Flying start, Men in Blue crush Pak

Rohit Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Adelaide, February 15

Adelaide, rocked by the beat of the dhol, swamped by the colours blue and green, had never seen anything like this before. But for India and Pakistan, the cricket teams, the story remained the same. India put up a masterful performance for most of the day; Pakistan, as is the custom in the World Cup, crumbled under pressure. India won by 76 runs. Not surprisingly, Virat Kohli was the star of India, with an unusually workmanlike knock of 107.

Surprisingly, the Indian bowlers rose to the occasion, Mohammed Shami bowling with pace and fire, Ravichandran Ashwin bowling three maidens out of the eight he bowled. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, unsurprisingly, was the only man in green who kept his nerve, coming in at No. 4 being the ninth man out after making 76 runs. The biggest match of the World Cup didn’t live up to the billing.

The match was officially sold out, tickets were being sold in black over the last few days — yet the attendance was only 41,587, well short of the capacity of 53,500. The cricket was underwhelming too, and it left a feeling of emptiness in the pit of the stomach.

But, for the fanatic fan of India, victory made life worth living. For the fans of Pakistan, it was another dispiriting performance. India’s record in the World Cup matches against Pakistan is 6-0 now. Today’s victory was among the most commanding of the six.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had to make an effort today to remain impassive. A happy grin regularly overcame his efforts to keep poker-faced. The win brought relief to Dhoni and the Indian team and they hope that this would provide the fillip they need desperately in the World Cup.

Dhoni tried to hide his grin, and managed to construct long, philosophical sentences about the inevitability of defeat on the field of sport. “The record (6-0 against Pakistan) is something I don't want to get into because there will come a time when we will lose,” he said. 

“It could happen any time, whether at this World Cup, the next World Cup or four World Cups down the line.” Virat Kohli did not struggle to remain unemotional -- he’s a creature of emotion and he likes to speak words of valour. “Probably one of the biggest wins in my career so far," said Kohli, the Man of the Match.