New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) For the third ODI World Cup in a row, the much awaited Indo-Pak contest failed to live up to the hype but the Saturday's clash did have its moments to remember.

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Heading into the biggest showdown in world cricket, India looked the stronger side but Pakistan's record chase against Sri Lanka three nights ago had raised hopes of an Indo-Pak game for the ages.

The stage was set in the presence of one lakh plus spectators but it turned out to be another one-side drab contest as India maintained their unbeaten record against Pakistan in the ODI showpiece.

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Rohit Sharma's captaincy and bold batting, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah's exemplary skills on a flat pitch and the accuracy of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja decided the game in favour of India.

Rohit keeps faith in Siraj, Bumrah's mastery with old ball

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Looking for the swing, Siraj was wayward in his first two overs and Imam Ul Haq, desperately looking for runs, cashed in on his loose balls to collect three fours in the Indian pacer's opening over.

Siraj was not at his accurate best even against Afghanistan couple of days ago. Having conceded 18 off his first 12 balls on Saturday, Rohit could have taken Siraj off the attack but decided against it.

In fact it was on Rohit's advice that Siraj bounced back to provide India's breakthrough in the form of Abdullah Shafique.

Realising there was no help in the air, Siraj targetted Shafique's pads with a cross seam delivery that kept a tad low, trapping him in front.

Rohit relied on Siraj even in the middle overs when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were in the middle of a threatening partnership.

He leaked three more boundaries before sneaking through the defenses of Babar with a ball that came back a shade to clip the off-stump, bringing an end to the 82-run stand. From 155 for two, Pakistan collapsed to 191 all out.

Bumrah's double strike removes Rizwan and Shadab

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A coupe of nights ago, Bumrah had produced a performance to remember on the best batting pitch of the tournament thus far. On a pitch where 350 was a par score, he ended with wickets in both the powerplay and the death overs.

Facing a stiffer opponent on Saturday, Bumrah flaunted his old ball skills to get rid of an in-form Rizwan and Shadad Khan in successive overs but in contrasting fashion.

While Bumrah bowled Rizwan with a slow-off cutter, a sharp one that straightened from length to clip the off-stump was too good for Shadab. That Bumrah burst allowed India to polish off the tail.

In the end, it was a complete bowling performance with all bowlers barring Shardul Thakur, taking two wickets apiece. Kuldeep Yadav removing the highly-rated Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed in the 33rd over, albeit with some luck, was also a key moment of the game

From Pakistan's perspective, their top four batters got starts but none of them went on a score a potentially match defining knock.

Rohit continues six hitting spree with unmatched elegance

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Chasing a target like 192 could be tricky but Rohit Sharma led from the front to settle the nerves in the dressing room.

Shubman Gill fell early but as promised before the World Cup, Rohit did not hold back even against the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.

Rohit's batting is all about class and flair and yet he has managed to hit the most sixes in international cricket. On Saturday, he added six more to his tally including three off an ultra quick Rauf and one off a short ball from Afridi.

Be it with the pace of Afridi or against the spinners, he was not afraid to step out. His six over mid-wicket against left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz conveyed a lot about his state of mind. However, it was the strike over long-on off Rauf that stood out.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)