India made it 7-0 in the ICC World Cup matches between the two countries.
Three cheers!
That’s the way the cookie crumbled! Here are 10 reasons why.
1. Pakistan fielding was of pedestrian quality. They must have leaked 15-20 extra runs. They just didn’t seem sharp and focused on the field.
2. It seemed to me that the Indian team plays these high-stakes and tension-filled games with a lot of aplomb. On the other hand, the Pakistani players seem to take stress, fearing they will invite the wrath of their fans and establishment back home, should they lose.
3. While Indian spinners were on the mark, with Kuldeep bowling the “ball of the tournament” to get rid of Babar Azam, the Pakistani spinners were listless.
4. Pakistan team seems to be a divided camp, with reported factions inside the dressing room. The senior players such as Shoaib Malik are just not rising to the occasion. He has made 8 runs in the tournament so far in his 3 innings.
5. Most Pakistan players seem to be out of form. Hasan Ali, on whom Pakistan team heavily relies, has leaked 256 runs in 33 overs in the tournament so far, at an economy of 7.8, while purchasing just 2 wickets. This has added pressure on Mohammed Amir to carry the bowling.
6. Pakistan middle order was as fragile as egg shells. They lost 5 wickets for 45 runs, when the game was as good as sunk for Pakistan.
7. Rohit Sharma was the big difference between the teams. He went on to pile up 140 runs, while no Pakistan player got close to scoring a ton.
8. Despite the southpaw opener Shikhar Dhawan missing the fixture, and India having to open with KL Rahul, India registered an opening stand of 128 runs. Pakistani openers struggled to make a dent. This has been a tournament dominated by openers – the average opening partnership so far has been in excess of 50, while the average opening stand in 2015 World Cup was 31 runs only!
9. India is blessed with Dhoni’s infinite experience at the back of stumps who controls the game from there, a rarest of rare skill that is not matched by the Pakistan counterpart Sarfaraz.
10. Did Pakistan also goof up at the toss? In such high pressure games, runs on the board always command a premium. Chasing the target down is never easy!
10 Reasons Why the Cookie Crumbled the Way It Did 