India vs Pakistan: Babar Azam-led side showcased team's perennial inability to absorb big match pressure against old foes

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The highly-anticipated ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad saw the Men in Blue thrashing their opponents by seven wickets in what culminated into a largely one-sided encounter on October 14.

While India convincingly outperformed Pakistan in what is often termed as a 'mother of all battles' of the competition, cricket pundits have embarked on a quest to dissect and understand what went wrong for Babar Azam's Pakistan side. Experts and Pakistani media are stunned by the abject surrender of their team in such a big game.

The high-stakes match between India and Pakistan, which is often dubbed as the high points of any ICC multilateral competition given the fans' interest and anticipation, turned out to be a damp squib as there was hardly any resistance shown from the latter. The hundred-over game was wrapped up inside 74 overs and in a little over six hours leaving the cricket lovers a tad disappointed.

The entire action unfolded in front of a passionate crowd of over one lakh spectators who fervently supported the home side, Pakistan failed to put up a strong show barring some batting at the start of the innings after they were put in to bat first by India skipper Rohit Sharma.

India vs Pakistan: Promising Start With Bat

The Pakistan cricket team commenced with a decent start in the powerplay and tried to build a foundation for a solid total for their side. At one point, they were cruising at 155/2 in the 29th over and seemed poised for a respectable total in a high-pressure game.

However, in a dramatic twist of fate, Pakistan lost their remaining 8 wickets in a space of less than 40 runs and inside the 12 overs. Their innings came to an abrupt halt, and they were bundled out for a total of 191 runs in 42.5 overs. The sudden batting collapse left the cricketing world in shock.

Rohit Sharma Leads India's Triumph at Motera

In the pursuit of this target, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma provided a remarkable display of leadership. He led by example, scoring a valuable 86 runs. Sharma's performance played a crucial role in India's victory as they clinched the game by 7 wickets, maintaining their unbeaten record against Pakistan in the history of the ICC World Cup.

A Historic Losing Streak: Pakistan's Eight Consecutive Loss

This defeat marked Pakistan's eighth straight loss against India in the ODI World Cup. The saga of losses began in the 1992 World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The defeat has sparked discussions among cricket pundits, eager to understand why the Pakistani team consistently struggles against its arch-rivals.

Experts believe it is more of a mental thing than a technical one when Pakistan plays against India in a World Cup setting. The pressure of the past defeats and the dominance of Indians over them in the previous editions takes a toll on their confidence once the 1992 champions are pushed against the walls by the Indians.

Pakistan Journo's Post-Match Analysis of Babar & Co.

Shahid Hashmi, a senior Pakistan journalist who was the sole representative from across the border to cover the India-Pakistan World Cup match in Ahmedabad, expressed his bewilderment at Pakistan's defeat. While speaking with MyKhel, he expressed his thoughts on the issue.

"I also don't understand why they are unable to perform well against India. Today they were off to a good start, but I feel the pressure of playing against India in India got to them," Hashmi remarked. He added that the immense pressure of competing in front of a crowd of over one lakh people in a venue like the Narendra Modi Stadium is not to be underestimated and may have contributed to Pakistan's downfall.

The cricketing world continues to grapple with the question of why Pakistan struggles against India in the CWC, a riddle that has perplexed fans and experts alike. While the answers remain elusive, one thing is certain: the rivalry between these two cricketing giants continues to be one of the most captivating narratives in the world of sports, whether it lives up to the billing or not, that's a topic for another day.

Pakistan's director of cricket, Mickey Arthur, is disappointed with the way his boys played in Ahmedabad and backed them to do well in the coming games and hopes the two teams will meet each other at this very venue for the final and backed them to settle the score at the grandest stage on November 19.