Key Features –
1. Rohit Sharma being the second person after Joe Root to score two centuries in this World Cup till now. He scored a 140(113).
2. Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul also made the top order stronger along with Rohit, by scoring 77(65) and 57(78) respectively.
3. Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam put up a good partnership for the 2nd wicket by scoring 62(75) and 48(57) respectively.
4. Imad Wasim put up a good batting performance towards the end and scored a worthy 46(39)*.
5. Haardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav’s 2 wickets each in the middle overs made it pretty easy for India to win. Pakistan lost those 4 wickets for just 12 runs, leading to the collapse. Vijay Shankar also proving his worth with the ball picking up 2 wickets as well.
6. It was always a one sided encounter even before the DLS played its part to worsen the situation of Pakistan who then needed 136 runs in 5 overs.
Post-Match Analysis –
1. Once again the Indian top order showing their consistency even though Rahul opened after a very long time in ODIs and Shikhar Dhawan wasn’t playing. A new opening combination in crucial encounter and it fortunately came off really well too.
2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s hamstring injury after Shikhar Dhawan’s injury will be a huge concern for India since he has been a regular wicket taker for India in the first two matches picking up a total 5 wickets in those.
3. Pakistan are also logically eliminated from the tournament just like South Africa and Afghanistan since they just have 3 points after 5 games and India, NZ, Eng and Aus are way too high to catch up with.
4. Kuldeep Yadav coming back in form is a huge boost for India since he hasn’t been performing well enough since the IPL. But, on the contrary, Bumrah goes wicket-less for the first time in this World Cup and bowled a spell of 0/52(8).
5. Shoaib Malik’s failure with both bat and ball is a huge concern for Pakistan and probably gives them a chance to test Haris Sohail again who is a consistent player but doesn’t have a place in the playing XI due to the batting order.
6. Virat Kohli walking off when he neither edged the ball nor was given out by the umpire was the biggest key feature of the match.
7. India is now positioned 3rd with 7 points in 4 games, still undefeated just equal to New Zealand. On the other hand, Pakistan is positioned 9th on the table with just 3 points in 5 matches but the worst Net Run Rate amongst the 10 teams in this World Cup. Remember, they are the same team which defeated England😂.
8. India now take on Afghanistan next whom they tied against in the Asia Cup when they last met each other. On the other hand, Pakistan take on South Africa next who are both on 3 points after 5 matches each.
Up Next –
West Indies vs Bangladesh.
Both teams with 1 win, 2 losses and 1 No Result in their 4 matches each. West Indies on one hand would want their bowling to fire up again so that their batting doesn’t have too much of pressure. And on the other hand, Shakib would like some company from the other batsmen from Bangladesh with a good bowling performance by the skipper Mortaza who has been a failure in this World Cup 2019.
Evin Lewis’ form is a concern for West Indies and Tamim Iqbal’s form is a concern for Bangladesh. Hence, both teams in a similar position in terms of their openers. Nicholas Pooran for West Indies has shown proper class in his batting with proper consistency, and Shakib Al Hasan is one of the leading run scorers of this World Cup. Hence, both teams in a similar position when it comes to their middle order saviours too.
Sheldon Cottrell’s injury would be a concern for West Indies since he’s been their strike bowler in every match bowling at a speed of 145+ along with another speedster Oshane Thomas. On the other hand, Rubel Hossain’s exclusion from the XI has been a huge surprise in this tournament since he’s been one of the strike bowlers for Bangladesh and still doesn’t find a place in the XI.
Both teams have an equal situation whether in terms of their batting, their bowling, the role of the captains, or their position on the points table. Hence, it will be difficult to say who has the upper hand in general. But, i presume West Indies having 5 regular seamers all bowling at speeds of 140+ will be a test for Bangladeshi batsmen and thereby giving the Windies the upper hand in tomorrow’s encounter.
Probable XIs –
WI – Gayle, Lewis, Hope, Pooran, Hetmeyer, Russell, Holder, Brathwaite, Allen, Thomas, Gabriel.
BAN – Tamim, Sarkar, Shakib, Mushfiqur, Liton, Mahmudullah, Saifuddin, Mosaddek, Mortaza, Mustafizur, Mehidy Hasan.
Possible Replacements –
1. Sheldon Cottrell’s injury would open one spot into the XI. I feel Fabian Allen would be an ideal choice into the team since he can give you overs of spin rather than going to Gayle or going with all 6 seamers (which would happen if they went with Roach). Also, he is a handy bat down the order and should be all set to make his debut in World Cup.
2. Liton Das has been in consistent form for Bangladesh but always in the top order. He’s one of the reliable batsmen for Bangladesh and can hold the innings together as well as score at a faster rate depending on the situation. Hence, Mohammad Mithun who has been in a poor form should make way for one of Liton Das or Sabbir Rahman, my choice being Liton.
Analysis of various cricket matches 