India in final as Pakistan falls 29 runs short in chase
Source: Agencies |
March 31, 2011, Thursday
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A FORTUITOUS 85 from Sachin Tendulkar was followed by a disciplined bowling effort as India beat Pakistan by 29 runs in a high-stakes semifinal in Mohali yesterday to progress to the World Cup final against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan was dismissed for 231 in the last over chasing 261 to beat the pre-tournament favorites. The visitors had done well earlier to peg India back to 260-9 despite some sloppy fielding, with left-arm pace bowler Wahab Riaz taking a career-best 5-46.
The left-arm paceman struck at crucial junctures, accounting for a dangerous looking Virender Sehwag and an in-form Yuvraj Singh among others, as the famed Indian batting struggled against his swing.
Pakistan also made Sachin Tendulkar wait for his 100th international century despite dropping the world's best batsman four times. Tendulkar also had an lbw decision overturned on referral and survived a close stumping appeal in what has to be one of his luckiest innings ever.
Tendulkar produced a scratchy 85 off 115 balls with 11 fours even as Riaz pegged back the Indian middle order with the dismissals of Virat Kohli (nine) and Yuvraj (zero) off successive deliveries.
Kohli was caught at point and Yuvraj was bowled off a swinging full toss, while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was trapped lbw by Riaz a little later for 25.
After opener Sehwag (38) made a blazing start, India failed to get a big partnership and was lucky that Tendulkar could reap the benefits of technology on two occasions as well and also of some shoddy fielding.
When he was on 23, an lbw verdict against spinner Saeed Ajmal was overturned on a review as replays showed the ball would have missed the leg stump. Ajmal drew Tendulkar out of the crease next ball and Kamran Akmal whipped the bails off. This time it was an umpire's review which enabled Tendulkar to stay at the crease.
Tendulkar continued to work the ball around in the face of some tight bowling in the middle overs and was lucky to see two clear spilled catches off Shahid Afridi, the tournament's leading wicket-taker.
Misbah-ul Haq dropped a sharp catch at mid-wicket when Tendulkar was on 27, while the generally reliable Younis Khan spilled an easier chance at short cover on 45.
Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal was unable to glove a thick edge when Tendulkar was on 70, India's "Little Masters" was also let off on 81 by Umar Akmal off Mohammad Hafeez.
He was finally out when Afridi himself took a sharp chance at short extra-cover off Ajmal's bowling. The Pakistan captain held both arms in the air in a V-shape to celebrate the dismissal.
In what was the best partnership of the innings, Tendulkar added 68 for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir, who was stumped by Kamran Akmal when he missed the line of a Mohammad Hafeez delivery.
India got a slight boost towards the end as Suresh Raina struck a fluent 36 and India accumulated 43 runs in the batting powerplay taken in the 45th over.
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