IND vs PAK: India kept their winning run alive as they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in match 12 of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The Men in Blue put up promising efforts in all three departments to outclass the Babar Azam-led side, having now defeated the two strong teams in the first three matches in the tournament.

With six points in three matches so far, India have taken the top spot with six points as they aim to make it count in the tournament in order to end the wait for an ICC trophy by lifting the title at home this year.

India won the toss in the crucial match and opted to bowl first in front of the jam-packed stadium with around 1,00,000 capacity.

 

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While India chased down the 192-run target in 30.3 overs with seven wickets in hand, let's take a look at some major takeaways for the Men in Blue from the match.

 

Skipper leading from the front

Rohit Sharma was once again the star for India with the bat as he played remarkable innings of 86 runs and took the team close to victory.

After registering a failure in the first match against Australia, the Indian skipper had looked consistent with an attacking mindset and has smashed a century and a half-century so far.

Despite losing Shubman Gill early in the run chase, the Men in Blue never looked in a bothering situation with Rohit fulfilling the job with immense ease.

 

Mohammed Siraj

After having a quiet start in the first two matches, Mohammed Siraj delivered when it mattered the most.

Sirsj redeemed himself after a nervy start in the match as he got the first wicket, dismissing Abduallah Shafique followed by the crucial wicket of Babar Azam who was dismissed for 50.

Siraj kicked off the tournament with just one wicket in the first match against Australia. He then had a disappointing outing against Afghanistan as he didn't get any wickets and gave away many runs.

 

Table Toppers

After knocking on the door with the wins in the first two matches, the Men in Blue successfully grabbed the top spot in the points table with the win over Pakistan, their third of the tournament.

With six points to their name, Rohit Sharma-led Indian team stands in the first position with a stunning net run rate of +1.821.

Notably, India defeated the five-time champions Australia by six wickets in the first match in Chennai. The Men in Blue followed it with yet another win over Afghanistan defeating them by eight wickets to kick off the tournament on a high.

With similar performances, the hosts could become one of the first teams to qualify for the knockout stage.

 

Bowling department clicking well

The bowlers have done brilliantly so far as they have taken 28 wickets out of 30 available in the first three matches of the tournament.

In the tournament so far, the Men in Blue have restricted the two teams below 200 with both the pace and spin departments clicking well.

The Rohit Sharma-led team bowled Australia out for 199 in 49.3 overs. They let things loosen a bit, allowing Afghanistan to score 272/8 before they redeemed with a brilliant performance against Pakistan, dismissing them for just 191 runs in 42.5 overs.

 

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Out of 28 wickets, 11 have been taken by the spin department featuring Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Jasprit Bumrah has been doing well since the first game in the pace department and got promising support from Siraj as well against Pakistan.

 

Winning streak alive at 8-0

India were up against the arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday, aiming to extend their marvelous 7-0 streak against them in ODI World Cups.

A collective performance in all three departments promised the Men in Blue a seven-wicket victory to extend the streak to 8-0 as they keep marching on towards their journey to attempt to lift the title and end the wait for an ICC trophy.

Prior to the match in Ahmedabad, the Indian team had defeated Pakistan on seven occasions in the marquee tournament. The first win came in the 1992 World Cup and the last came in England in the 2019 edition.