India Kept its Record against Pakistan Intact in World Cup 2015

ADELAIDE: Team India overcame its recent poor form and successfully defied the law of averages to extend its proud World Cup record against Pakistan to six victories without a single defeat. The defending champions hammered their arch-rivals by 76 runs — the biggest margin in a World Cup match between the two teams — to get their campaign off to a morale-boosting start.

Kohli had been below par in the recently concluded tri-series and warm-up matches, but he usually reserves his best for the big stage and they don’t come any larger than this. He offered two chances – at 3 and 76 – but apart from that, there was almost a sense of inevitability as he serenely cruised to 107 off 128 deliveries. It’s not only the first century scored by an Indian in a Cup match against Pakistan, but also the highest score by a player from either side in an India-Pakistan World Cup game.

There was lots more for India to feel good about. Shikhar Dhawan (73 off 76 balls) and Suresh Raina (74 off 56 balls), who had both been struggling for form going into this match, clicked when it mattered and helped set up India for a big score. The team stuttered towards the end, losing 5 wickets and scoring just 25 runs in the last 5 overs, but the momentum built up by the top order was enough to propel the score to 300/7 – a record for an India-Pakistan World Cup game.

The Indian attack, long derided as toothless, seemed energized by the prospect of bowling with some runs in the bank. Mohammed Shami was justly rewarded for some hostile spells with figures of 4-35. M S Dhoni too did almost everything right as captain, including winning the all-important toss and choosing to bat. He also reviewed correctly, getting the dangerous Umar Akmal declared caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja after the umpire had initially ruled in the batsman’s favour.

For a change, Dhoni was spot-on with his field placements. The fielders obliged, cutting off runs and taking some sharp catches. The Pakistani batsmen did the rest, imploding under the pressure of the big chase as skipper Misbah-ul-Haq was left forlornly waging a lone battle. His 76 off 84 balls helped prolong the Pakistan innings till the 47th over but the match had ended as a contest long before the final wicket fell.

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Source:timesofindia