India vs Pakistan, 4th Match Group B, Birmingham, Jun 4 2017, ICC Champions Trophy
Match Result: India won by 124 runs (D/L method)
Player of the Match: Yuvraj Singh
Match Report: A long-drawn, frequently interrupted match, but only the weather really interrupted India’s dominance today. They’ve won by 124 runs, and the margin simply doesn’t lie. As is usually the case, Pakistan bowled better than they batted, but there were too many faults even in that bowling performance – Wahab Riaz, in particular, did not justify his inclusion ahead of Junaid Khan. Chasing a difficult, revised target was always going to be a steep test for Pakistan’s batting – they didn’t look like getting close at any point.
India, on the other hand, were simply better right through. A century opening stand, every member of the top four getting a half-century, an explosive finish, and no real weak links with the ball – none that this Pakistan side could exploit, at any rate. India’s record against Pakistan in ICC tournaments is now 13-2.
Sarfraz Ahmed | Pakistan captain: “Everything was under control after 40 overs, but we lost the plot in the last eight. Credit to India’s batsmen. They scored 124 in those last eight, and the momentum went to India. I think we need to stick together and control our bowling rate, especially last few overs.”
Virat Kohli: “With the bat and ball, right up there – I would say nine out of 10. In the field we were still 6 today. Very strong performance, we’ve taken the confidence from the practice games. We need to tighten our fielding to compete hard against the best teams. Quite delighted with all batsmen chipping in with runs.
Shikhar and Rohit – last time we won here, the opening partnership was crucial. Rohit took some time going, but he’s coming back from an injury, and international cricket is different to IPL. I felt like a club batsman while playing alongside Yuvi, the way he was hitting the ball. And Hardik, 18 off five balls, was outstanding. We went with four seamers purely because we’re playing Pakistan.
We knew we needed two good deliveries when they were batting. I won’t say the game was in our hands but we had a good chance if we bowled in the right areas and needed only two good deliveries. It doesn’t always go your way (talking about his batting), the top order has been scoring loads of runs in the last 2-2.5 years so lower order doesn’t get a big chance to bat.
They play spin really well, and most of them are right-handers. In pressure situations, to have mid-on, mid-off up and hit hard lengths, gives us an advantage. Against other sides, we might use two spinners, depending on their strengths.”
Yuvraj Singh is the Player of the Match. “I thought we all batted really well,” he says. “The openers gave us a good start, Virat finished well, and it gave me the opportunity to go and attack. You just have to go and back yourself, and tell the opposition that you’re here to attack.
I was lucky I was dropped, but I capitalised and I was hitting it well. I finished well. India-Pakistan is always a big game, and I think it has set us up really well. Hopefully we’ll take this confidence into the next game against Sri Lanka.”
Click Below to Watch the Full Video:
Video of Ravindra Jadeja Match-Winning Run Out : Direct Hit : IND v PAKhttps://t.co/MGvFgkfBCe
— avishkar govardhane (@avishkargovardh) November 9, 2021
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