History, after all, does not change. It only added up in India’s favour, for the sixth time running as the nation’s generation next scripted a heartening performance on a blueprint of patience and excellence. The result was spectacular — Pakistan trounced yet again by India in a World Cup, this time by 76 runs. Besides the sweetness of victory against its fiercest rival, this crunch game played out before a 41,587-strong audience, served many other purposes for the till now beleaguered Men in Blue.
First and foremost, it rid skipper MS Dhoni and his boys of the deadweight of prolonged defeat. Then, it showed the boys how high pressure matches are won by prudence not flamboyance, caution not colourfulness. The result of this measured outing was amazing. Virat Kohli emerged as the first Indian to score a century against Pakistan in a World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan found his long lost form. And, weather-beaten bowlers rediscovered their line and length to overpower the Pakistani willow with ease. In the bargain, Team India returned to being a top class professional unit executing its plans to go deep into the tournament.
What better beginning could India have engineered to kick off its title defence in a World Cup that is much away from home and comes ridden with tempestuous conditionsIJ Kohli, a monument of restrained batting, was dropped twice before he went on to score a resounding 107 runs. He partnered 129 runs with Dhawan who was unfortunately run out at 73 and then made 110 with Suresh Raina to emerge as Man of the Match and make a serious bid to take on the mantle of Sachin Tendulkar. As all focus was on Kohli middling the ball to the ropes, Raina quietly assembled a quick 50 in just 40 balls, entirely unnoticed.
India’s 300 for 7 may not look as wholesome as the Kiwi and Aussie scores of the previous day, or even SA’s 339 on Sunday, but it was a score that was amassed without any overt aggression or drama around a battle that Dhoni admitted after the match “often charges up the boys.” For Pakistani skipper Misbah-ul-Haq it was a heartbreak moment as nothing worked and despite Sohail’s high 5, it was nowhere near the victory line. His batters failed to perform. All his 7 ft plus main bowler Mohammad Irfan could do was pick up warning tickets for running on the pitch and for delivering beamers. But as both skippers said, now that this one is out of the way, it is time to concentrate on other upcoming games.