The results of all the matches

The Indian Express

Match 1, October 05, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

ENGLAND

282/9 (50.0)

VS

NEW ZEALAND

283/1 (36.2)

New Zealand beat England by 9 wickets

Match 2, October 06, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

PAKISTAN

286/10 (49.0)

VS

NETHERLANDS

205/10 (41.0)

Pakistan beat Netherlands by 81 runs

Match 3, October 07, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

BANGLADESH

158/4 (34.4)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

156/10 (37.2)

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets

Match 4, October 07, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

SOUTH AFRICA

428/5 (50.0)

VS

SRI LANKA

326/10 (44.5)

South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 102 runs

Match 5, October 08, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

INDIA

201/4 (41.2)

VS

AUSTRALIA

199/10 (49.3)

India beat Australia by 6 wickets

Match 6, October 09, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

NEW ZEALAND

322/7 (50.0)

VS

NETHERLANDS

223/10 (46.3)

New Zealand beat Netherlands by 99 runs

Match 7, October 10, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

ENGLAND

364/9 (50.0)

VS

BANGLADESH

227/10 (48.2)

England beat Bangladesh by 137 runs

Match 8, October 10, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

PAKISTAN

345/4 (48.2)

VS

SRI LANKA

344/9 (50.0)

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets

Match 9, October 11, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

INDIA

273/2 (35.0)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

272/8 (50.0)

India beat Afghanistan by 8 wickets

Match 10, October 12, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

AUSTRALIA

177/10 (40.5)

VS

SOUTH AFRICA

311/7 (50.0)

South Africa beat Australia by 134 runs

Match 11, October 13, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

NEW ZEALAND

248/2 (42.5)

VS

BANGLADESH

245/9 (50.0)

New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets

Match 12, October 14, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

INDIA

192/3 (30.3)

VS

PAKISTAN

191/10 (42.5)

India beat Pakistan by 7 wickets

Match 13, October 15, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

ENGLAND

215/10 (40.3)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

284/10 (49.5)

Afghanistan beat England by 69 runs

Match 14, October 16, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

AUSTRALIA

215/5 (35.2)

VS

SRI LANKA

209/10 (43.3)

Australia beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets

Match 15, October 17, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

SOUTH AFRICA

207/10 (42.5)

VS

NETHERLANDS

245/8 (43.0)

Netherlands beat South Africa by 38 runs

Match 16, October 18, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

NEW ZEALAND

288/6 (50.0)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

139/10 (34.4)

New Zealand beat Afghanistan by 149 runs

Match 17, October 19, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

INDIA

261/3 (41.3)

VS

BANGLADESH

256/8 (50.0)

India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets

Match 18, October 20, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

AUSTRALIA

367/9 (50.0)

VS

PAKISTAN

305/10 (45.3)

Australia beat Pakistan by 62 runs

Match 19, October 21, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

NETHERLANDS

262/10 (49.4)

VS

SRI LANKA

263/5 (48.2)

Sri Lanka beat Netherlands by 5 wickets

Match 20, October 21, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

ENGLAND

170/10 (22.0)

VS

SOUTH AFRICA

399/7 (50.0)

South Africa beat England by 229 runs

Match 21, October 22, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

INDIA

274/6 (48.0)

VS

NEW ZEALAND

273/10 (50.0)

India beat New Zealand by 4 wickets

Match 22, October 23, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

PAKISTAN

282/7 (50.0)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

286/2 (49.0)

Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 8 wickets

Match 23, October 24, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

SOUTH AFRICA

382/5 (50.0)

VS

BANGLADESH

233/10 (46.4)

South Africa beat Bangladesh by 149 runs

Match 24, October 25, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

AUSTRALIA

399/8 (50.0)

VS

NETHERLANDS

90/10 (21.0)

Australia beat Netherlands by 309 runs

Match 25, October 26, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

ENGLAND

156/10 (33.2)

VS

SRI LANKA

160/2 (25.4)

Sri Lanka beat England by 8 wickets

Match 26, October 27, 2023 at 14:00 IST. MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

PAKISTAN

270/10 (46.4)

VS

SOUTH AFRICA

271/9 (47.2)

South Africa beat Pakistan by 1 wicket

Match 27, October 28, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

AUSTRALIA

388/10 (49.2)

VS

NEW ZEALAND

383/9 (50.0)

Australia beat New Zealand by 5 runs

Match 28, October 28, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

NETHERLANDS

229/10 (50.0)

VS

BANGLADESH

142/10 (42.2)

Netherlands beat Bangladesh by 87 runs

Match 29, October 29, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

INDIA

229/9 (50.0)

VS

ENGLAND

129/10 (34.5)

India beat England by 100 runs

Match 30, October 30, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

AFGHANISTAN

242/3 (45.2)

VS

SRI LANKA

241/10 (49.3)

Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets

Match 31, October 31, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

PAKISTAN

205/3 (32.3)

VS

BANGLADESH

204/10 (45.1)

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets

Match 32, November 01, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

NEW ZEALAND

167/10 (35.3)

VS

SOUTH AFRICA

357/4 (50.0)

South Africa beat New Zealand by 190 runs

Match 33, November 02, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

INDIA

357/8 (50.0)

VS

SRI LANKA

55/10 (19.4)

India beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs

Match 34, November 03, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

NETHERLANDS

179/10 (46.3)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

181/3 (31.3)

Afghanistan beat Netherlands by 7 wickets

Match 35, November 04, 2023 at 10:30 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

NEW ZEALAND

401/6 (50.0)

VS

PAKISTAN

200/1 (25.3)

Pakistan beat New Zealand by 21 runs (D/L method)

Match 36, November 04, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

ENGLAND

253/10 (48.1)

VS

AUSTRALIA

286/10 (49.3)

Australia beat England by 33 runs

Match 37, November 05, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

INDIA

326/5 (50.0)

VS

SOUTH AFRICA

83/10 (27.1)

India beat South Africa by 243 runs

Match 38, November 06, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

BANGLADESH

282/7 (41.1)

VS

SRI LANKA

279/10 (49.3)

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 3 wickets

Match 39, November 07, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

AUSTRALIA

293/7 (46.5)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

291/5 (50.0)

Australia beat Afghanistan by 3 wickets

Match 40, November 08, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

ENGLAND

339/9 (50.0)

VS

NETHERLANDS

179/10 (37.2)

England beat Netherlands by 160 runs

Match 41, November 09, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

NEW ZEALAND

172/5 (23.2)

VS

SRI LANKA

171/10 (46.4)

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets

Match 42, November 10, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

SOUTH AFRICA

247/5 (47.3)

VS

AFGHANISTAN

244/10 (50.0)

South Africa beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets

Match 43, November 11, 2023 at 10:30 IST. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

AUSTRALIA

307/2 (44.4)

VS

BANGLADESH

306/8 (50.0)

Australia beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets

Match 44, November 11, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

ENGLAND

337/9 (50.0)

VS

PAKISTAN

244/10 (43.3)

England beat Pakistan by 93 runs

Match 45, November 12, 2023 at 14:00 IST. M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

INDIA

410/4 (50.0)

VS

NETHERLANDS

250/10 (47.5)

India beat Netherlands by 160 runs

1st Semi-Final, November 15, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

INDIA

397/4 (50.0)

VS

NEW ZEALAND

327/10 (48.5)

India beat New Zealand by 70 runs

2nd Semi-Final, November 16, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Eden Gardens, Kolkata

SOUTH AFRICA

212/10 (49.4)

VS

AUSTRALIA

215/7 (47.2)

Australia beat South Africa by 3 wickets

Final, November 19, 2023 at 14:00 IST. Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

INDIA

240/10 (50.0)

VS

AUSTRALIA

241/4 (43.0)

Australia beat India by 6 wickets

League matches

Chennai: India beats Australia

Oct 8, 2023: Livemint

India vs Australia, Cricket World Cup 2023 Highlights: India has won its opening encounter of this world cup against arch rival Australia. The victory came in the 42nd over, as it chased down a total of 200 runs with six wickets in hands. KL Rahul, unbeaten at 97, and Virat Kohli who scored 85, were the architechts of th run-chase. They stitched a partnership of 165 runs. The team had begun the run chase on a shaky ground, with Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer getting out at zero.

Earlier, Australia had won the toss and decided to bat first in hot and humid conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai. Ishan Kishan replaced illnesses-ridden Shubman Gill in Indian playing XI while Ravichandran Ashwin also finds a place at his home ground.

Despite losing the toss, India bowlers didn't disappoint and gave a very tough time to the Australian batters, who could be seen struggling from the very beginning.

Apart from David Warner (41) and Steve Smith (46), not other batter could stand on the Chepauk pitch for long, all thanks to the Indian bowling attack. By 49.3 overs, Australian batters could score only 199 runs and were all out. India now need only 200 runs at 4 rpo.

For India, each bowler showcased their magic. Ravinddra Jadeja was the most successful bowlers, who picked 3 wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav picked 2 wickets each. Also, Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Siraj all clinched one wicket each too.

Prior to the match, Men in Blue skipper Rohit Sharma has already said that the Indian squad is ready to face any challenge, citing highly motivated players and the recent Asia Cup 2023 tournament win. India had also convincingly defeated the Kangaroos 2-1 during a recent home series.

India, the current world number 1 ranked ODI side, look a complete side at the moment despite their two World Cup warm-up matches being washed out. The Indian side boasts arguable two of the best ODI batters at the top in the form of skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli. Meanwhile, given the spin-friendly conditions expected in Chepauk, India also has a plethora of quality spin options in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.

Australia, on the other hand, will look to continue their dominance in the ODI World Cup under captain Pat Cummins. While the first warm-up game for Kangaroos was washed out due to rain, they had closely defeated Pakistan in a high-scoring affair at Hyderabad.

In the clash against India, Aussies will depend heavily on the leg-spin of Adam Zampa with assistance from Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. In terms of pace bowling, it will be interesting to see if Australia can afford to have the trinity of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in their playing XI at Chepauk.

Here are the highlights:

Pat Cummins won the toss for Australia and elected to bat first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 2. India go with a three-pronged spin attack at Chepauk with Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Ashwin is playing at his home ground for the first time in a world cup match.

3. Shubman Gill, who is suffering from dengue fever, has been replaced by Ishan Kishan, who will open the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma.

4. Bumrah dismissed Mitchell Marsh at golden duck in the third over, as the Australian batter failed to open his account. Australia was 5/1 at that time.

5. With his classic wristspinner, Kuldeep Yadav sent set batter David Warner (41) to pavilion in the 17th over. At that time, Australia had scored 74 runs.

6. After Bumrah and Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja sent set batter Steve Smith (46) with his length ball in the 28th over.

7. Just after Steven Smith, Jadeja in the next over dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey, in the second and the fourth ball. With this, he has taken 3 wickets for India.

8. After Jadeja's spell, Kuldeep just dismissed Glenn Maxwell (15), who lost his leg stump in the 35.5 over.

9. When everyone is taking wickets, how can Ashwin leave behind. He departed Cameron Green in the 37th over as he was caught by Hardik Pandya.

10. After the spinner did their work, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was brought into attack and departed Pat Cummins in the 43rd over.

11. Hardik Pandya departed Adam Zampa in the 49th over, while Mohammed Siraj finished Australian innings by picking up his first 2023 World Cup wicket of Mitchell Starc.

12. The entire Australian innings was over at 199 and now India will have to chase 200-runs target with a run rate of 4 per over.

13. India were off to a tense start, losing the top three batters – Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for a duck. They were 18/3 in 6 overs, with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli in the middle.

14. India is at 27/3 at the end of 10 overs. The first powerplay was totally dominated by Australia, which sent back the top three Indian batters cheaply, and succeeded in maintaining the pressure.

15. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul tilted the game's balance in India's favour with their vital partnership. At the end of 20 overs, India was 80/3.

16. Kohli and Rahul, with their 100-plus runs partnership, have consolidated India's position in the match. The team scored 120/3 at the end of 30 overs. Both the batters scored half centuries by this stage.

17. Kohli was finally dismissed after he scored a game-changing knock of 85 runs. It was Josh Hazlewood who picked up his wicket. Notably, Kohli's catch was dropped when he was at the score of 12, off Hazlewood's ball, by Mitchell Marsh.

18. Hardik Pandya, at number 6, came out with the intent to finish off the game quickly. Having spent only a few minutes on the crease, he began swinging his bat. He struck a six, the first for this Indian innings, against a quicker one bowled by Josh Hazlewood at the off stump. India reached 182/4 in 40 overs. Only 18 runs were needed to win as the final powerplay began.

19. India completed the run-chase in the 42nd over, with six wickets in hand. Rahul finished off in style by smashing a six to draw curtains over the match. He remained unbeaten at 97 off 115 balls.

20. With this win, India is at the 5th spot in the points table. The team shares 2 points each with New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but is placed behind them due to the comparatively lower run rate.

Delhi: India beats Afghanistan

Oct 11, 2023: The Times of India

India vs Afghanistan Highlights, World Cup 2023: Rohit slams record World Cup ton as India crush Afghanistan by 8 wickets

Rohit Sharma oozed class and elegance en route to a recording-breaking hundred, leading India to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup in Delhi on Wednesday.

Hasmatullah Shahidi's dogged 80 and the young Azmatullah Omarazai's gutsy 62 took Afghanistan to 272 for eight after opting to bat.

On a batting beauty, India skipper Rohit (131 off 84) was unstoppable and flaunted his envious range of strokes.

His record seventh World Cup hundred off 63 balls helped India gun down the target in 35 overs, giving a big boost to their net run-rate ahead of their third World Cup fixture against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 14.

There are few sights better than Rohit going about his business in full flow and that was on full display at the Feroz Shah Kotla grounds here.

Ahead of his third World Cup appearance, Rohit had spoken about playing a high-risk game and on Wednesday, he reaped high rewards for that fearless approach.

A clear sign of that intent was when he walked down the track to hit left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi for a flat six over wide long off in the fifth over of the chase, completing 1000 World Cup runs in the process. It was also the fastest hundred by an Indian in the 50-over mega event.

For the majority of their 156-run opening stand, Ishan Kishan (47 off 47) had the best view of Rohit's artistry from the non striker's end.

The India skipper brought up his fifty with a rasping strike over mid-on off Naveen Ul Haq. Like the rest of the bowlers, Naveen too was guilty of pitching it short far too often and Rohit got his second maximum by pulling him over backward square leg.

One of his five sixes came via the wrong un off star spinner Rashid Khan who was held back till the 15th over with Rohit on the rampage. Out of his 16 fours, his gentle push between cover and the mid-off fielder off Naveen was most soothing to the eyes.

With India racing to 154 in 18 overs, the game was heading in only one direction.

Rashid was once again the only Afghanistan bowler who made an impact, removing a well-set Kishan and Rohit, both falling to his googly.

Virat Kohli (55 not out off 56) too looked good and took the team over the line with an uppish straight drive over the bowler's head. He and Naveen hugging each other during the chase was an indication that the duo had very well moved on from their altercation in the IPL earlier this year.

Earlier, Afghanistan skipper Shahidi walked the talk as Afghanistan put up a much-improved effort with the bat compared to what they had managed in their tournament opener against Bangladesh.

His 121-run stand for the fourth wicket with 23-year-old Omarzai allowed Afghanistan to post a fighting total.

At 211 for 4 in 40 overs, Afghanistan looked likely to get close to 300 but India bowlers did well to stem the flow of runs.

Jasprit Bumrah was by far the best bowler for the home team, delivering in both the powerplay and the death overs to end with figures of 4 for 39 in 10 overs. This was Bumrah's best figures in a World Cup game.

The ball did not turn much but Kuldeep Yadav ended with tidy figures of one for 40 in 10 overs.

It wasn't the smoothest of starts for Afghanistan, who reached 48 for one in the opening Powerplay.

While Bumrah got the ball to talk in his first spell of four overs but Mohammed Siraj leaked 28 runs off his first 24 balls. Siraj ended up conceding 76 runs off his nine overs.

The opening duo of Ibrahim Zadran (22) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (21) collected five boundaries off Siraj, whose ploy of consistently targeting the stumps did not pay off.

Bumrah got the breakthrough with a short of length ball on the off-stump that straightened a shade to take the outside edge off Zadran's bat.

Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah (16) falling in a space of three balls brought Shahdi and Omarzai in the middle.

The much younger Omarzai, promoted up the order, found the odd boundary while Shahidi played second fiddle.

The highlight of Omarzai's innings was the ease with which he played the Indian spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep. He dispatched Kuldeep for two sixes on either side of the straight boundary in the 25th over.

His third six off Kuldeep came in the 34th over when he picked the Indian spinner's wrong 'un and deposited it over long on.

Shahidi, on the other hand, was good with cut against the pacers and his stand out shot was the ramp off Hardik Pandya.

Rashid did come up with some crisp blows towards the end but Afghanistan only managed 61 runs in the last 10 overs with the loss of four wickets.

Ahmedabad: India beats Pakistan

Oct 15, 2023: The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front with a sublime half-century after a sensational bowling display by the bowlers as India extended their World Cup win record to 8-0 with a crushing seven-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

IND vs PAK: AS IT HAPPENED | SCORECARD

This victory marked India's third successive win in the ongoing World Cup, taking them to the top of the standings, after wins against Australia and Afghanistan in their previous encounters.

This was also Pakistan's second lowest score, 191 all out, against India in the ODI World Cup after the 173 all out back in 1992.

Skipper Babar Azam (50) and Mohammad Rizwan (49) were the top scorers for Pakistan but they lost 8 wickets in a span of 36 runs to slip from 155/2 to 191 all out in a dramatic battling collapse.

Here's how India outplayed Pakistan in a one-sided contest:

Siraj triggers collapse by dismissing well-set Babar

Young paceman Mohammed Siraj knocked over Babar's off stump soon after he reached his fifty, triggering a batting collapse from which Pakistan could not recover. They lost their skipper at the score of 155. The delivery subtly deviated off a shorter length, catching the Pakistan captain off-guard as he misread it entirely. He found himself rooted to his crease, attempting to guide the ball to the third man area. It also broke an 82-run third wicket stand between Babar (50 off 58 balls) and Mohammed Rizwan (49 off 69 balls). It was Siraj's second wicket after he trapped opener Abdullah Shafique to provide India a crucial breakthrough.

Kuldeep's double-strike in one over

Kuldeep Yadav's exceptional bowling performance, where he claimed 2 wickets for 35 runs, played a crucial role in rapidly pushing Pakistan into a downward spiral. Saud Shakeel was Kuldeep's first victim, falling to the second ball of his third over. Kuldeep, a chinaman bowler, outwitted Shakeel with a deceptive leg-spinner that skidded off the pitch, surprising him as he attempted a sweep shot. The delivery struck him on the pads, resulting in a loud appeal from the Indian team. The umpire initially remained unmoved, but India decided to review, and the decision ultimately favoured them, as the review clearly displayed the ball's trajectory heading towards the middle and leg stumps. Just four deliveries later in the same over, Kuldeep outfoxed Iftikhar Ahmed with a deceptive wrong'un. This crucial wicket saw Pakistan's score plummet to 166 for five, a significant decline from their earlier position at 155 for two, when Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan added 82 runs for the third wicket to build a strong platform.

Bumrah's timely two-wicket burst

Once Pakistan were down in the dumps, Jasprit Bumrah came into the act and provided India with a two-wicket burst to pile more misery on Pakistan as they were reduced from 166/5 to 171/7 in no time. Rizwan, who was approaching his well-deserved half-century, was the first to go as he encountered a deceptive wobbly seam slow off-cutter from Bumrah, who had an impressive bowling spell of 2 wickets for just 19 runs in 7 overs. The delivery skillfully found its way through the slender gap between Rizwan's bat and pad, marking the decisive moment when Pakistan's resistance came to a halt. Bumrah struck again an over later to knock over Shadab Khan's off stump further denting hopes of Pakistan putting up a fighting total.

Rohit-Iyer show

The 'Hitman' Rohit regained his lost mojo after a cracking century against Afghanistan in the previous encounter. Rohit continued from where he left but missed out on a well-deserved ton to get out on 86. The Indian skipper showed his intent right from the word go as he was dealing in sixes, becoming the third batter to hit 300 sixes in ODIs after Shahid Afridi and Chris Gayle. He whacked 6 sixes and as many fours in his 63-ball stay in the middle. India lost the returning Shubman Gill for 16 and Virat Kohli also on the same score but Rohit kept up the charge with his 53rd ODI half-century. He reached fifty in 36 balls laced with three fours and four sixes. Lanky Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi, who dismissed Gill before, got rid of the Indian captain but he had already done the damage by then. Shreyas Iyer took the baton after Rohit's departure and scored a composed half-century to guide the team home with a boundary. Iyer (53 off 62 balls; 4s:3, 6s: 2) and KL Rahul (19*) remained unbeaten, handing India a convincing seven-wicket win.

Pune: India beats Bangladesh

Oct 20, 2023: The Times of India

India vs Bangladesh highlights, World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli slams 48th century as India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets

IND vs BAN highlights: Virat Kohli's unbeaten century sealed India's fourth win from four World Cup matches as the hosts defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets in Pune on Thursday.   Star batsman Kohli reached his century and ended the match in style with a six against spinner Nasum Ahmed when he needed three runs to complete his century and India required two more runs to reach a target of 257.   They got there with more than eight overs to spare, finishing on 261-3.   Kohli faced 97 balls, including six fours and four sixes, with this century his third score in excess of fifty in four innings following contributions of 85 and 55 not out in recent pool wins over Australia and Afghanistan.   But for Bangladesh, a third defeat in four matches left them with an uphill struggle to qualify for the semi-finals.   The stage was set for Kohli by an opening partnership of 88 between India skipper Rohit Sharma (48) and Shubman Gill (53).   Rohit signalled India's intentions with a second-ball cover-driven four off Shoriful Islam as Bangladesh bowling coach Allan Donald, the former South Africa spearhead, looking on from the boundary edge.   Rohit, fresh from scores of 131 and 86 against Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively, hooked Hasan Mahmud for a huge six only to hole out when trying to repeat the shot next ball.   Kohli, however, was soon into his stride with a four -- off a free hit -- and a sublime straight six from successive Mahmud deliveries.   Gill's exit, as he just failed to clear the rope for a third time, made little difference to the run-spree.   Earlier, spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja sparked a top-order collapse against a Bangladesh side who had won three of their four previous ODIs against India.   The Tigers were held to 256-8, having been well-placed at 93 without loss, after stand-in Tigers skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss on a good batting pitch.   Jadeja took a miserly 2-38 from his 10 overs and Yadav 1-47.   Tanzid Hasan, whose 51 was the left-hander's maiden ODI fifty, and Liton Das (66) shared a fine opening stand while facing Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj only for Bangladesh to slump to 137-4.   The 22-year-old Tanzid, whose highest score in eight previous ODIs was 16, completed a 41-ball fifty before he was lbw to left-arm wrist-spinner Yadav.  

Liton was still there but he carelessly lofted Jadeja to long-off.

  India were a bowler down after Hardik Pandya managed just three balls in the ninth over before limping off with ankle damage.

  Kohli, bowling in an ODI for the first time in six years, completed Pandya's over.

  Mushfiqur Rahim's 38 and fellow veteran Mahmudullah's 46 bolstered Bangladesh's total.

  But with left-arm spinner and regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan sidelined following the thigh injury suffered during Friday's eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Chennai, it never looked enough.

  India's quest for a third World Cup title continues against New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday, with Bangladesh facing South Africa in Mumbai.

Dharamshala: India beats New Zealand, after 2003

Partha Bhaduri, Oct 23, 2023: The Times of India

Scoreboard, New Zealand vs. India, World Cup 2023, Dharamshala
From: Partha Bhaduri, Oct 23, 2023: The Times of India

India’s World Cup campaign acquired an aura of invincibility, and more than a dash of inevitability, with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand chasing 274.

Five games in, the law of averages has not applied to this team so far. At the centre of this powerful vortex consuming all in its path is the eye of the storm, Virat Kohli, the calm epicentre, the glue who binds the diverse elements and brazenly attempts to scale both tall run-chases and some stratospheric landmarks which are in his sights.

 The epoch-making 49th ton which would have equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI tally nearly happened on Sunday, but Kohli faltered on 95 (104b; 8x4, 2x6), going for a six and falling to a Matt Henry slower delivery with five runs still needed for victory.

 With the long tail exposed and captain Rohit Sharma looking on, incredulous, Ravindra Jadeja (39 not out off 44; 3x4, 1x6) at the other end calmly fashioned the winning runs, laying to rest the ghosts of India’s semifinal defeat to the same team in the 2019 edition. Incidentally, Jadeja was batting for the first time in the World Cup since that game. The win not only broke a jinx stretching back to 2003 but ticked a lot of important boxes along the way. For one, India have a veteran pacer who can come off the bench and break the back of the Kiwi resistance with a fifer, as Mohammed Shami did with his 5/54. 

Shami showed there is no alternative to the skills of a specialist in a crunch game, and though India needed two players to replace the injured Hardik Pandya — Shami and Suryakumar Yadav — they made the best of the bargain. Rarely are teams blessed with so many cricketers who have the ability to hit peak form when required, though Surya missed out on Sunday, sacrificing his wicket for Kohli amid some chaotic scenes.

 The sacrifice was well worth it, as the ‘chasemaster’ again fashioned a tricky chase on a pitch with some inconsistent bounce in these high-altitude conditions, showcasing that he is still the spine in this batting order. All the others need to do is either set the early tempo with the bat, like Rohit Sharma does game after game, or bat around him, like KL Rahul and then Ravindra Jadeja did on Sunday. The template has worked like a charm so far in chases, as it has for years.

 Kohli’s consistency is uncanny. He can absorb pressure by rotating strike, swat away the bad balls for boundaries — even square drive some good ones or charge down the ground to the pacers — and break a target down by eliminating any notion of prevailing chaos. Kohli is still relentlessly driving both this team and his ambitions forward.

 Even the boxes India did not tick — like chief spinner Kuldeep Yadav leaking runs and being unable to prise an opening in the middle overs, or the surprisingly poor catching on view, or Shreyas Iyer giving in to his ego and falling to yet another short delivery — did not hurt them.  Daryl Mitchell’s spectacular, counterattacking 127-ball 130 couldn’t take his team over the line as Shami stemmed the tide. 

With India 230/5 in 41 overs and needing 44 more from 54 balls, with only the long tail to come, the tense crowd sensed its moment and came alive, infusing energy in the proceedings with its “Kohli, Kohli” chants. It was again all about the man. Would a 49th ton happen? This wasn’t as sealed a deal as the Bangladesh affair, though, and Jadeja had other ideas.

 He danced down to Rachin Ravindra, who had forged a fine partnership with Mitchell earlier to again showcase his worth. The shot went high over midwicket for six as the fielder slipped near the boundary, no doubt undone by the poor condition of the Dharamshala outfield. Kohli still went for it, and eventually it was one hit too many.

 The win was set up in the initial overs of the game, as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj’s new-ball spell tied the Kiwis up in knots. Devon Conway fell early, the nerves set in, and the Kiwi batters had a poor first Powerplay, allowing the two pacers to settle on their lengths. It wasn’t until Mitchell came in and showed the pluck to stand outside his crease or dance down the wicket that the runs started coming.

 Shami did the rest, taking a wicket with his first ball in the World Cup and posing happy questions for the team management.  This wasn’t an easy win by any means, but India right now seem untouched by notions of the ordinary. Even the hill mist which descended here in the late evening and disrupted the game for a quarter of an hour couldn’t break the winning run.

Lucknow: India beats England

Partha Bhaduri, Oct 30, 2023: The Times of India

Scoreboard, India vs. England, Lucknow, World Cup, 2023
From: Partha Bhaduri, Oct 30, 2023: The Times of India

Lucknow : India’s World Cup campaign officially gained invincibility status.

Poor England. Down and out on their luck, they were seemingly having a good time until first Jasprit Bumrah (3/32 in 6.5 overs) and then Mohammed Shami (4/22 in 7) — those two fiery, relentless avenging angels of pace and fizz and seam and genius — turned the new white ball into a screaming, spherical weapon of mass destruction under lights. The pace duo’s effort killed any ambitions Jos Buttler’s men may have nurtured about resurrecting their doomed campaign. It also gave India their sixth consecutive victory. Clearly, this is not a team that believes in the law of averages. India won by 100 runs in 34.5 overs after putting up what at first looked a below-par 229/9 batting first.

 Chasing 230 on a challenging pitch where even some of India’s best batters struggled, and with the dew coming in, England experienced a false dawn — Siraj bowled too full and the boundaries flowed from the bat of Dawid Malan. A score of 26 for no loss after four overs during a tricky chase can always soothe the nerves. To be fair, it was over before England could say “Boom, Boom” in tune with the MC here at the Ekana stadium. Fifth ball of the fifth over, Bumrah, always questioning with that in-between, just short of good length deliveries, got Malan to chop on, the batter shaping up for a cut shot and finding no room.

 Next ball, Joe Root — with his poor returns whenever he comes out to bat between overs 1-10 already the talk of the town — was plumb legbefore. Pitched up, skiddy, keeping low, stuck flush on the pads in front of the stumps. Bumrah leapt high and punched the air. Fifty thousand people at the Ekana stadium heaved in unison and let out a collective yell of triumph. Root trudged off, but not before wasting a DRS call.

 Up next, eighth over, a Shami masterclass for Ben Stokes. Around the wicket to the left-hander, angling in, then seaming away. The batter, left repeatedly frustrated by the back-of-a-length deliveries, eventually looked to hit his way out of jail. The ball was fuller and it clattered the exposed stumps. A 10-ball duck. Shades of Virat Kohli’s impatient 9-ball duck earlier in the day. England 33/3. First ball of Shami’s next over, Jonny Bairstow, on the backfoot, dragged one on to the stumps. Shami was on a hat-trick now. England were 39/4 and the game was virtually dead in 9.1 overs. 

Any hopes of a rebuilding phase were nipped in the bud by leggie Kuldeep Yadav snaring Buttler and Livingstone. Even with the dew setting in heavily, the spinners were not easy to get away. India too had lost a flurry of early wickets when they batted, but the perspicacity of Rohit Sharma (87 off 101 balls; 10x4, 3x6), and with his sheer skill with the bat, saved the day. KL Rahul contributed in a 91-run partnership to resurrect the innings before a fluent Suryakumar took the score to safety. The rest were unable to soak up the pressure. 

Where do India go from here? They have a few important pointers after having batted first for the first time in this tournament. They need to play the waiting game better. The addition of Suryakumar adds punch to the lineup.  They cannot drop Shami now, on any surface.