India vs. Pakistan: Rohit Sharma and his team notched up an outstanding performance, with the captain leading the way and offering the fans a reason to celebrate that was truly exceptional. The crowd, raucously partisan and filled with unbridled enthusiasm, remained deeply engaged throughout the game, even in the face of initial resistance from the Pakistan team. Then came the collapse, which meant that, even in these times of post-truth, it was not difficult to conclude which was the better side.
India vs. Pakistan
India outplayed Pakistan in all departments of the game—bowling, batting, and fielding to register a massive seven wickets win in a World Cup enounter that ended in a Losing its momentum after initially sparking excitement and posing logistical challenges.
Leading by example, Indian captain Rohit Sharma delivered a brilliant 86 off 63 balls, propelling his team to a comfortable victory with a substantial 19.3 overs to spare. In addition, India deployed a quintet of bowlers, all of whom excelled in creating formidable challenges for Pakistan’s batsmen.
India vs. Pakistan Match Summary
Bumrah (2 wickets for 19 runs in 7 overs), Siraj (2 wickets for 50 runs in 8 overs), Kuldeep (2 wickets for 35 runs in 10 overs), Hardik Pandya (2 wickets for 34 runs in 6 overs), and Ravindra Jadeja (2 wickets for 35 runs in 9.5 overs) all made valuable contributions precisely when needed.
In the lead-up, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and, strategically, elected to field first against Pakistan. His astute use of resources resulted in Pakistan being bundled out for 191 in 42.5 overs in this much-anticipated World Cup clash between the arch-rivals at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Initially, Pakistan seemed on course for a substantial total, standing at 155-2 in the 30th over. Skipper Babar Azam (50) and the in-form Mohammad Rizwan (49) were anchoring their innings confidently. However, a game-changing moment arrived when India’s Mohammed Siraj dismissed Babar, setting off a dramatic collapse. Consequently, Pakistan couldn’t last the full 50-over quota, and their innings concluded prematurely.
With this victory, India moved to the top position in the points table of the 2023 ICC World Cup.
While it seemed like the roof would come down if there was one at the Motera, thanks to the raucous crowd, the popularity of the event on television and streaming was nothing short of it. For the IPL final between the Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans at the same venue, Jio Cinema reported a concurrent viewership of 32 million, surpassing their previous record of 25.7 million for the second qualifier between the Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians. The ICC and Disney Star held high hopes that this match would greatly exceed those numbers on Hotstar.
An astonishing 35 million viewers watched the game simultaneously online, setting an all-time record.
In terms of India-Pakistan viewership, ICC data reveals that the 2011 semifinal in Mohali had the highest World Cup viewership, with 313 million viewers. The 2015 match in Adelaide recorded 186 million viewers, while the 2017 Champions Trophy final in London had 431 million. The 2019 match in Manchester saw 273 million viewers, and the T20 World Cup in 2021 and 2022 garnered 297 and 226 million viewers, respectively. Once again, the broadcaster and the ICC were confident that this match would break all previous records. “The only way we can imagine the numbers coming down is if India loses; the interest would fade,” noted an ICC official. However, it was not to be.
The BCCI had faced a barrage of criticism, both nationally and internationally, for choosing Ahmedabad as the venue for this explosive contest between the traditional rivals. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had gone as far as issuing warnings about a possible boycott, while certain Indians expressed worries that the city’s polarized atmosphere could potentially spark trouble if the match didn’t go in India’s favor. The match even had to be rescheduled. However, ultimately, these concerns proved to be baseless.
Long before the match, the city of Ahmedabad and the state of Gujarat were gearing up for the extensive Navratri celebrations, set to kick off the following Sunday. No one would now be complaining that the festivities began a night early.