Atul Wassan was right! In the end, the predictability of the much-hyped India vs Pakistan contest was like Amitabh Bachchan punching goons without taking a single blow himself. India entered the Champions Trophy high-stakes clash as firm favourites, and they lived up to expectations, hammering Pakistan, who looked hapless for most of the contest, by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday, February 23.
Pakistan appeared to be searching for answers on Internet Explorer while India were using Artificial Intelligence tools in their pursuit of excellence. The mismatch and gulf in quality turned one of the most anticipated contests of the Champions Trophy into yet another yawn-fest.
The script was predictable. Even the lead character was a familiar face—Virat Kohli—who dismantled his familiar foes as if it were a walk in the park, despite not having been in the best of form recently. India restricted Pakistan to 241, with the latter failing to last their full quota of 50 overs, and then chased down the target with 45 balls to spare.
Pakistan are now in danger of getting knocked out as early as the group stage. With two defeats in as many games, they are at the bottom of Group A points table of Champions Trophy.
It felt as though the two innings in Dubai belonged to different generations. Pakistan played 152 dot balls in their allotted 50 overs. "This country's cricket culture is stuck in the Stone Age," quipped a frustrated Pakistan fan on X as their team's scoreboard crawled at a snail’s pace. In stark contrast, India, led by Rohit Sharma’s aggression at the top, toyed with the Pakistani bowling attack, even as the pitch slowed down without the evening dew in Dubai.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan’s laborious knock took fans down memory lane to the era of ODIs in the 1980s. If Babar Azam had played a 90-ball 64 against New Zealand, this time it was captain Mohammad Rizwan’s turn to deliver an overly cautious, painstakingly slow innings on the big stage. Rizwan dragged the innings down just when Babar had refreshingly looked to attack.
