Sachin's Show!
Manik Banerjee in Dhaka
Riding on the brilliance of openers Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly, India went one up in the three-match final of the Independence Cup, posting an emphatic eight wicket victory over Pakistan at the National Stadium on Wednesday. Tendulkar also took three wickets for 45 runs, in an inspired display of all-round cricket.
The Pakistani bowlers were at their wits's end as Sachin smashed another brilliant knock, 95 off only 78 balls. Ganguly, who had low scores in the first two games, returned to form with a cavalier 68 off 78 balls
India lost only two wickets in just 37.1 overs after Pakistan
made 212 for 8 in 46 overs. The game was reduced to a 46 overs-a-side contest.
Some superb bowling -- Tendulkar playing another stellar role -- by the Indians restricted Pakistan to a modest total that was always in danger of being overhauled. The power in which the Indians achieved victory was the only note of surprise.
The Pakistan innings would have folded even earlier, had the Indians not dropped three catches.
While Saeed Anwar was dropped by Navjot Sidhu at leg slip off Debasis
Mohanty in the second over with the total at six, Shahid Afridi was dropped
once by Ajay Jadeja at point off Mohanty and again by wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia off
Harvinder Singh when Pakistan's total was 11 and 38 respectively.
Though the cold spell that pulverised Dhaka in recent days has ended, the final started 50 minutes late due to poor visibility.
After Pakistan captain Rashid Latif called correctly and decided to bat,
Harvinder dealt the first blow in the 12th over when pinch hitter Afridi was brilliantly caught by Ganguly at cover. Afridi scored 29, his highest in this tournament so far, off 41 balls including four boundaries.
Aamir Sohail, who added just 10 runs
to Pakistan's total of 73, was caught smartly by Mongia off Mohanty in the 17th over.
Pakistan, who hoped to put up a 250 plus score, received a major setback when Anwar was bowled in the 28th over. The total was just 95.
The man who made the highest score in one-day cricket -- against India, at Madras last May -- was caught in the 24th over by Ganguly at backward point
while playing a faster delivery from Sairaj Bahutule. The leg-spinner was introduced in the 20th over to reinforce the spin attack. Bahutule, who was disappointing in the earlier games, bowled well against the Pakistanis this time. Anwar made a gritty 38, including two fours, in 60 balls.
Both Inzamam-ul Haq and Ejaz Ahmed tried to force the pace, adding 47 runs for the fourth wicket before Ejaz -- who took the game away from India in Lahore last October -- fell to a delivery off Tendulkar who came on to bowl in the 33rd over.
Trying to hit a wider delivery, Ejaz was stumped by Mongia; he made 34 off 62 deliveries and two boundaries.
After Ejaz's exit, Pakistan lost four more wickets at regular
intervals; Sachin and Srinath shared the booty. Pakistan's hope of hitting out in the final overs ended when Inzamam was caught by Harvinder at long off, trying to hoist Tendulkar out of the ground. It was his solitary show of aggression; in his subdued 38 off 48 balls, he hit only one boundary.
Azhar Mahmood, the centurion against the South Africans last winter, made a gritty 30 to take the Pakistan innings past 200. Leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed hit Tendulkar over the boundary for some very valuable 10 runs. But in the end the 212 was not just enough.
Sachin took three wickets for 45 runs off seven overs. Bahutule bagged Anwar, Srinath took two wickets while Mohanty and Harvinder had to be satisfied with a wicket each.
India began on a comparatively slower note and posted just 25 runs after five overs. But after Saurav hit a couple of delectable boundaries, Sachin opened up. He first hit off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq out of the attack, sending him twice over the boundary. Then he hit leg-spinner
Mushtaq Ahmed twice for sixes, this after he sent seamer Aaqib Javed for
the first six of the innings. The pair posted the 100 of the innings in
16 overs. The next 50 runs came 6.5 overs later.
When it appeared that the two would see the team through, Tendulkar
-- who completed 6,000 runs in one day internationals when he reached
45 -- misjudged Afridi and was bowled behind the legs for 95.
Ganguly made his exit soon after, in the 31st over, foxed by a googly from Mushtaq. He was declared leg before for 68, made with 8 boundaries. With the total then reading 182, India had to make 31 runs for victory. Vice-captain Ajay Jadeja and skipper Mohammad Azharuddin ensured that there would be no Indian surprises at the end.
The next final will be played on Friday. If Pakistan wins that contest, the two former world champions will meet in the decider on Sunday. Wednesday's win restored some parity in the roster of India-Pakistan one-day contests. India has so far
beaten Pakistan 23 times against Pakistan's 37 one-day victories over India.
Scoreboard
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