Cricket World Cup 2023: India claim huge win over error-strewn Pakistan to go joint-top of table

India defeated Pakistan at the 2023 Cricket World Cup in a one-sided victory at Ahmedabad.

Pakistan were looking for their first 50-over World Cup win over their rivals, and when they reached 155-2 they looked in with a chance of a famous victory.

However, Mohammed Siraj dismissed Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, for 50, and that kickstarted a collapse that saw eight wickets lost for 36 runs, with the team finishing on 191 all out.

That left India with a gettable target, but there was a slight wobble initially. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli were both out for just 16 runs each, but India captain Rohit Sharma steadied the chase.

His 86 was at the heart of the victory, as his third-wicket stand with Shreyas Iyer delivering 77 runs as Pakistan committed several errors in the field.

Iyer saw out the match as he ended on 53 not out, with almost 20 overs unused.

Victory for India was their eighth consecutive win over their opponents at World Cups, which started in 1992, and maintains their 100% record in this year’s tournament after three matches.

India will be fancied to make it four from four on Thursday, when they come up against Bangladesh, and now share top spot of the table with New Zealand.

Pakistan’s next match will be against Australia on Friday, in Bengaluru. While India look set to reach the last four of the tournament, Pakistan are yet to play South Africa, New Zealand and England.

After winning their first two matches, against Sri Lanka and Netherlands, India represented the toughest test for Pakistan so far and served as a yardstick to see how they would fare against one of their peers in world cricket.

A defeat now leaves their next few matches looking more intimidating.

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