Colombo, 11 September 2023: The Indian top-order completely dominated Pakistan, who had no answers for the batting onslaught produced, particularly by Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Upon being asked to chase a gigantic total of 357, Babar Azam and his men could not rise to the occasion and folded for 128.
Resuming from where the game had been left off the day before, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul took the crease while Shadab Khan came on to bowl. Pakistan found themselves at a disadvantage before play even began, with Haris Rauf unfit to bowl.
Centuries by both Virat and KL put India in the driving seat. With Haris out, Babar Azam had to employ the part-timer Iftikhar Ahmed for five overs. The experienced duo on the crease took that to their advantage, with Pakistan’s original bowling plans derailed.
The 233-run-stand between the two right-handed batters took the game securely in India’s comfort zone. By the end of the 50 overs, they had posted 356 on the board.
A mammoth target to be chased, Pakistan needed its top-order to go deep. However, they failed to steady themselves at the crease, and wickets kept falling periodically. Fakhar Zaman’s 27 was the highest score on the card, with Pakistan bowled out for a measly 128.
Kuldeep Yadav, the Indian spinner, bagged five wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya got a wicket each. With Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf both out injured, the match effectively ended when Faheem Ashraf lost his wicket to Kuldeep in the 32nd over. Shaheen Shah Afridi, with seven runs to his name, was the last man standing.
The fourth game of the super-four stage will be played on 12 September 2023 at 2:30 PM (PST).
Scores in brief:
India win by 228 runs
India: 356-2 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 122 not out, KL Rahul 111 not out; Shadab Khan 1-71, Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-79)
Pakistan: 128 all out in 32 overs (Fakhar Zaman 27; Kuldeep Yadav 5-25)
Player of the match: Virat Kohli (India)
