As expected, India rocketed past Pakistan in their Group A Champions Trophy match to have one foot in the semifinal. Believed to be the marquee clash of the tournament, the fixture failed to live up to the expectations. In a one-sided affair, India thrashed Pakistan by six wickets, gunning down a very gettable target of 242 with 35 balls to spare and Virat Kohli hitting a century.
In fact, the last few India-Pakistan games have been exactly that. As a matter of fact, in a baffling trivia, Pakistan are yet to beat India in an ODI since the 2017 Champions Trophy. But more importantly, Pakistan's inability to put up a fight has taken the sheen of cricket's greatest rivalry. Given the kind of cricket Pakistan are playing, it's almost given that India would beat them 11 out of 10 times, and if they somehow find a way to do otherwise, the result is considered an upset.
"Of course, I'm very proud of my team but I'm not a happy man today. You want to see a good game, a competitive game. Yes, we want out own countries to win, our own teams to win. But I'm probably disappointed with the game as a whole. There was no match if I am to be honest. Except toss, what did you win? You didn't even win hearts. Yes, you can win and lose games, but even in defeats, there comes a moment where you win hearts, Pakistan couldn't even do that today," former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja said on The DP World Dressing Room Show on Ten Sports.
Jadeja is a guest on the show featuring legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, all three of whom were dissecting the game through their rich analysis. Pakistan had very few moments in the game, but the one that became the most talked about was the partnership of 104 runs between Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel, which came in 24 overs – 144 balls. Hence, Pakistan innings' biggest takeaway was also one that hurt them the most as neither batter could carry on and convert his into a big score.
Pakistan's baffling approach
{{/usCountry}}Jadeja is a guest on the show featuring legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, all three of whom were dissecting the game through their rich analysis. Pakistan had very few moments in the game, but the one that became the most talked about was the partnership of 104 runs between Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel, which came in 24 overs – 144 balls. Hence, Pakistan innings' biggest takeaway was also one that hurt them the most as neither batter could carry on and convert his into a big score.
Pakistan's baffling approach
{{/usCountry}}The dot ball percentage once again proved detrimental to Pakistan's chances, with the batters eating up as many as 152 deliveries. And there's more. In the first 10 overs, India hit 11 boundaries. On the other hand, Pakistan struck the same fours in 20 overs. Weighing in on all these statistics and some more, Jadeja pointed out the Pakistan team's lack of ideas and thoughts while clarifying that he didn't intend to hurt the feelings of his former rivals, but it is what it is.
"India lost just 4 wickets. Look at the last 4 wickets. For the first wicket, you beat the batter (Shaheen clean bowling Rohit). The second (Shubman Gill) was a ball that spun viciously. The third one (Shreyas Iyer) required an excellent catch. And the fourth (Hardik Pandya) was the only bouncer in the innings. These 4 balls are the only good things that happened to Pakistan. I am sorry I am rubbing it in," Jadeja added before Akram replied: 'No… it's alright. You've got to rub it in."