In a match of fortune swings, Pakistan overcame India by 54 runs in a Group `A' match of the ICC Champions Trophy at the SuperSport Park here on Saturday night.
There were moments during the chase – India was pursuing 303 – when Pakistan appeared to be under pressure. However, the side won the key moments of the duel.
Younus Khan's men have two wins from two games in the ICC Champions Trophy. India faces Australia here on Monday in its second match. When the spirited Rahul Dravid (76, 103b, 4x4) was run-out – confusion over the third run after driving paceman Rana Naved through the covers led to the dismissal – India was on the brink. Worse, Dravid appeared to have hurt himself.
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Younus Khan's men duly closed out the contest in the 45th over when Harbhajan Singh was bowled attempting to reverse-sweep off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.
After the batting heroics of Man of the Match Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistani bowlers completed their job. Left-arm paceman Mohammed Aamer and spinners Shahid Afridi and Ajmal struck crucial blows for their side.
The young Aamer held his nerve against maestro Sachin Tendulkar. He was either moving the ball into the right-hander or angling it across him.
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The youngster won the duel. Tendulkar, his feet static, nicked a delivery that seamed away. The Pakistanis were cock-a-hoop. The Indians regrouped after the early setback. Rahul Dravid held firm and Gautam Gambhir launched into the Pakistani bowling. The right-left combination was working.
Gambhir was picking the length in a flash. When Ammer served one short, the paceman was pulled over mid-wicket for the maximum. The left-hander also conjured a few delicate shots like a glide to the point fence off Rana.
The feature of Gambhir's batting is the ease with which he can play off either foot. The southpaw rocked on to the back-foot to punch Gul through covers.
India was 65 for one at the conclusion of 10 overs. The chase was on. Gambhir continued to sizzle when the bowling Power Play was taken immediately. Gul faltered with his length and the left-hander swung the paceman for an on-side six.
Against the run of play, Gambhir (57, 46b, 7x4, 2x6) was walking back soon. Dravid played Gul to mid-off and took a couple of steps forward before shouting `No.' Gambhir who had started his journey from the other end was rather flat-footed as he turned back only to find Younus Khan scoring a direct hit. This was a big moment in the innings.
Pakistan was right back in the contest. Dravid switched to a more attacking mode, flicking off-spinner Saeed Ajmal to the fence and striking Gul past the long-on ropes. Yet, batting was not easy.
Afridi and Ajmal were getting the ball to spin under the lights. In fact, there was turn and bounce for the spinners.
Dravid and Virat Kohli were building a partnership when the young man gave his wicket away. Kohli jumped down the track to Afridi and was held at the long-off fence by Gul who juggled but held on.
India continued to lose ground. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's habit of shuffling across to work the ball on the on-side cost him his wicket. Afridi's wrong 'un caught Dhoni plumb. India was 133 for four in the 24th over. Pakistan had the game by the scruff.
Under the circumstances, Suresh Raina's onslaught on the Pakistani attack was exhilarating. The expensive Gul took a pounding. Raina sliced the paceman over point and then unleashed a brutal straight hit that struck the sight screen. When Afridi flighted, the southpaw sashayed down the track to drive the ball to the cover fence. An inside-out cover drive off Shoaib Malik and a slog-swept six off the same bowler indicated how cleanly the left-hander was hitting the ball. In aggression, Raina was balanced and poised.
Raina (46, 41b, 5x4, 2x6) and the solid Dravid, who was rotating the strike, were taking the match away from Pakistan when the former succumbed to a clever piece of bowling from Ajmal. The off-spinner - from round-the-wicket - delivered a series of deliveries spinning away from the left-handed Raina before winning a leg-before decision with a quicker fuller one that drifted in. It was a marginal call though; Raina's bat was extremely close to his pad at the point of impact and there were doubts whether the ball kissed the willow first. India was 205 for five at the conclusion of the 35th over.
Yusuf Pathan, pinned down to the crease by the crafty Aamer, fell to a delivery that angled away from the left-armer. He was held at slip by substitute Misbah-ul-Haq.
Dravid carried on bravely, whipping Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to the square-leg fence but India was running out of wickets. Eventually, Pakistan was a worthy winner.
Pakistan’s innings
Riding on wonderfully refined efforts from Shoiab Malik and Mohammd Yusuf, Pakistan reached an imposing 302 for nine.
Malik notched up 128 (126 b, 16x4) and Mohammad Yousuf made 87 (88b, 7x4). India was set a daunting target at a packed SuperSport Park. The partnership between Malik and Yousuf – 206 in 193 balls – was Pakistan's highest fourth wicket association in ODIs.
The two batted intelligently, splitting the field with rapier-like strokes. The emphasis was on harnessing the pace and the deviation on the ball by opening the face of the blade. And the placements were precise.
Astonishingly, there was not a single six in the innings. Younus Khan's men seemed heading for an even bigger total with Pakistan taking its batting Power Play in the last five overs. However, left-armer Aashish Nehra, the pick, stuck to his task and Ishant Sharma recovered well to send down a useful last over. Pakistan made 41 runs its last five overs, losing five wickets in the process.
It was a much different scenario earlier in the afternoon. Pakistan was 65 for three at the end of the 15th over. Two overs later, Dhoni introduced Virat Kohli's friendly medium pace. The pressure on the batsmen was released.
To make matters worse, Dhoni had Yousuf Pathan operating from the other end. The two part-time bowlers bowling at a critical stage of the game allowed the batsmen to grow in confidence and subsequently build a partnership.
India was a specialist bowler short, but could have still taken a chance and attempted to drive home the early advantage. Dhoni failed to seize the moment.
Harbhajan, on a surface to his liking, was introduced only in the 26th over. By this time, Malik and Yousuf had adjusted to the pitch and got their feet moving.
Both, Malik and Yousuf batted with soft hands and sure touch against Harbhajan and Yusuf Pathan. Yousuf used the depth of the crease exceptionally well for some old-fashioned shots between point and
third man. Malik was not far behind as he too conjured some delightful strokes of timing and balance; he was caressing the ball through the gaps.
The cut and the late cut proved extremely effective and Harbhajan was not allowed to settle down. When the off-spinner went round the wicket to cut down on the angle for the stroke, the confident Malik still created room by moving away on the leg-side.
Both Malik and Yousuf are wristy batsmen and they were picking deliveries from the off-stump and whipping them into the vast areas on the leg-side.
India, gradually, ran out of answers. The bowlers began to err in length and direction. Ishant Sharma disappointed pitching short and wide and Malik pounded him for three boundaries in the 36th over.
When the erratic R.P. Singh gave him the length, Malik did little more than direct the ball to the point fence. The two batsmen ran brilliantly between the wickets. Malik changed gears too for a few expansive strokes.
Yousuf was eventually done in by a slower one from Nehra. Malik, who completed his seventh ODI hundred, was held at long on off an off-colour Harbhajan.
India sorely missed a fifth bowler or a bowling all-rounder. Younus Khan's decision to bat was on expected lines. The spinners were likely to get more purchase in the second half of the match.
The intrepid Imran Nazir began like a runaway train. R. P. Singh – struggling with his length - was smashed to the cover fence. Soon, Nazir punched the paceman down the ground. R.P. Singh was either over-pitching or banging it in short on a slowish wicket.
Nehra, the steadier of the two left-arm pacemen, sent back Nazir when the aggressive right-hander attempted to pull a short-of-a-length delivery angling across him. Nazir's cameo (17-ball 20) had set the tempo for Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal, another batsman with exemplary hand-eye coordination, swung Nehra past the ropes. Nehra struck back soon, angling one across the right-hander. Attempting a drive with little
footwork, Akmal played on. Pakistan was 52 for two after the ninth over. The Indians were full of beans. Skipper Younus, batting through pain, collected easy runs off Ishant when the bowler strayed on either side of the wicket. R.P. Singh ended Younus' tenure with a smart ploy; the left-armer went round the wicket and straightened the delivery to find the edge.
At the end of the 15th over, Pakistan was 65 for three. Then came the turn-around.
Pakistan innings
Imran Nazir c Harbhajan b Nehra 20; Kamran Akmal b Nehra 19; Younis Khan c Dhoni b Singh 20; Shoaib Malik c Pathan b Harbhajan 128; Mohammad Yousuf b Nehra 87; Shahid Afrida c Dhoni b Pathan 4; Umar Akmal c Dhoni b Nehra 0; Naved-ul-Hasan not out 11; Umar Gul c Raina b Sharma 0; Mohammad Aamer c Kohli b Sharma 0; Saeed Ajmal not out 0
Extras: (1lb, 12w) 13
TOTAL: (for nine wickets) 302
Overs: 50.
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-53, 3-65, 4-271, 5-278, 6-289, 7-300, 8-301, 9-302.
Bowling: Ashish Nehra 10-0 55-4, R.P. Singh 9-1-59-1 (2w), Ishant Sharma 8-2-39-2 (1w), Vinod Kohli 3-0-21-0, Yusuf Pathan 10-0-56-1, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-71-1 (5w).
India innings
Gautam Gambhir run out 57; Sachin Tendulkar c Akmal b Aamer 8; Rahul Dravid run out 76; Vinod Kohli c Umar Gul b Afridi 16; Mahendra Singh Dhoni lbw b Ajmal 3; Suresh Raina lbw b Ajmal 46; Yusuf Pathan c sub (Misbal-ul-Haq) b Aamer 5; Harbhajan Singh b Ajmal 13; RP Singh c Yousuf b Naved-ul-Hasan 2; Ishant Sharma b Naved-ul-Hasan 0; Ashish Nehra not out 0
Extras: (4lb, 11w, 7nb) 22; TOTAL: (all out) 248; Overs: 44.5
Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-90, 3-126, 4-133, 5-205, 6-218, 7-238, 8-243, 9-244.
Bowling: Mohammed Aamer 8-0-46-2, Navel-ul-Hasan 9-0-48-2, Umar Gul 6-0-55-0, Saeed Ajmal 8.5-0-31-2, Shahid Afridi 10-0-39-2, Shoaib Malik 3-0-25-0
Result: Pakistan won by 54 runs. Toss: Pakistan. Umpires: Steve Davis and Simon Taufel, Australia.
TV umpire: Ian Gould, England. Match referee: Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lanka.