Cricket World Cup 2023 LIVE updates: One of the fiercest rivalries in ...

It felt like a short minute ago that Pakistan were 2-155. Less than 13 overs later they are 191 all out. Now they have seven overs wasted, and India will know they can chase this total. Pakistan are known for being temperamental. This was a collapse to rival them all.

Jadeja bowls to Haris Rauf. It hits his pads. India appeal. Umpire unmoved. Rohit reviews. Reviews shows ball would have hit the stumps. Haris Rauf gone for two on LBW.

You know it’s a collapse when every post signals a wicket. Mohammad Nawaz enters to begin a partnership with Shadab, who is about as brand-spanking new as he is. He faces Kuldeep for a couple of dot balls and one single before Shadab rounds out the over. Bumrah returns in the next and bowls on a length outside off, which Nawaz pushes to deep point for one and sends Shadab into the firing line.

The batter watches the ball hurtle towards him, he plays down the wrong line and his off-stump suffers the consequences.

This collapse is bordering on absurd. Pakistan had it in hand. They were not spectacular, they were slowing down, but they were building towards a substantial total. Now, in less than half a dozen over they’ve lost four wickets for 14. This is the definition of erratic.

Hasan Ali walks out.

Pakistan 7-172 (Nawaz 2, Hasan 1) after 36 overs

India’s Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Pakistan’s Shadab Khan.Credit: AP

They got him. More accurately, Bumrah got him. Bumrah brought back by Rohit in the hunt for the big gun. And the bowler repays his captain’s faith with a slow off-cutter outside the off-stump that grips the ground and turns, flying everywhere except for Rizwan’s bat. Rizwan out for 49 in the final ball of the 34th over.

Pakistan 6-170 (Shadab 1) after 34 overs

Iftikhar Ahmed has faced a total of three Kuldeep balls. No run. Four. No run. On the fourth, a wrong’un flies down. The batter tries a sweep and fails. The ball catches his gloves and then the stumps. That’s quite something. Two wickets in one over.

Pakistan 5-166 (Rizwan 48, Khan 0)

Saud Shakeel, we barely knew yer. Out for 6 off 10 balls. Yet again the umpire Marais Erasmus is unmoved, and once again India appeal. The ball is pitching on leg and hitting leg. Shakeel clean missed it. Rohit reviews and the tracker confirms the ball would have hit between the middle and leg stumps.

The ball hasn’t turned much for him today but my that was a good wicket. The crowd is going nuts. There are India flags for days. They need to get Rizwan out.

Shakeel LBW b Kuldeep 6 (Pakistan 4-162) in the 33rd over

Could I have jinxed this any more than just now? Apparently Babar is bedding in. Apparently the Siraj plan is not working. Well, Siraj has just gone and cleaned Babar right up with a beauty that angles in and clatters the off-stump. The batter tries a cut but cannot read the movement.

This was as much a work of mastery from Rohit as it was the bowler the captain decided to keep on.

Tidy from India. Wickets could start to fall here.

Babar b Siraj 50 (Pakistan 3-155)

India’s Mohammed Siraj celebrates the wicket of Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam (left).Credit: AP