Pakistan defeat exposes India’s undercooked batting unit

Finally, at the 13th time of asking, Pakistan got the better of India in an ICC World Cup showdown. Whether it was worth the wait, only they can say, but there is no doubting the chutzpah which accompanied their ten-wicket routat the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night.

India’s unbeaten run against their cross-border opponents had to end at some stage. It’s little short of remarkable that for a dozen contests spread over 29 and a half years, they kept a clean sheet against the most mercurial of international cricket sides in World Cups of both limited-overs variants. Few, though, would have bargained for the manner in which the most one-sided record in cricket World Cup history was marginally redressed.

The discerning will comprehend that the surprise of the night, if any, stemmed not so much from Pakistan eventually managing to put it past India, but that they did so by ten wickets. This wasn’t self-destructing, imploding, pressure-phobic Pakistan. If anything, their cricket was more Indian than India’s, their approach the most judicious blend of searing fire and ice cool which dampened their opponents’ enthusiasm from the off.

Click here to read more of R Kaushik’s analysis of India’s defeat at the hands of Pakistan.