As experts say, unpredictability is the other name of Pakistan cricket. That was once again evident on Wednesday.

Being clinical in the shorter versions in recent times and having begun their Asia Cup campaign by walloping Hong Kong, something that India couldn’t, Pakistan came up with an utterly disappointing show against their arch-rivals at the Dubai International Stadium.

India, having been stretched to the full by minnows Hong Kong on Tuesday, found the going easy as, thanks to Pakistan’s poor showing, Rohit Sharma’s men registered a thumping eight-wicket victory to finish the group stage with wins in both their matches.

This victory with as many as 21 overs to spare certainly goes down as one of India’s most authoritative victories against Pakistan in ODIs.

India lost the toss, yet they couldn’t perhaps have asked for anything better. In the searing heat, Pakistan managed to keep the Indians on the field for just 43.1 overs, getting bundled out for a paltry 162.

And thereafter, captain Rohit and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, surviving a tricky phase initially, hammered 86 off the first 13 overs that virtually confirmed India’s victory.

Once he hit a couple of cracking boundaries off Mohammed Aamir in the seventh over, Rohit found his rhythm. With the pitch too looking better to bat on after it seemed to be on the slower side in the first half, Rohit latched on to anything that was even a little off-line, especially from the likes of Usman Khan and Hasan Ali.

Rohit hit Usman, who had targeted five wickets for this game, for two sixes and a four in the eighth over of the innings that yielded India 19. India never lost the momentum thereafter.

Very soon the skipper reached his half-century, off just 36 balls, with a four off Hasan. Rohit’s innings featured six fours and three sixes, before Shadab Khan’s very first delivery went through his defence.

But that was hardly a matter of worry for India as they needed only 77 thereafter with the required rate just over two an over. Dhawan, though, was unfortunate to miss out on a 50 after his match-winning 127 the previous day.

With 59 left post Dhawan’s departure, No. 3 batsman Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik batted smartly to take India home. Pakistan were further paralysed as Shadab, after bowling the third ball of his second over, left the field complaining of lower back pain.

India too faced a similar problem as Hardik Pandya had to be stretchered off the ground after sustaining a lower back injury, while bowling the 18th over of the game. That was Pandya’s fifth over.

Grimacing in pain, Pandya was attended to for a while by phsyio Patrick Farhart and eventually had to be stretchered off without being able to complete the over. He should have had the wicket of Shoaib Malik by then, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni fluffed the chance. Malik was on 26 then.

But Pakistan couldn’t take advantage of it at all. Besides, India had made a mess of two more chances, with Malik getting another reprieve off Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep had foxed Babar Azam to break the Pakistan No. 3 batsman’s partnership with Malik that really looked threatening.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, getting the prized scalps of the dangerous opening duo of Imam-ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman, finished with three wickets, with his new-ball partner Jasprit Bumrah — coming into the XI in place of Khaleel Ahmed — taking two.

But what really turned the game in India’s favour was Kedar Jadhav’s bowling. Jadhav, who has served the team in the past with his bowling, also chipped in with three wickets that helped India gain command and rocked Pakistan, delivering them a blow from which they never really recovered.

Lower-order batsmen Faheem Ashraf and Aamir resisted for a while, giving Pakistan a glimmer of hope of reaching the 200-mark. But Bumrah, in his second spell, removed Faheem with a slower one as Pakistan lost their remaining three wickets for very few runs.