Even though it was a World Cup encounter, Pakistan actually seemed to fancy their chances, going all out in the nets. The Indian team’s preparations, in contrast, were rather more unconventional in the wake of recent performances:
It was during one of these intense meditation sessions that Dhoni had an epiphany: why not go with three spinners and pick the leggie, Mishra? After all, he can’t do any more damage than a Varun Aaron or Ishant Sharma. Winning the toss, Dhoni put the Pakistanis in on a pitch that had turn and bounce. Despite a run-out in the first over, Shehzad and Hafeez were looking ominous, until Sir came on in the seventh over to remove the Pakistani skipper:
But the very next over turned out to be even better for India, miraculaously so:
Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik regrouped to counter attack…
RT if you thought of Sania Mirza after that Shoaib Malik six #IndvsPak
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
…the pain of their hits exacerbated by Rameez Raja and Sanjay Manjerekar’s commentary, making the Indian cricket fan yearn for the master:
Where is Ravi Shastri? Without him, I’m unable to figure out whether this is an “important phase of play” or not… #IndvsPak
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
And as soon as he came on, the great man struck for India:
“Sensible batting” says Shastri, and immediately Shoaib Malik gets out. You gotta love Shastri for doing this time and again #IndvsPak
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
India now seemed to be well on top, with the handful of Indian fans cheering wildly in the stands, an odd spectacle:
Bangladeshis must be feeling odd welcoming Indians to B’desh rather than sending B’deshis to India #INDvsPAK
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
Ravi Shastri too was in his elements, adding a new cliché to his formidable repertoire: “mixing caution with aggression”, which the crowds cheered lustily. Barring a few spilled chances, the Indian fielders near the boundary held on to their catches, much to the chagrin of Pakistani fans:
Prashant Bhushan: “I think Indians shouldn’t post fielders at the boundary” | Arvind Kejriwal: “ABE CHUP!” #IndvsPak
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
At the end of the 18th over, Pakistan were 104/5. Dhoni was a worried man. Would Pakistan hit their way past 150 in the death overs? Much to his relief, Shami and Kumar conceded only 26 runs. In the final analysis, much of the credit was due to Mishra and Shastri, hunting as a pair:
Amit Mishra gets 2 wickets with his tight bowling and Ravi Shastri gets 3 wickets with his timely praise of batting/partnerships #IndvsPak
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
The formidable Indian batting line-up was expected to chase down the subpar score of 131 without too much discomfort but still…
We should win this match, but lets just have Kejriwal on standby to declare the Pakistanis corrupt in case we don’t #IndvsPak
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
The India run chase began cautiously with Dhawan trying his best to get out but in vain. Finally, he managed to open the floodgates with a flurry of boundaries against Ajmal. The Indians were in cruise mode save for the short wobble in the middle when Rohit and Yuvi got out in quick succession. However, Kohli was rock solid…
Virat Kohli seems to be setting himself up nicely for MCBCs at the end of the match #IndvsPak
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) March 21, 2014
…with able support from Raina, who rubbed it in with a six to level the scores before taking a single to win the match with nine balls to spare. But the real coup de grace would be delivered after the match, courtesy the nephew:
