With Pakistan losing the high-octane Super 4 clash against India at R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo by a massive 228-run margin, their country's media tore into them. Pakistan's Samaa TV ran the headline of the esteemed bowling attack flopping when it mattered the most, giving away 356 runs in the stipulated 50 overs.
After a lengthy delay on Monday, the action got underway on 4:40 pm as Pakistan looked for wickets to restrict India to as minimum a total as possible. The Men in Green had already lost Haris Rauf as he felt a little 'discomfort in his right plank' and did not take the field. Despite that, the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Faheem Ashraf, and Shadab Khan had no answers to Kohli and Rahul.
The pair belted centuries of the highest class and added an unbroken 233, with Kohli staying unbeaten at 122 and Rahul at 111. Kohli, notably, shattered several records during his 94-ball innings. He also slammed Faheem Ashraf for 14 runs in the last 3 balls of the innings to lift India to 356.
Babar Azam flops as Pakistan collapse to their biggest defeat against India in ODIs:
Pakistan already faced a mammoth target of 357 in 20 overs and struggled to combat the new-ball bowling of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Bumrah gave the Men in Blue their first breakthrough with the wicket of Imam-ul-Haq.
However, it was Hardik Pandya, who picked up the decisive wicket of Babar Azam, who managed only 10 off 24 deliveries. After a rain-induced break, Pakistan's batters fell like a pack of cards. Fakhar Zaman, who scored 27 off 50 deliveries, was also their top scorer.
Here's how the Pakistan media reacted to their team's 228-run loss:
