakistan achieving a total score of 128 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in a span of 32 overs. It is worth noting that bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, who were injured, did not participate in the batting phase. Kuldeep Yadav, the spinner from India, achieved a notable feat by recording figures of 5-25, resulting in India securing their most significant victory over Pakistan in One Day International (ODI) cricket.
The cricket match between India and an opposing team was interrupted by rain, resulting in an early end to play on Sunday. As a result, the match was extended to an additional day, which had been allocated by the tournament organisers. This tournament serves as a preliminary event leading up to the One Day International (ODI) World Cup.
Once again, the commencement of the event was postponed due to rain; however, no additional playing time was forfeited. Subsequently, the partnership between Kohli and Rahul invigorated the Indian supporters in a sparsely populated stadium.
“KL and myself are both conventional players. And when you have him batting the way he was and me playing, its tough to break these partnerships because we don’t play fancy shots,” man of the match Kohli said on the marathon stand.
Kohli added, “It is one of the memorable partnerships we’ve had and for Indian cricket as well. He (Rahul) hit form for us straightaway, good for us.”
Rahul, who had recently recovered from an injury-induced period of inactivity, raised his cricket bat in a gesture of celebration upon reaching a score of one hundred runs. Subsequently, he was embraced by Kohli, who also achieved the milestone of scoring one hundred runs after surpassing a total of 13,000 runs in One Day International matches.
Kohli’s 47th century in One Day Internationals (ODIs) further augmented his tally of international centuries to 77.
On Sunday, India commenced their innings on a positive note with a commendable partnership of 121 runs, courtesy of half-centuries achieved by captain Rohit Sharma and his opening partner Shubman Gill.
Kohli and Rahul commenced their innings prudently, starting from their respective scores of eight and 17 from the previous day. Subsequently, they displayed an assertive approach against the Pakistani bowling attack, accumulating a total of 100 runs in a span of 102 deliveries.
Pakistan experienced a setback when authorities announced that fast bowler Rauf had incurred a strain and would be unable to continue participating. Subsequently, Naseem, a fellow participant, experienced a degree of discomfort in his hand and subsequently withdrew from the activity.
In his innings of 106 balls, Rahul demonstrated his batting prowess by hitting 12 fours and two sixes. Notably, he executed an impressive shot by whipping Shadab Khan over mid-wicket.
Kohli concluded the innings by executing a six down the ground, capitalising on a bowling attack that exhibited a deficiency in potency. The substandard fielding performance exacerbated Pakistan’s difficulties.
On Sunday, Shaheen Shah Afridi, the leading fast bowler, and Shadab, the all-rounder, each took a wicket.
The ground staff demonstrated unwavering dedication in preparing the pitch following the precipitation experienced on Monday, subsequently receiving expressions of gratitude from Rohit and Kohli.
Pakistan was unable to mount a successful pursuit of the target as they suffered the setback of losing two early wickets, one of which was their captain Babar Azam, who was dismissed for a mere 10 runs due to an exceptional in-swing delivery by Hardik Pandya.
The match was once again disrupted by rainfall, however, this did not hinder the progress of the Indian team as their bowlers continued to maintain their aggressive approach after the resumption of play. Kuldeep Yadav, utilising his left-arm wrist spin, successfully dismissed Mohammad Rizwan.
A series of wickets continued to fall, with Kuldeep securing three additional wickets to penetrate the lower order of the Pakistan team. Consequently, he achieved his second five-wicket haul in One Day International matches.
Azam said, “we lost back-to-back wickets, couldn’t build partnerships”.
The inclusion of an additional day in the Super Four clash, apart from the final, was a spontaneous decision made due to the cancellation of a previous group game between the two teams in Pallekele due to inclement weather.
India is scheduled to engage in their third consecutive day of cricket when they face Sri Lanka in the upcoming Super Four encounter on Tuesday at the identical location.
