'Seemed like a BCCI event, didn't hear Dil Dil Pakistan': Mickey Arthur's odd excuse for Babar brigade's hammering

Pakistan team's director Mickey Arthur (left) in this frame.
Pakistan team's director Mickey Arthur (left) in this frame.

Highlights:

India bundled out Pakistan to a paltry 191-run total.In reply, riding on Rohit Sharma's 86-run knock India overhauled Pakistan's lowly target with seven wickets to spare.

India continued their dominance over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup history as Rohit Sharma's men rocked Babar Azam's brigade by seven wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14, Saturday. 

 

With this win India topped the points table with their third back-to-back victories in the ongoing ODI World Cup. The emphatic victory also marked India's record-extending eighth win over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup.

 

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After captain Rohit Sharma chose to field first, India's bowling unit rattled Pakistan's batting and bundled Babar's men to paltry 191 runs. While Babar Azam managed to score 50 runs, and Mohammad Rizwan contributed 49 runs, the rest of Pakistan's batsmen failed to make an impact. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj picking up two wickets each. In reply, Rohit Sharma's explosive innings of 86 runs and an unbeaten 53 by Shreyas Iyer guided India to victory.
 

Meanwhile Pakistan team's Director Mickey Arthur came up with a bizarre remark after Pakistan's hammering at the hands of India. While lashing out the atmosphere in Ahmedabad, Arthur said that the crowd at the Narendra Modi stadium massively dominated by Indian fans.

 

In an outlandish comment, Arthur said the high-octane clash between India vs Pakistan didn't seem like an ICC event but looked like a BCCI event or a bilateral series in India. 

 

"Look, I'd be lying if I said... It didn't seem like an ICC event, tonight, to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn't hear Dil Dil Pakistan coming through the microphones too often tonight," Mickey Arthur said.

"So yes, that does play a role, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse because for us, it was about living the moment, it was about the next ball and it was about how we were going to combat the Indian, the Indian players tonight," he added.

When pressed if such an atmosphere was right for the World Cup and whether it should have been allowed to happen, Arthur ducked the bouncer.

"Look I don't think I can't comment on that just yet. I don't want to get fined," Arthur concluded.

 

The marquee World Cup contest between India vs Pakistan drew a massive crowd dressed in blue, symbolising strong support for the Indian team. However, only a small number of Pakistan fans were visible at the Narendra Modi Stadium. During the toss, Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain, faced booing, while the Indian stars received enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

 

India will next face Bangladesh on October 19 while Pakistan will take on Australia on October 20.

 

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