India vs Pakistan: Superiority won the day for India

Inclement weather did not win the match for India. Superiority did, in the Men in Blue's hyped clash against traditional rivals Pakistan in the ICC World Cup. After India had posted an imposing total of 336/5, Pakistan had to score 302 off their revised quota of 40 overs. The Duckworth-Lewis method came into play in a rain-interrupted match, and Pakistan fell short of the target by 89 runs. So one-sided was the match that Sunday in Old Trafford was an unexciting day.

India’s performances in the World Cup have been thoroughly convincing so far. Not only have they won three games on the trot – the match against New Zealand was a washout – they have also outclassed their opponents with ease.

Against Pakistan, the team proved once again why they have been such a tough opposition in recent times. The disappointing news was the injury to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who slipped and fell while running in to bowl the fifth delivery of his third over. Speaking at the end of the match, Kohli informed that Kumar will have to sit out for two or three games. But Mohammed Shami is prepared for the big stage, which should be adequate during Kumar's absence.

The Men in Blue had suffered another setback earlier, with Shikhar Dhawan injured and out of the playing eleven. KL Rahul, his replacement as the opener, played a patient, well-constructed knock of 57. His 136-run opening partnership with Rohit Sharma was a fine start, creating a solid foundation after which was no looking back.

Sharma has the distinction of scoring three double hundreds in one-day internationals. The effortless, free-flowing manner in which he scored his runs suggested the possibility of another one – until he lost his wicket after making 140. However, his fine century, his second in three matches, was another reminder of his incalculable worth in the squad.

Kohli, the run machine, created one more batting record. He made 77, becoming, in the process, the fastest to score 11,000 runs in ODI cricket. Kohli reached the landmark in his 222nd innings and 230th ODI, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar who had taken 276 innings and 284 ODIs to get there. What a player!

Jasprit Bumrah is the Kohli of Indian bowling. It is difficult to find scorecards in which he doesn’t have results to show in the wickets column. That happened against Pakistan though, with the strike bowler bowling an unremarkable spell and giving away 52 runs in his eight overs. Yuzvendra Chahal fared ordinarily too, giving away 53 runs off his seven overs.

On a day when two big guns failed to fire, others delivered the desired results. The immensely talented Kuldeep Yadav (2/32) was outstanding with his turn and drift in a spell that accounted for the key wickets of Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman. Vijay Shankar (2/22) was economical and productive; while Hardik Pandya picked up back-to-back wickets (2/44) to extinguish any hope of revival Pakistan might have had.

The fact that part-time options like Pandya and Shankar delivered when Bumrah and Chahal could not is a heartening sign for India as the team looks forward to immediate challenges in the tournament.

For Pakistan, the highly skilled Mohammad Amir (3/47) had a good outing. Zaman and Azam looked fairly composed, scoring 62 and 48, respectively. After India had set a steep target, Pakistan's challenge died early during the chase.

After this match, Pakistan have slid further down on the points table. They are only above Afghanistan, which ought to be a serious worry for the team and its millions of supporters.

The loss in Old Trafford was their seventh straight one against India in the World Cup. The law of averages refuses to swing an outcome in their favour. That might eventually happen, but yesterday was not that day.