India vs Pakistan, ICC World Cup 2015: Highlights

India beat Pakistan by 76 runs in the high-voltage encounter at the ICC World Cup 2015. With this victory, India have maintained their unbeaten record against Pakistan in World Cups, having won all their six encounters. Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina helped India get 300. The bowlers combined to bowl Pakistan out for 224. Nishad Pai Vaidya picks some key moments from the game.

Shikhar Dhawan’s innings of 73:  There was a lot of talk about Shikhar Dhawan’s form coming into this game. The southpaw had endured a tough time on the tour to Australia before the ICC World Cup 2015. After surviving a few tough deliveries, he pulled a short one from Mohammad Irfan for a six. That injected confidence and he went on to script a sound 73. Dhawan was aggressive as the innings progressed, starting to play those powerful cuts and taking his chances. He was unfortunate to get out for 73. There was a 100 in the offing before he was run-out. Live Score: Pakistan vs India

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Virat Kohli’s 22nd ODI ton: Virat Kohli has been the big-match player for India for a few years. Time and again, he delivers under pressure and bails India out of trouble. He is also someone who can setup the game for the team. This time, his knock was different in nature, as he took his time and and held the innings together, while Dhawan and Suresh Raina batted around him. In a way, Kohli gave them the freedom to attack. Raina in particular capitalised on it big time by blazing away to 74 off 56. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS

Pakistan drop catches: Pakistan dropped a few important catches which cost them dearly in hindsight. For starters, Kohli was dropped when he was batting on three. He pulled a short one from Shahid Afridi over cow-corner. Yasir Shah came across from long-on, but could not get to it diving forward. Had he started earlier, he may have been able to get there. Then, Raina smashed one over mid-wicket. Yasir was in focus again as he ran across from square-leg. With the ball travelling, he threw himself, but could not grab it with the one hand. Then, when Kohli was batting in the 70s, he edged one off Haris Sohail, but was dropped by Umar Akmal behind the stumps.

Suresh Raina’s assault: Raina smashed 74 off 56 balls and was the one responsible for India reaching 300. With Dhawan and Kohli setting the platform, India did the sensible thing by promoting Raina to No. 4. That allowed him to exploit the slog overs and help push India towards the big total. His strokeplay over the leg-side was particularly impressive. If there was anything pitched on a length, he was ready to smash it over the leg-side. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE

Sohail Khan’s burst towards the end: With Raina and Kohli going well, India would have expected 310-320 on the board. However, Sohail Khan had other plans. Early on, he had already taken the wicket of Rohit Sharma. Towards the end, he dismissed all the dangerous players such as Raina, Kohli, MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane. The five-wickets were well deserved for some great bowling at the end.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s spell: Haris Sohail and Ahmed Shehzad were calmly working it around and looked in decent touch. With the partnership building, Dhoni introduced Ravichandran Ashwin, who started off with a maiden. He then followed it up with an over which went for five runs. And then, he built the pressure on Sohail, who was caught at slip. In his first three overs, Ashwin had taken a wicket for five runs. It was a spell that got India back in the game. In all, he bowled three maidens in his spell.

Umesh Yadav’s burst: Umesh Yadav is one bowler who can either get wickets in a jiffy or concede runs at a torrential rate. After going for 23 in his first three overs, Dhoni brought him back. In the 24th over, he dismissed Shehzad and Sohaib Maqsood. His second spell of three overs went for only six runs and had accounted for two important wickets.

Umar Akmal’s contentious dismissal: Akmal tried to play a delivery outside the off-stump from Ravindra Jadeja, but he was unable to connect. It seemed to have gone past the bat but Dhoni appealed for a caught behind. The umpire was unmoved and Dhoni referred it. The video was not conclusive and hence the snickometre was put in force. That showed a small deflection and Akmal was on his way. However, not all were convinced by the decision.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s lone act: You have to feel for Misbah-ul-Haq. Amidst quotidian din, he tried to keep his team afloat for the umpteenth time. But, as the overs passed by, his case became hopeless. In the end, his spirited effort of 76 would count for nothing and is a small consolation. His team would do well to learn from the captain.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)