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On the back of fabulous centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, followed by a magical spell of bowling from Kuldeep Yadav, Team India trounced their arch-rivals by a massive margin of 228 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 11 (Monday). As a result, the Men in Blue opened their account in the Super 4s stage with a crucial victory and bagged two important points. For Pakistan, it was a disastrous game both with the bat and ball as the No.1 ODI side was completely tamed by Rohit Sharma's brigade as they registered the biggest win in an India vs Pakistan ODI match.
Chasing a daunting target of 357 runs, Pakistan's run chase never hit second gear as the Indian bowlers kept picking wickets at regular intervals. Fakhar Zaman, who struggled for his 27 runs in 50 balls, was the top-scorer for the Men in Green. Babar Azam (10 runs off 24 balls) was undone by an absolute jaffa by Hardik Pandya. Agha Salman (23 runs off 32 balls) and Ifthikar Ahmed (23 runs off 35 balls) got starts with the bat but the duo fell into the trap laid by Kuldeep.
As a result, Pakistan were bowled out for 128 runs in 32 overs. It's important to note that Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf didn't bat for Pakistan.
With the ball, Kuldeep finished with sensational figures of 5/25 in eight overs. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik and Shardul Thakur chipped in with a wicket each.
Earlier, Kohli registered his 47th ODI century, while Rahul showcased his exemplary form and fitness, scoring a blistering hundred, pushing India to a formidable 356/2 in 50 overs.
Kohli's extraordinary batting skills were once again at the forefront, as he became the quickest to amass 13,000 ODI runs, further narrowing the gap with Sachin Tendulkar's iconic record of 49 ODI centuries. The R Premadasa Stadium witnessed Kohli's magic yet again, as he delivered his fourth consecutive century there, ending with an unbeaten 122 off just 94 deliveries.
Crafting a splendid 111 runs off 106 balls, Rahul's innings was defined by poise and precision, contributing to an unbroken 233-run partnership for the third wicket.
Pakistan's usually fearsome bowling lineup faced an off day, missing their fastest bowler, Haris Rauf, due to injury. Shaheen Shah Afridi, deemed a significant challenge for India, was rendered ineffective, conceding 79 runs in his spell of 10 overs.
The relentless assault from Indian batters meant that the field was peppered with 37 boundaries and nine sixes. Resuming from a rain-suspended score of 147 for two in 24.1 overs, India maintained a brisk run rate, thanks to the solid foundation set by Rohit Sharma (56 runs off 49 balls) and Shubman Gill (58 runs off 52 balls).
It will be a short turnaround for India as they are scheduled to cross swords against Sri Lanka on September 12 (Tuesday).
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
IND vs PAK: Carnage from Virat Kohli, KL Rahul spells disaster for Pakistan in Colombo as records tumble like nine pins; check list of records broken
Virat Kohli breaks Sachin Tendulkar's 19-year-old record, becomes fastest to 13,000 ODI runs
