#YuvrajSingh
#MSDhoni
#IndiaVsPakistan
#ODIHighlights
#SeriesVictory
A wave of inevitability enveloped the National Stadium at Karachi as India signed off with an emphatic eight-wicket win and completed a 4-1 drubbing in style. Yet again India chased, yet again they triggered a top-order collapse, yet again they rode on a Yuvraj Singh special and yet again they left Pakistan quite hopeless at the end of it all. One just needed to see Pakistan's fielding to realise the rift between the two sides. It was really a no-contest.
The scorecard might suggest otherwise - after all 288 can be a pretty imposing score. It was an impressive revival, once the top order faltered against Sreesanth and Co. for the fourth successive game, with Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan providing the boost. But considering the nature of the surface, the insipid nature of Pakistan's bowling effort, and their atrocious fielding display, no total might have been enough. Add Yuvraj Singh's near-invincible touch and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's golden hand, India's 13th successful run-chase on the trot was almost written in stone.
India started their chase in a clinical fashion, with Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir setting the tempo, but a tight spell of medium-pace from the inexperienced duo of Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Yasir Arafat reined them in. A totally assured Dravid notched up his fourth fifty as a one-day opener, dropping anchor and piloting the innings, but his dismissal in the 31st over, with the score on 141 opened up a small window for Pakistan.
That was when Yuvraj and Dhoni, heroes of the Lahore triumph, sized up the situation, stole quick runs and got through some tight overs. Occasionally, Yuvraj boomed cover-drives through the packed off-side field and released the pressure while Dhoni, like a predator waiting to pounce, warned himself up with some running between the wickets.
With wickets in hand, they were always in with a chance. With Pakistan's fielders transforming into bumbling wrecks and bowlers turning on the erratic button, there was absolutely no doubt who would win it. In what was a critical point in the game, with India needing 94 and Yuvraj on 64, he drove uppishly to extra cover, at a comfortable catching height, but Shoaib Malik, moving a bit too slowly, lunged to his left and fluffed it.
9 окт 2024
