Colombo [Sri Lanka], February 15 : Following India's 61-run win over Pakistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma hailed the team's all-round performance, calling it a result of strong structure and planning.
Speaking to ANI, Rajkumar said, "India won this match very convincingly, and I had said this before the match started that there is no competition. India team is much better than Pakistan."
With the emphatic win over their arch-rivals in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash, India now leads 8-1.
He attributed the team's dominance to the country's robust cricketing system, giving special credit to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). "India is a far superior team and I would like to give credit for this to BCCI that our cricket is so organised, we have such good bench strength, our team is so strong," he stated.
Praising the selection panel, Sharma added that the squad composition played a key role in the triumph. "The selectors have done a great job; they have selected a very balanced team. So overall it is a very good effort by all the players, and it is an excellent team," he said.
After India's commanding performance against Pakistan, Rinku Singh's coach Masooduz-Zafar Amini, lauded the team's clinical execution and composure in the high-pressure clash.
"The match was very well... The team brought Pakistan under pressure. Pakistan gave India the chance to bat first, and this chance was used very well by the Indian team... Rinku performed very well and was not out...We hope that India will also win the finals," he said.
Meanwhile, former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's childhood coach MP Singh said, "We have been winning continuously, today they have proved that we are a better team... My best wishes to the Indian team for the entire tournament ahead, and it is possible that, like we were champions last year, we become champions again. Best of luck."
After securing a comprehensive win, a fan of the Indian cricket team said, "We are proud of our cricketers..."
Coming to the match, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first. The masterclass knock by Ishan Kishan (77 off 40) and crucial knocks from skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32 in 29 balls, with three fours) and Shivam Dube (27 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six) took India to a competitive total of 175/7 on a tough pitch.
Ayub (3/25 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, while Shaheen Shah Afridi (1/31 in two overs), Usman Tariq (1/24 in four overs) and Agha (1/10 in two overs) were also among the wickets.
During the run-chase, Pakistan was off to a nightmarish start as Sahibzada Farhan fell for a four-ball duck to Hardik Pandya, with Rinku Singh getting a top-edge, removing him for a four-ball duck.
In the next over, Jasprit Bumrah trapped Saim Ayub lbw for just six, while he also removed skipper Salman Ali Agha for four. Pakistan was 13/3 in two overs.
Babar Azam started off his innings slowly, while Usman Khan counter-attacked with two successive boundaries against Axar Patel in the fifth over. But the spin all-rounder had the last laugh, removing Babar for a seven-ball five, sinking Pakistan to 34/4.
At the end of 10 overs, Pakistan was 71/4, with Usman (43*) and Shadab (12*) unbeaten. The partnership of 39 balls was broken by Axar as Ishan Kishan pulled off a brilliant stumping to remove Usman for 34-ball 44, with six fours and a six. Pakistan was five down at 73 in 10.4 overs.
Mohammed Nawaz (4) was caught by Shivam Dube, with Kuldeep getting the sixth wicket, and Pakistan's score was just 78 in 11.4 overs.
Pakistan's downfall got even worse as Shadab (14) got dismissed by Tilak Varma, with Dube plucking another catch. Pakistan was 78/7 in 12.1 overs.
Rinku's safe pair of hands gave Varun Chakravarthy his first wicket, removing Faheem Ashraf for a sluggish 14-ball 10.
Pakistan sank to 97/8 in 15.3 overs, and on the very next ball, Abrar Ahmed was trapped lbw for a golden duck. Pakistan was one wicket away from a humiliating loss.
Hardik completed the win by cleaning up Usman, bundling out Pakistan for 114 runs in 18 overs.
Axar Patel (2/29 in four overs) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Hardik Pandya (2/16 in three overs), Jasprit Bumrah (2/17 in two overs) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17 in three overs) also being amongst the wickets.