Hosts India will be seeking to extend their winning sequence of seven successive victories against sub-continental rivals Pakistan, a contest billed as the show-stopper in the 13th edition of the one-day World Cup.
Warming up for the crunch contest in Ahmedabad, India rode on a brisk century from skipper Rohit Sharma to post an eight-wicket victory over Afghanistan under floodlights at New Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla on Wednesday.
Rohit hammered a 84-ball 131, studded with five towering sixes and 16 boundaries, as India coasted to 273 for two in 35 overs, putting to sword an Afghan attack that was defending a modest total of 272 for eight from 50 overs.
Starting with an impressive six-wicket victory over five-time champions Australia in their first fixture, the Indian team feels it is primed for the sub-continental showdown against Pakistan, who are also riding on a wave with big victories in their first two outings.
Pakistan, beginning with a 81-run victory over rank outsiders The Netherlands, posted a World Cup record chase of 445 for the loss of four wickets against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The Sri Lankan bowlers were conquered by centuries from Abdullah Shafique (113) and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan (131 not out).
The Pakistan run-rampage against Sri Lanka put into shade the earlier World Cup record chase of 329 by Ireland against England in the 2011 World Cup.
This strong Indian batting performance comes after India’s tottering start against Australia, when they lost the first three wickets with just two runs on the board. Impressive knocks from former skipper Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batsman K.L.Rahul then guided them to the first win. In the next outing, captain Rahul Sharma pressed the accelerator as he cut loose against the limited bowling resources of Afghanistan.
At the last World Cup in England in 2019, India had only managed to overcome Afghanistan by 11 runs.
Century-scorer Rohit on Wednesday said, “A World Cup century is special, but I do not want to think about records too much. I know there is a long way to go and do not want to lose my focus.”
“I want to back myself and keep trying to put pressure on the opposition,” said Rohit.
The opposition his team will now run into is the Babar Azam-led Pakistan, whose batting also clicked in the last fixture against Sri Lanka at Hyderabad.
Going into Saturday’s game against Pakistan (October 14), India have an enviable record of seven wins in succession, underscoring their supremacy over the opponents in the limited-overs global competitions. Even in the twenty-20 World Cups, India has been dominant since winning the final of the inaugural T-20 World Cup in 2007.
In the last one-day World Cup in 2019 at Manchester, India scored a massive 85-run victory in a rain-disrupted fixture decided by the Duckworth-Lewis method of run calculation.
Until the loss to India in Chennai, five-time champions Australia had an enviable record of never having lost their opening match in any one-day World Cup. Before that, New Zealand’s runaway victory over defending champions England in the tournament opener has set off a sparkling World Cup.
