The Indian bowlers came up trumps to shackle the Pakistan batting, with only Misbah ul-Haq hammering a well-formed 56. But his charge came too late as by then Pakistan’s tail was exposed.
Pakistan got off to a decent start too but losing wickets at regular intervals denied them any significant partnerships and batsmen such as Mohammad Hafeez (43) and Asad Shafiq (30) were guilty of throwing away their wickets at the most inopportune time.
Harbhajan Singh tightened the Indian stranglehold on Pakistan by having Shahid Afridi caught by Virender Sehwag in the covers off a full toss in their semifinal clash at the PCA stadium on Wednesday. But before that Munaf Patel had clean bowled the dangerous Abdul Razzaq with a superb leg-cutter to choke Pakistan's run chase.
Munaf bowled a good length delivery that landed on middle, just straightened after pitching and Razzaq was caught napping inside the crease as he tried to defend it but he missed it completely and the off-stump was shaken.
Harbhajan Singh struck when it mattered the most when he clean bowled Umar Akmal with a superb delivery. Akmal was looking dangerous then with a striking 29 off 24 balls. Harbhajan bowled a flatter, faster delivery on middle that skidded on with the angle, Akmal tried to cut it but was beaten for pace and his off-stump was disturbed. ?
The decision to play Ashish Nehra in place of R. Ashwin too camp up trumps as Yuvraj Singh shouldered the bowling duties admirably. Yuvraj dismissed Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan in his successive overs to lead the Indian fight back. ?He gave India the third breakthrough when he clean bowled Shafiq and in his next over had Younis caught by Suresh Raina in the covers to reduce Pakistan to 106 for 4. ?
Earlier, Munaf got into the act by bagging the second wicket when he had Mohammad Hafeez caught behind by skipper Dhoni. Hafeez went trying a scoop shot to fine leg but the ball took an edge and went straight into the hands of Dhoni. Hafeez hit 7 fours in his 59-ball 43. But as usual Zaheer Khan gave India the breakthrough when he had Kamran Akmal caught by Yuvraj Singh at backward point. The breakthrough came after Pakistan got off to a good start with an opening stand of 44 runs.
?Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar rode his luck as India made 260/9. India's total would have been considerably less had not Tendulkar been dropped four times on his way to top-scoring with 85 — an innings that still left him one shy of a hundred international hundreds.
Wahab Riaz kept Pakistan in the match with an impressive display of left-arm fast bowling on his way to a career-best 5/46. The 25-year-old's performance was all the more admirable as he would have been omitted had Pakistan recalled veteran fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.
But Riaz, who took a wicket in his first over and later struck twice in two balls, was a constant threat as he surpassed his previous best of three for 22 against Bangladesh in Dhaka three years ago ?"I think 260 will be enough. The wicket's taking spin and if we bowl in the right places it will be very difficult for them," said Suresh Raina, who finished unbeaten on 36.
?Virender Sehwag made a typically brisk start after India captain M.S. Dhoni won the toss, with 21 runs coming off Umar Gul's second over -- the paceman's eight costing 69 in all. ?However, a bowling change saw Riaz strike fifth ball when he had Sehwag, hitting across the line, lbw for 38 including nine boundaries.
Tendulkar, opening with Sehwag, subsequently square-drove Riaz for four to become the first batsman ever to score 400 runs in World Cups. But off-spinner Saeed Ajmal nearly had him out twice in successive balls for 23, a reviewed lbw and tight stumping call both going against Pakistan. ?Then, on 27, Tendulkar pulled Pakistan captain and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi hard to short mid-wicket only for Misbah-ul-Haq to drop the two-handed catch. ?And Tendulkar was dropped again, on 45, when he mistimed a drive off Afridi and Younis Khan at mid-off failed to hold on.
Tendulkar completed a 67-ball fifty with his eighth boundary, off Afridi, before Riaz struck again. He had Virat Kohli fending to Umar Akmal at backward point and next ball clean bowled Yuvraj Singh, the hero of India's quarter-final win over champions Australia, for nought on the batsman's home ground with a swinging full toss. ?
Dhoni survived the hat trick after the ball just missed his outside edge. Tendulkar was given a third reprieve by Pakistan on 70 when wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal failed to hold a tough chance off an edged Afridi leg-break. ?And he was on 81 when a leaping Umar Akmal at short mid-wicket dropped a checked drive against off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez.
However, Afridi -- who had vowed Tendulkar would not reach the landmark score in this match -- ended his innings when he took a sharp catch at short extra-cover off a hard-hit drive against Ajmal. Tendulkar faced 115 balls with 11 fours. ?When Riaz returned he had Dhoni lbw for 25 to leave India 205 for six before completing his five-wicket haul when Zaheer Khan was caught behind.
