A sell-out crowd for a warm up game and that too in a neutral venue! Yeh, this is the intensity when arch rivals India and Pakistan face each other, although at the end it was an one-sided affair where India comprehensively defeated Pakistan by 9 wickets and 17 balls to spare, orchestrated by makeshift opener Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss Pakistan lost their opener Shahbaz Hassan with just 2 runs on the board; however, it had seldom effect to their scoring rate. Ahmed Shehazad and Kamran Akmal hammered the Indian bowling attack dispatching the ball to all parts of the ground and amassed 45 runs in just 4.3 overs. However, sharp piece of fielding by Raina to get rid of dangerous-looking Kamran Akmal, Dhoni taking a diving catch to dismiss Ahmed Shehzad, and of course golden duck for Shahid Afrid helped putting brakes on Pakistan scoring rate. However, skipper Younis Khan and Misbah played sensibly and posted a total of 158.
Certainly, 158 was not enough for Team India considering their batting might and the form they are in. Although Gambhir kickstarted the innings with 3 boundaries in the first 3 overs, it was Rohit Sharma, the makeshift opener who pulverised the Pakistan's bowling attack with a 53-baller 80 knock and took the match away from their opponents which included 9 boundaries and 2 maximums before getting out to Mohammed Aamer, the lone wicket for the indisciplined bowling attack of Pakistan. When most of them are betting on South Africa, Australia, and even Pakistan to seal the trophy even though India had won the inaugural edition in 2007, the performance in this particular match will force them think otherwise.
© 2009 Zafarulla Khan
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