No surprises were in order as defending champions India took on UAE in their third Pool B match at World Cup 2015. Team India were too good for minnows UAE, who were bundled up for a paltry 102. India chased down the total with just one hiccup and achieved the target in 18.5 overs with 9 wickets remaining.
Batting first, UAE lost wickets at frequent intervals with Indian bowlers, especially Man of the Match Ravichandran Ashwin (4/25) not giving any chance for the batsmen to settle down. Only Shaiman Anwar (35) did something noteworthy but he ran out of support from the other end rather quickly.
Chasing that mediocre target, Rohit Sharma’s return to form with an unbeaten 57-run knock was a heartening sight.
There are a lot of positives that India can draw from the game. For starters, with the win, India have qualified for the quarterfinals with the highest net run-rate in Pool B. Also, what came as a pleasant surprise was Bhuvaneshwar Kumar returning to action, brushing aside any injury scare. With all worries put to rest and three back-to-back wins, India look all set to meet West Indies at WACA on Friday, 6th March.
