Highlights, India vs Pakistan, 2019 World Cup: India on Sunday beat Pakistan by 89 runs (DLS method) in their rain-interrupted 2019 ICC World Cup clash at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium.Put to bat first after Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss, India, powered by Rohit Sharma's 140 (113), set a target of 337. Pakistan, in reply, reached 166/6 in 35 overs before rain caused a temporary halt to the proceedings. On resumption, their revised target was 302 and they had to chase it down in 40 overs. Only managing to reach 212/6, they fell to their third defeat of the tournament. (Match scorecard | Stream India vs Pakistan)
India beat Pakistan by 89 runs
* During the chase, before Pakistan could suffer a blow, India suffered a blow as they lost their key bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, to injury. But Vijay Shankar coming in to complete Bhuvi's unfinished over struck gold on the very first ball and claimed the prized scalp of in-form Imam-ul-Haq. Post that, a century stand developed between Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam but as the saying goes, 'one swallow doesn't make a summer'. The 104-run stand was followed by the complete disintegration of the Pakistan batting line-up. A magical ball from Kuldeep Yadav sent Babar Azam back and as it happens usually, more so with Pakistan, one wicket brought another and soon it was a procession.
* In a pressure match, (what pressure match? Ind-Pak matches rarely induce pressure these days) India were forced to use a different opening batsman to replace Shikhar Dhawan. They trusted KL Rahul to do the job and the young man didn't disappoint as he was involved in India's maiden century partnership for the first wicket against Pakistan in all World Cups. After a solid beginning, Rohit Sharma took it forward and hammered a big century and his skipper Virat Kohli also contributed with a fine half-century which also made him the fastest batsman to the 11k milestone in ODIs. A powerful batting show powered the Men in Blue to a total of 336/5 in 50 overs and from thereon they were in front.
* Done and dusted. Or shall we say squashed and swatted? The day started with one question - Will it rain or will India continue their reign? The answer is - India have made it 7 in 7 against Pakistan in ICC ODI World Cups. They have given a real beating to their arch-rivals and have solidified their position in the points table. Their invincible run continues while Pakistan are in the doldrums, just over Afghanistan.
23.59 IST: Hardik Pandya to Imad Wasim, No run. A swing and a miss to end the farce. INDIA WON BY 89 RUNS VIA DLS METHOD.
23.54 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Imad Wasim, FOUR! And Bumrah has overstepped! Bumrah bowls it short and wide outside off, Wasim this time manages to put bat on ball and ramps it down to third man for a boundary.
23.51 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Imad Wasim, FOUR! Hammered down the ground, 200 up for Pakistan! Bumrah delivers it full and on middle, Imad latches onto it and drills it straight down the ground for a boundary.
23.49 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Shadab Khan, DROPPED BY RAHUL! Flighted leg spinner, landing full and outside off, Shadab swings across the line but fails to time it properly.
23.47 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Imad Wasim, FOUR! Short in length and outside off, Wasim rocks back and clobbers it through extra cover for a cracking boundary. Trying his best to narrow down the deficit margin.
23.46 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Shadab Khan, FOUR! That is some shot.
23.43 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Imad Wasim, Short and outside off, Wasim flays it hard over point for a couple.
* Jasprit Bumrah comes back into the attack. He has two overs left.
23.42 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Shadab Khan, In the air... SAFE! Floated and full, wide outside off, Shadab reaches out for it and goes for the lofted shot. It takes the bottom half and just clears the in-ring fielder at covers. 6 from the over, Pakistan just looking to bat out the remaining overs, it seems.
23.41 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Imad Wasim, Beaten! Shortish and outside off, Imad rocks back to cut but misses.
23.40 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Imad Wasim, Short and outside off, this time Imad cuts it to deep point and crosses for a run.
23.38 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Shadab Khan, Full and outside off, Shadab goes hard at it with his drive and sends it to deep cover for a run.
* The Indian players are striding out in the centre. Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl. The umpire has signalled the start of Powerplay 3. A slip in place.
* Good news! The rain has stopped and the covers are coming off. Play to resume at 1910 local and it's reduced to 40 overs. The new target is 302 for Pakistan which means they will need 136 runs in 30 balls. Facepalm.
* The drizzle is still on. The officials are spotted under their umbrellas having a chat.
* DRIZZLING! The players are leaving the field. The groundsmen run in with the hover cover. Pakistan are 86 runs behind the DLS par score at this stage. A commanding performance by India so far and they would like to return on the field to take the remaining wickets and make this victory even sweeter.
22.38 IST: Vijay Shankar to Sarfaraz Ahmed, OUT! Another one hits the stumps! India on a roll. Shankar on a roll. Pakistan seem to have no goal. They are neither able to attack, nor able to survive. PAK 165/6 in 34.1 overs
22.36 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Sarfaraz Ahmed, Bumrah goes for a yorker but it turns out to be a sharp low full toss. Ahmed fails to flick and it goes off his pads to backward square leg. They cross and it's given as a leg bye.
22.33 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Imad, FOUR! Whacked down the ground! Back of a length delivery angling into the batsman, Wasim goes deep inside the crease and hammers it past the bowler for a boundary. PAK 161/5 in 33.2 overs
22.30 IST: Vijay Shankar to Sarfaraz Ahmed, This is outside off, pushed back to the bowler who mimes a throw back at the stumps. PAK 156/5 in 33 overs
* Drinks break. It's India and India all the way!
22.25 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Imad Wasim, FOUR! Fine shot! Short delivery, on off, Imad does well to ride the bounce and pulls it nicely to wide long on for a boundary. This partnership moves to 25 but is scoring at a rate way below the required one, almost half down.
22.22 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shortish and on off, Ahmed stands tall and works it through mid-wicket. Runs the first run hard but has to settle with that only as the fielder in the deep is quickly onto the ball.
* Jasprit Bumrah is back into the attack, replacing Kuldeep. His four overs have gone for just 15 runs. Effective as usual and he is the last bowler you want to face when the RRR is over 10.
22.19 IST: Hardik Pandya to Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shortish and on off, Sarfaraz dabs it down in the gap at cover-point and pinches yet another single.
22.17 IST: Hardik Pandya to Imad Wasim, Plenty of width on offer outside off, short and wide, Wasim cuts it behind point and collects a single.
22.15 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Sarfaraz Ahmed, Floated generously outside leg, Sarfaraz gets to the pitch of the ball but then plays it against the turn through mid off for a single.
22.12 IST: Hardik Pandya to Imad Wasim, FOUR! Well controlled pull shot in the end by Imad! Pandya digs in a short ball on middle, Wasim gets on top of the bounce and middles his horizontal bat shot well. It comes from the middle and races through square leg for a boundary.
22.10 IST: Hardik Pandya to Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sarfaraz gives the charge and Pandya bangs in a short ball. The Pakistan skipper is caught in an awkward position and somehow fends it off on the off side.
22.07 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Imad Wasim, Short and outside off, punched off the back foot through the covers for a single.
* Imad Wasim is in next.
22.03 IST: Hardik Pandya to Shoaib Malik, OUT! Hardik Pandya gets another! Shoaib Malik drags it on and bags a duck yet again. What an over this is turning out to be! To be honest, once again there was nothing extraordinary with the delivery. Hardik lands it on a length close to off stump and Malik tries to play close to his body. But it takes the inner half of his blade and goes behind to tickle the stumps. Hardik jumps in joy. The Men in Blue are roaring and so are the Indian spectators in the crowd. Pandya is on a hat-trick but will have to wait for the next over. PAK 129/5 in 27 overs
* Shoaib Malik is the new man in. Pakistan losing their way quickly now.
22.01 IST: Hardik Pandya to Mohammad Hafeez, OUT! Professor has found the fielder with surgical precision! Should be nicknamed Doctor!
21.59 IST: Hardik Pandya to Mohammad Hafeez, Full and angling in, around off, Hafeez drives it through the line, nicely timed but straight to mid off.
* Bowling change. Hardik Pandya is back into the attack. Pakistan are 41 runs behind in the DLS par score.
* Sarfaraz Ahmed walks in next. A leg slip in place.
21.54 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Fakhar Zaman, OUT! In the air... and taken! Normally, after a long partnership, a wicket often results in another closely on its heels. Two set batsmen have been dismissed by Kuldeep in the span of 3 balls.
21.52 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Mohammad Hafeez, SIX!
* Time for Mohammad Hafeez to use his willow.
21.48 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Babar Azam, OUT b Kuldeep Yadav. Pakistan have lost their second wicket.
21.42 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Babar Azam, SIX! High and long! Runs have started to come thick and fast for Pakistan! Loopy full ball on off, Azam kneels down and smokes it over mid-wicket for a biggie. The square boundaries are shorter in dimensions and Babar used it to full advantage.
21.40 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! POUNDED! Is Zaman slowly getting his confidence back?
* An update regarding ball number 18.5. Replays show that the ball hit the pad first and then the bat hit the pad. That would have smashed into the stumps. So if the review had been taken, Azam would have been gone.
21.35 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Fakhar Zaman, SIX! This has travelled the distance! 11th ODI fifty for Fakhar Zaman. He continues his good form against the Men in Blue.
* Babar Azam pulls out. There is some plastic that has come out on the pitch. Azam collects it hands it over to the umpire.
21.32 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Fakhar Zaman, NOT OUT! The back foot is dragged in. Beautifully pitched up outside off, Zaman looked to drive but missed it.
* Is that a stumping? Looks like lightning-quick Dhoni has caught Fakhar Zaman off guard.
21.30 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Babar Azam, Huge shout for an lbw from Virat Kohli at first slip. Not given. Chahal delivers a skidder around off, Babar stays back to play at it but does so very close to his front pad. Kohli at first slip thinks that it's pad first and goes up in an appeal. Nothing much there from the bowler or the keeper.
21.28 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Fakhar Zaman, Quicker through the air, it's around off and Fakhar plays it out from the back foot to point. He sets off for a run but his partner sends him back immediately.
21.26 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Babar Azam, Well played. Picks the googly off the hand rather than off the pitch, goes back and works it through square leg for a run. Just 5 singles from the over and India maintaining the throttle.
* Kuldeep Yadav is back on.
21.24 IST: Yuzvendra Chahal to Babar Azam, Good stop by Karthik (sub)! Short in length outside off, Babar goes on the back foot to play the square cut but fails to middle his shot properly. Karthik dives across to his right from backward point, a bit of a premature dive, but still manages to stop it from racing away. A single taken still.
* The leggie is on! Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl with a slip in place.
21.18 IST: Hardik Pandya to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! Is this the over that will shift the momentum in Pakistan's favour! Hardik's offers width outside off, Fakhar throws his bat at it and edges it down to third man for a boundary.
21.16 IST: Hardik Pandya to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! Crunching sound of the bat meeting the ball. Pandya serves it short and on middle, Fakhar is onto it in a flash as he pulls it thunderously to the deep mid-wicket fence.
* DRINKS BREAK! It's been a quiet going from Pakistan in this run chase. Fakhar Zaman has not been at his fluent best and losing Imam early has hurt them. Babar Azam has looked unfazed so far but now this pair needs to score at a better pace. The RRR is closing in on 8 and it's not going to be easy to keep up with it in the middle phase.
21.12 IST: Kuldeep Yadav to Fakhar Zaman, The shot was on with no cover in the deep on the mid-wicket but Zaman fails to connect well. Flighted and full on off, Fakhar gets down on one knee for the slog sweep but gets a big inside edge onto the pads.
21.06 IST: Hardik Pandya to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! A slower bouncer, down the leg side, not a bad ploy but Zaman gets away with it.
UPDATE: Bad news for Team India. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has tightness in his left hamstring and will not return to the field for the remainder of the match.
21.00 IST: Vijay Shankar to Babar Azam, FOUR! Nicely played! Could this be the final over for Shankar? A length ball outside off, Azam punches it through point and this time Rohit Sharma cannot cover the distance to his left and the ball finds the fence. A boundary after 20 balls.
20.43 IST: Hardik Pandya to Babar Azam, FOUR! A brilliant shot towards the cover boundary! Too much of width from Hardik on this occasion.
20.40 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! Spoils what would have been a maiden. A short ball, down the leg side, this time Zaman connects with his pull and gets it to the fine leg fence.
* India are clearly rushing through their overs. It has gone pretty dark again and interruption may not be far away.
20.35 IST: Vijay Shankar to Babar Azam, Outstanding fielding effort by Virat Kohli! He saves a certain boundary. Shankar pitches it up and outside off, Babar plays a delightful cover drive but fails to beat the diving effort of the Indian skipper.
20.31 IST: Vijay Shankar to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! Poor line and punished! Shankar drifts down the leg side, Fakhar picks it off his pads and deflects it neatly down the leg side for a boundary. Back-to-back boundaries for Pakistan.
20.29 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Babar Azam, FOUR! Cracked away! Short and wide outside off, Azam cuts it through point for a boundary!
* Babar Azam walks in at number 3, replacing Imam. Three 50-plus scores in his last 5 innings in ODIs.
20.23 IST: Vijay Shankar to Imam-ul-Haq, OUT! Trapped right in front! Bhuvi going off has not hurt India much, in fact Shankar has hit the jackpot with his very first delivery in the World Cup!
* There seems to be much more lateral movement off the deck, than the morning. The balls are pitching and then shooting off.
20.18 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Imam-ul-Haq, Nicely done again. Waits for the ball to come to him, taps it towards cover, sees there is a small gap and calls his partner through for a quick single.
* Predicto Praky - This is interesting. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is bowling quicker than Jasprit Bumrah. Bhuvi is consistently in the high 140s while Bumrah is operating in the high 135s. Normally, it is the other way round.
20.13 IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Imam-ul-Haq, FOUR! Shot! Kumar overpitches a bit on this occasion. He was trying an inswinger but the line turns out to be too straight and Imam flicks it firmly to the deep mid-wicket fence.
20.10 IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Imam-ul-Haq, Wide! Wrong line on this occasion. Kumar goes for extra pace and loses his line. Clocks in the 140s kph but it's down the leg side. Imam tries flicking but misses. There was some movement after it went past the batsman.
20.08 IST: Jasprit Bumrah to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR! That is a gift and it gives Pakistan their first boundary. A full toss, wide outside off, Zaman reaches out and drives it through the covers.
* Jasprit Bumrah to bowl with the second new ball. Two slips in place for him as well.
20.04 IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Fakhar Zaman, Fakhar also gets off the mark with a gentle nudge off his hips behind square leg. One more run added to the total.
20.02 IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Imam-ul-Haq, Starts with a good length delivery around leg, Imam turns it off his pads behind square leg and gets off the mark with a run. Pakistan are underway!
* Okay. One more time. We are ready to begin.
* Scratch all that. The players are back on the field. Scratch all that which was scratched any which ways. The players go off again! Boy, this is frustrating.
* Welcome back. No. Go back. We should have started by now, but the heavens have opened up again. Umbrellas are up in the stands and it is coming down pretty heavily. The good news is, only the hover cover is on, so this may not be a big delay. In fact, bright sunshine is now enveloping the ground. Should not be far from the start.
* 337 to win then. Pakistan faltered chasing 308 against Australia. India's bowling attack is much more penetrating than the Aussies and bowls with much more control. All the best then.
* Not the greatest of bowling displays by Pakistan, especially after electing to bowl. They had the conditions in their favour, with the skies overcast but could not make much use of those. And with the ball not swinging around much, they lost patience and started spraying it around. Mohammad Amir continued his resurgence with a 3-wicket haul to follow his 5-fer against Australia. None of the others were impressive. Imad Wasim was economical but he just focused on curtailing the batsmen and did not go for wickets. Hassan Ali endured a torrid outing while Wahab Riaz could not do much.
* A fine finish by India then to end on 336. The rain break did not hamper them much as there were only 20 balls left. With the rain spicing up the pitch a little, this now adds a new dimension to the total. Earlier, it was a good total on a good pitch. Now, it is a challenging total on a quickened pitch.
19.28 IST: Mohammad Amir to Kedar Jadhav, No, they can't! Just the single on the last ball. Jadhav dances down the track and Amir bowls it short. KJ mistimes it towards deep cover for one. A decent last over from Amir. 9 from it. INDIA END WITH 336/5!
19.25 IST: Mohammad Amir to Vijay Shankar, FOUR! Another welcome boundary for India! This was a delightful stroke. Amir bowls it full and outside off, it is the seam-up ball. Shankar lofts it over covers and the ball goes into the fence.
19.23 IST: Mohammad Amir to Vijay Shankar, DROPPED! A tough chance! Amir goes full and on middle, Shankar hits it firmly back towards the bowler. Amir jumps and looks to take it with both hands but the ball bursts through and goes down to long on for one.
* Strange! The Ultra Edge is now shown of the Virat Kohli dismissal and it's detecting nothing. India have a referral left but it seems that the Indian skipper also felt that he hit it.
19.20 IST: Wahab Riaz to Kedar Jadhav, FOUR! Over mid off and a boundary! A welcome boundary for India. Full and on off by Riaz. Jadhav nonchalantly lofts it over mid off and bags a boundary. India would love a few more.
19.17 IST: Mohammad Amir to Kedar Jadhav, A single to end! Jadhav guides it down to third man. Another good over for Pakistan. They are once again finishing strongly. Just the 4 runs and a wicket from it.
* Kedar Jadhav arrives in the middle. He has a strike rate of 102.5 in ODIs and India will love if he gets going from the word go.
19.13 IST: Mohammad Amir to Virat Kohli, OUT c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Mohammad Amir. India have lost their fifth wicket.
19.11 IST: Wahab Riaz to Virat Kohli, FOUR! Delicate! Lovely from Kohli. Slower one on off, Kohli plays it very late and guides it very fine on the off side and bags a boundary at third man. The last ball spoils the over. 9 from it.
19.10 IST: Wahab Riaz to Vijay Shankar, Goes full around off, Shankar manages to loft it over cover for a single.
* Shankar will be on strike. Wahab Riaz to complete his over. Here we go again...
* It's time to resume. Virat Kohli and Vijay Shankar are coming down the stairs of the dressing room.
* The mid-innings break will be 15 minutes. Importantly, no overs have been lost.
* Some good news coming in! The drizzle has also stopped and the hover cover is coming off. The two umpires came a little while back to inspect the conditions. There were a few worrisome patches inside the ring but it seems the groundsmen will dry that out quickly. Umpire Marais Erasmus gives a thumbs up to the dressing room of both teams. We are hearing that the match will resume in 12 minutes
* The rain has reduced into a drizzle and it's looking a lot brighter than it was a few minutes back. The groundsmen are at work and there is one Super Sopper rolling across the stadium. Still waiting for the official verdict on whether India will come out to bat again or not. Stay tuned, we will keep you posted.
18.40 IST: India vs Pakistan Weather Updates: Good News! The covers are coming off and we may resume action soon! The groundsmen are at work and there is one Super Sopper rolling across the stadium. Still waiting for the official verdict on whether India will come out to bat again or not.
* It's raining now! The players are heading back to the pavilion and the hover cover comes on to protect the playing area. Slowly, slowly more covers are coming on.
18.15 IST: Wahab Riaz to Vijay Shankar, NOT OUT! A big gap between bat and ball and the on-field call has to be overturned. Good use of the technology by Shankar. This is full and outside off. Shankar looks to hit it through the off side but there is a noise as the ball passes the bat. Sarfaraz takes it and appeals. The umpire raises the finger. Shankar reviews. Replays roll in and they show that the noise was of the bat hitting the ground. Vijay survives to fight another day.
* A catch has been taken behind the wickets. The finger goes up after the appeal is made. Vijay Shankar though is very sure that he has not edged it. He takes the DRS and calmly walks up to his captain to have a chat. There was some noise. Maybe, that was of the bat hitting the surface.
* There is some drizzle in the air now.
18.10 IST: Mohammad Amir to Virat Kohli, 300 up for India. Short and on middle, Kohli looks to pull but it goes off the bottom towards mid-wicket and the batsmen take two.
* Vijay Shankar is in next. Interesting move to send him ahead of Kedar Jadhav, who has a SR in excess of 100 in ODIs.
18.05 IST: Mohammad Amir to MS Dhoni, OUT! c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Mohammad Amir. India have lost their fourth wicket.
18.03 IST: Hassan Ali to Virat Kohli, FOUR! Another poor ball and Hassan pays the price again. Down the leg side, Kohli works it fine, finer than the last ball and a boundary results.
18.01 IST: Hassan Ali to Virat Kohli, FOUR! 11000 ODI runs for Virat Kohli. He is the fastest to do so and he gets that milestone up in style. He gets a ball down the leg side and Kohli flicks it to the fine leg fence.
* Here comes the inventor of the Helicopter shot - Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The crowd has gone bonkers seeing him coming down the stairs. Can he put on a show?
18.00 IST: Mohammad Amir to Hardik Pandya, OUT! In the air... taken! Pandya holes out. Amir has the last laugh. This is full and on middle, Pandya brings out the helicopter shot.
17.58 IST: Mohammad Amir to Hardik Pandya, FOUR! Slapped! Another outstanding shot! Slower one and on off, Pandya stands tall and slaps it through covers for a boundary.
17.57 IST: Mohammad Amir to Virat Kohli, FOUR! Dismissed! Brute! Full and on off, Kohli shuffles across and smashes it through mid off. 6 from the first two balls.
* Mohammad Amir is back!
17.55 IST: Hassan Ali to Hardik Pandya, FOUR! Easy-peasy! A high full toss on the pads, Pandya says thank you very much and whips it over backward square leg for a boundary.
17.53 IST: Hassan Ali to Hardik Pandya, SIX! That has gone off the top edge! Outrageous. Speaks volumes about the quality of the bat now-a-days. Also, it was a slower one outside off, Pandya is completely foxed. He is way too early in the slog. The ball goes off the top edge and clears the third man fence.
17.51 IST: Wahab Riaz to Virat Kohli, A single to end as Kohli works it through square leg and gets to the other end. So despite the boundary early on, only 7 from the over.
17.48 IST: Wahab Riaz to Virat Kohli, FOUR! Not the best start for him but the perfect start to the over for India. Full and on off, easy pickings with mid off up. Kohli lofts it over that fielder and bags a boundary. Pressure on the bowler.
17.46 IST: Hassan Ali to Hardik Pandya, Good running again! Slower one on middle, Pandya works it with soft hands towards mid-wicket. The weight on the shot is perfect so two taken. Still only 6 from the over. Pakistan will take that.
17.44 IST: Hassan Ali to Hardik Pandya, Short of the keeper! Slower one and outside off, Pandya slashes but the ball takes the outside edge and goes on the bounce to Ahmed.
* Powerplay 3 has been signaled!
17.42 IST: Shadab Khan to Hardik Pandya, BEATEN! Floats it up on off, Pandya looks to drive it through the off side but is beaten by the away turn.
17.40 IST: Shadab Khan to Virat Kohli, FOUR! Welcome back into the attac, Khan. Short and on middle, Kohli goes back and pulls it in the vacant mid-wicket region and bags a boundary.
* Hardik Pandya is the new man in. He can add to Pakistan's misery here. If he gets in, he can take the game away quickly from Pakistan.
17.35 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, OUT! Rohit Sharma is gone! No double century this time. But the The Hitman has done his job. Tries to be cheeky this time. Hassan delivers it on a length outside off and Rohit shuffles across the stumps with the intention of spooning it over short fine leg. But he doesn't get the desired connection and Wahab Riaz takes a simple catch inside the ring. IND 234/2 (38.2 overs)
17.35 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Hassan is a marked man! Starts his new spell with a short ball and Rohit pulls it without any issue over mid-wicket for a boundary.
* Hasan Ali back into the attack
17.31 IST: Wahab Riaz to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! If you bowl short to Sharma, you will be punished. Short and on the body, Rohit swivels and pulls it over backward square leg for a boundary.
17.30 IST: Imad Wasim to Virat Kohli, A single to end! 5 from the over. Kohli hits this one down to long on and gets to the other end.
17.27 IST: Imad Wasim to Virat Kohli, Floated up on off, Kohli hits it wide of long off and a run is taken.
* Drinks break. India are motoring! They are looking to bat Pakistan out of this game. 14 overs to go and the Men in Blue have two set batsman in middle. Rohit Sharma is going great guns and Virat Kohli is playing the supporting role superbly. With the firepower left in the Indian batting order, they will be targeting a total close to 350, if not more. Pakistan have been very clueless in the field.
17.20 IST: Wahab Riaz to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Up and over! Slower one and it is short and outside off, Rohit cuts it over point and it races to the fence.
* Wahab Riaz is back on attack
17.18 IST: Imad Wasim to Rohit Sharma, EDGED AND FOUR! No slip in place! Imad lands this on off, it straightens. Rohit looks to push at it but ends up playing inside the line. The ball goes off the outside edge and to the third man fence.
17.12 IST: Shadab Khan to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! That went to the fence in a jiffy. Rohit plays the sweep and it is away from the deep mid-wicket fielder for a boundary.
17.09 IST: Imad Wasim to Rohit Sharma, In the air... but soft! Rohit did well to take one hand off. This is floated on off, Rohit looks to drive but the ball sticks on the surface. He takes one hand off the handle and hence, it lands well short.
17.07 IST: Shadab Khan to Virat Kohli, Very full on off, Kohli hits it wide of long off and takes two. The 50-run stand is up. This pair is building up on the good start provided by the opening wicket. They are going along at a good pace too.
17.04 IST: Mohammad Amir to Virat Kohli, FOUR! You need not run for such shots! Outstanding. Not a very bad delivery, it is on a length and around off, Kohli stands tall and hits it on the up through covers.
17.02 IST: Shadab Khan to Rohit Sharma, 24th ODI HUNDRED FOR ROHIT SHARMA! Becomes the second Indian after Kohli to hit a ton against Pakistan in The ICC ODI World Cup. What a knock by the Hitman! He reaches there by cracking a short ball through cover-point for one. The Indian dressing room is on its feet. This is also his third fastest hundred in this format. IND 172/1 (30 overs)
16.56 IST: Mohammad Amir to Virat Kohli, Almost does get Kohli. Amir angles this across Virat. Kohli looks to guide it down to third man but misses. A few words by Amir but Kohli does not respond.
* Mohammad Amir is back! He was brilliantly in his first spell. Can he get either of Rohit or Kohli here?
16.53 IST: Wahab Riaz to Virat Kohli, Extra bounce there! Wahab is bending his back. Back of a length on middle, it takes off after pitching. Hits Kohli on the glove as he tries to defend.
16.50 IST: Hassan Ali to Virat Kohli, Excellent running! Length and around off, Kohli looks to drive with hard hands but it goes off the inner half towards square leg. They run the first one hard and then go for the second, complete it.
16.47 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, SIX! Majestic shot! Into the 90s is Rohit Sharma. Short and wide outside off, Sharma slaps it right off the middle and the ball sails over the point fence.
16.45 IST: Wahab Riaz to Virat Kohli, Good running! Kohli taps it towards point and takes off straightaway. Rohit responds and a run is completed with ease. 150 up for India.
16.42 IST: Wahab Riaz to Rohit Sharma, Lovely shot! Just times it through covers and takes two. Nicely used the pace of the bowler there.
16.41 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Fortunate one! Second time today he has got a boundary in that fashion against Hassan and the bowler can't believe his luck. Shorter and outside off, Rohit looks to guide it down to third man but the ball comes back in sharply. It hits the under edge and goes over the stumps and then to the fine leg fence.
16.38 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, The batsman plays it with an angled bat and guides it to third man. The batsmen have run through for a single.
* Hassan Ali is back on. 3-0-27-0 so far.
* Indian skipper Virat Kohli comes on at number 3, replacing Rahul. Is 57 short of becoming the fastest to 11,000 ODI runs.
16.35 IST: Wahab Riaz to KL Rahul, OUT! Soft dismissal and Pakistan have finally got the much-needed wicket. It has come completely against the run of play though. A good ball though from Wahab. It is just behind the driving length on off. Sticks in the wicket a little. Rahul looks to drive it through covers but ends up chipping it straight to Azam there. He makes no mistake. Rahul will be disappointed he did not make use of the start he got. IND 136/1 (23.5 overs)
16.32 IST: Wahab Riaz to KL Rahul, Back of a length again on off, Rahul goes back and keeps it out. Wahab now gets an OFFICIAL WARNING for running onto the danger area. So Amir already has been given two and Wahab now has one.
* Wahab Riaz is back on! Just the one over for Malik.
16.28 IST: Mohammad Hafeez to KL Rahul, SIX! Oh wow. Rahul gets into the act now. Don't look like India are interested in the Professor's classes. IND 134/0 (22.5 overs)
16.27 IST: Mohammad Hafeez to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Good afternoon, Professor! What a welcome to the senior guy. Tossed up around middle, Rohit comes down the track and bashes this past Hafeez to the long on fence!
16.24 IST: Shoaib Malik to KL Rahul, SIX! Just clears the fence! Fifty for Rahul. He has ensured India don't miss Dhawan here. He went about things slowly but a good innings nevertheless. There is a ton on the offering here. Rahul gets to his ton in style. Sees the length is short, rocks back and pulls it in the gap in the mid-wicket region. It goes all the way.
* Shoaib Malik is on now!
* STAT ALERT! Whenever India's openers have put on a century stand in the ODI World Cup, their win percentage is 86 per cent! (6 of 7 prior instances).
16.22 IST: Imad Wasim to KL Rahul, Good running! This is worked to the longer part of the ground of square leg and the batters take two. IND 112/0 (21 overs)
16.21 IST: Imad Wasim to Rohit Sharma, On off, it straightens. Takes the outside edge Rohit's bat and rolls towards short third man for a run.
16.19 IST: Shadab Khan to KL Rahul, Gets away with one there Shadab! Rahul gets into position early to play the reverse sweep. Shadab looks to fire it in but ends up bowling a full toss. Rahul plays the reverse but straight to backward point. A dot to end! Just the 6 from the last 3 overs.
16.17 IST: Shadab Khan to Rohit Sharma, Very full outside off, Rohit initially looks to sweep but then seeing the length, jams it out to point.
16.13 IST: Imad Wasim to KL Rahul, Beaten in flight this time, Rahul. He stays back to a full ball around off when he should have been forward but eventually does well to block it on the off side.
* STAT ATTACK: MS Dhoni becomes second Indian player after Tendulkar with most ODI appearances | READ
* Drinks break. It's all India at the moment! Apart from winning the toss, nothing has gone Pakistan's way. There were a few half chances but they have not taken them and the pair of Rohit and Rahul are just dominating proceedings at the moment.
16.10 IST: Shadab Khan to KL Rahul, Flatter and on off, this is pushed through covers for one. The 100 is up for India. The openers have provided the best possible start. Also, it has come up in very quick time. The foundation is laid here for a big score.
16.07 IST: Imad Wasim to KL Rahul, Rahul feels he missed out there! Down the leg side, Rahul looks to sweep but misses. Wided. Had he connected, it would have been a boundary.
16.01 IST: Shadab Khan to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Lovely placement! Shadab is struggling here. He has gone for 24 in the 13 balls he has bowled. Shorter and outside off, Rohit goes back and guides it past point for a boundary.
16.00 IST: Imad Wasim to KL Rahul, Good stop! This pitches on off and then straightens. Rahul looks to defend but gets an outside edge towards short third man where the fielder makes a good diving stop. A run only.
15.58 IST: Shadab Khan to KL Rahul, Struggling for control, bowls this too full, outside off, Rahul strokes it towards long off for a run.
15.57 IST: Shadab Khan to KL Rahul, Full on middle, Rahul drives it straight back. 'PAKAD!' yells Sarfaraz. Shadab dives to his right but misses the ball. A single taken towards long on.
15.53 IST: Shadab Khan to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Now the length is full and Rohit drives it behind point. Seems like there is no fielder out when India are batting. 43rd ODI Fifty for Rohit. 7th against Pakistan. Looks good to double this easily.
15.51 IST: Shadab Khan to Rohit Sharma, SIX! Oh dear. Bad, worse, worst nothing beyond the superlative. This is a horror start from Shadab.
15.50 IST: Shadab Khan to KL Rahul, FOUR! Bad ball to start. Short and wide outside off, turning away, Rahul uses the width, goes deep in his crease and cuts it behind point for a boundary.
15.45 IST: Imad Wasim to KL Rahul, FOUR! Swept and swept nice and fine! Played that with the angle. It is fired in on the pads, Rahul goes down on one knee, uses the pace of the bowler and hits it to the fine leg fence.
* POWERPLAY 2 time. Danger period for Pakistan. Neither opener has been dismissed. Just like Australia experienced against India, the Men In Green might be in line for some upswing in the run rate now. 4 fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle till the 40th over.
15.44 IST: Wahab Riaz to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Brings the 50 up for the team in style! Riaz bowls it shorter and outside off, Rohit plays it late and cuts it past point. No chance for third man. Once again the last ball spoils Wahab's over. India have dominated Powerplay 1. They are 53 for no loss after it. IND 50/0 (10 overs)
15.41 IST: Wahab Riaz to KL Rahul, A big, big confusion but no harm in the end! Pakistan should have had their first wicket. A huge miss there. Wahab bowls it on middle, Rahul works it through mid-wicket. They take one, Rohit wants a second and is sprinting to the other end. Rahul initially starts off but then calls 'NO' with his hand up. Rohit does not spot that untill he reaches halfway.
15.39 IST: Imad Wasim to KL Rahul, A single to end! On the pads again, Imad continues to bowl a straighter line. Rahul flicks it through square leg for one. Just the four from the over, a tidy start by Imad.
* Imad Wasim is on now! Change from both ends for Pakistan.
15.35 IST: Wahab Riaz to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Just over! Wahab goes short and on the body, Rohit helps it on its way, hits it uppishly but just over the jumping short fine leg fielder and into the fence. Spoils the over, another good one for India. IND 42/0 (8 overs)
15.31 IST: Mohammad Amir to KL Rahul, A bye! Length and outside off, Rahul lets it be. This bounces just ahead of Ahmed who fails to stop it cleanly and a run is taken. A good over though from Amir. He is keeping it tight, Pakistan need the same from the other end.
15.29 IST: Mohammad Amir to KL Rahul, Good delivery again! Length and on off, Rahul ends up playing outside the line, he gets an inside edge to short fine leg.
* Just like you bat in partnerships, you bowl in partnerships as well. Amir is building pressure at one end while Hassan is releasing it at the other. Pakistan need pressure to be built from both ends. A bowling change might be seen soon.
15.26 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, SIX! Stand and deliver! Trademark Rohit Sharma. Slightly shorter and on off, the key here was Rohit picks the length early. He just leans back a little and pulls it high and handsome over the mid-wicket fence. A very good over for India, 12 from it. IND 32/0 (6 overs)
15.25 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Short, wide and smashed! Width on offer outside off and Rohit pounces on it. He slaps it past the diving cover-point fielder and it races away to the fence. Sarfaraz is not happy with that line and rightly so.
15.21 IST: Mohammad Amir to KL Rahul, On the fuller side outside off, Amir may have rolled his fingers on this delivery. Rahul shoulders arms to it. The umpire walks down to the middle of the wicket, has a look and then warns Amir for the SECOND TIME OFFICIALLY! Amir really needs to be careful, one more mistake and he can't bowl in this game.
15.20 IST: Mohammad Amir to KL Rahul, FOUR! Good shot! Rahul had no intentions to keep that down. It is short and on middle, Rahul is up for the challenge. He goes back and pulls it over the square leg fielder for a boundary. First for him.
15.18 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, BEATEN! Rash shot! Shorter in length and outside off, Rohit looks to slash at it but there is not that much width on offer. He gets beaten.
15.15 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Beats the diving mid off fielder and it races away! Lovely shot. It is just a mere push there. Fuller on off by Hassan. Rohit uses the pace and strokes it past the mid off fielder and it races away to the fence.
15.14 IST: Hassan Ali to KL Rahul, A little too straight this time, Rahul works it down to fine leg for one. Hassan is bowling a little too straight. They have two slips in place and this is not the line he should be bowling.
15.12 IST: Mohammad Amir to Rohit Sharma, Back of a length on the pads, Rohit Sharma works it towards square leg and gets to the other end.
15.11 IST: Mohammad Amir to Rohit Sharma, Caught in two minds here! Rohit is a little worried about the inswinger. He first looks to defend this ball around off but then seeing it angle away, tries to leave. Too late till then and Rohit gets a bottom edge to the keeper. It goes on the bounce.
15.09 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, Three to end a good second over for India. This is on the pads again, Rohit flicks it past square leg. The fielder gives it a chase and pulls it back before the ball crosses the ropes. Saves a run for his side.
15.06 IST: Hassan Ali to Rohit Sharma, FOUR! Rohit and India are off the mark with a boundary! Streaky one but they won't care. Drags his length back and this one jags back in after pitching. Rohit looks to put bat on ball but the ball goes off the inner half, over the stumps and into the fine leg fence.
* Hassan Ali to bowl from the other end with the second new ball.
15.04 IST: Mohammad Amir to KL Rahul, Third leave in a row! Outside off again and Rahul lets it be. A maiden to begin with by Amir. Good start for Pakistan.
15.03 IST: Mohammad Amir to KL Rahul, Well bowled! Amir goes full this time, gives the ball more opportunity to do its bit. It does tail back in and Rahul strokes it to mid on by getting his front leg out of the way.
15.01 IST: Mohammad Amir to KL Rahul, Starts off right on the money! On a length and around off, angles this one away. Rahul shuffles across and keeps it out.
14.58 IST: Done and dusted with the National Anthems! It is time for the action to get underway. Pakistan are in a huddle and now make their way out to the middle. Time for the National Anthems! The two teams make their way out to the middle. Pakistan will sing their first and then it will be India's turn.
14.45 IST: Captains at toss:
Virat Kohli: We would have bowled first to be honest. Wicket looks really nice though and we have two wrist spinners in our team. We will be in good stead if we bat well. (On 800,000 applications for tickets and over a billion people's viewership for this match) That's the kind of attention this game brings but that's all outside the ropes. Once you enter the field it is all about playing the game which you have played from childhood. The team that holds their nerve in the big match usually wins. We have been playing good cricket and we don't want to tinker much with the team combination. We have one forced change, Shikhar misses out and Vijay Shankar comes in his place. He is a solid batsman, brilliant in field and gives us few overs too.
Sarfaraz Ahmed: We will bowl first. It has been raining in Old Trafford from the last three days so conditions are good for bowling. I think, it is a good option to play two spinners against India. We have quality spinners and we have backed them today. India Pakistan is a big match. We are not thinking about 6-0. We are just focussing on this match and we want to play our best game. We are not thinking about the result.
14.35 IST: Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK/C), Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir
14.32 IST: TOSS -- Sarfaraz Ahmed has won the toss and Pakistan will bowl first
14.16 IST: EARLY TEAM NEWS: If early reports are to be believed, Vijay Shankar will come in for Shikhar Dhawan and that should be the only change in the team. Watch this space!
14.10 IST: The atmosphere is building in Manchester
14.06 IST: PITCH REPORT - Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar reckons the pitch is fantastic and offers a lot of runs if the rain permits. He says whoever captain wins the toss will opt to field first, considering in mind the overcast conditions and rain forecast.
14.00 IST: It's gloomy in Manchester but not raining and the game should start on time if it remains this way. However, rain is scheduled for later in the day.
13.45 IST: Things don't look too promising
13.26 IST: MANCHESTER WEATHER UPDATE: Team India has reached Old Trafford, but dark clouds are slowly gathering over Manchester. It doesn't look at the moment, but at least it isn't raining.
12.58 IST: Pakistan is fairly confident of beating India
12.37 IST: Bharat Army has a chant for India newboy Vijay Shankar
12.23 IST: There's always a 'buzz' in Manchester
11.55 IST: As things stand, all is well in Manchester
11.50 IST: The only time when you don't want to be Virat Kohli
11.45 IST: Players have their say on the India-Pakistan rivalry
11.27 IST: This is how the players practised on Saturday ahead of the mega-clash
11.00 IST: As things stand in Manchester.
Brief preview: Conditions and length of the match will dictate the team combination, says India captain Virat Kohli as the fickle Manchester weather is likely to affect Sunday's clash against Pakistan. While Kohli did not spell out the changes, there is a strong possibility that Dinesh Karthik will be preferred over Vijay Shankar if it's a less than 35 overs game per side. [Read full preview here]