India Vs Pakistan 1st Test Delhi - Highlights

Presentation Ceremony

Day 5 highlights

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India Vs Pakistan 5th ODI - Result and highlights

Pakistan 306 for 6 (Malik 89, Yousuf 74, Sreesanth 3-52) beat India 275 (Sharma 52, Yuvraj 50, Tanvir 4-53, Malik 3-61) by 31 runs

A wounded opponent comes back to maul you when it gets a little bit of respite. Hopefully India would have learned this at Jaipur. It was too late to save the series but Pakistan managed to salvage some pride defeating India by 31 runs in the fifth and final ODI here on Sunday. Despite the defeat in the dead rubber, India won the five-match series 3-2, ending a 24-year drought for an ODI series win at home against the traditional rivals.

 

168-run partnership with Mohammad Yousuf revived Pakistan's stuttering innings, and he then picked up the key wickets of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as an under-strength team outlasted an Indian side that had also rested four regulars. By the time Malik arrived in the middle, Sreesanth had struck in each over of his second spell to transform a promising start (65 for 0) into a decidedly rocky one (77 for 3). But with Yousuf in the sort of form that fetched him an unbeaten 99 in the previous game, the innings was steadily rebuilt, first with singles, and then with big hits over midwicket and through the covers.

 

India were always up against a daunting task of surpassing Pakistan's 306. Having wickets in hand is the essence of chasing big totals but India lost half the batting order in less than 30 overs. India slumped to 26 for 2 after Sohail Tanvir trapped Gautam Gambhir (12) in the fourth over and then first change bowler Rao Iftikhar dismissed Robin Uthappa (1), caught by Misbah-ul Haq, who had floored a similar chance two balls earlier. Sachin Tendulkar (30, 27b, 6x4) delighted the choc-a-bloc Sawai Mansingh Stadium with a brief scintillating display before Tanvir sent groans across the ground by having him caught by Misbah at gully.

 

Five runs later, his former understudy, Virender Sehwag (12), too was cooling his heels in the pavilion, giving Tanvir his third wicket and leaving India gasping at 62 for four. Rohit (52 off 61b, 3x4,1x6) and Yuvraj (50 off 62b, 3x41x6) decided not to do anything silly and cruised along. The Mumbai right-hander helped himself to a maiden fifty off 58 balls and added two more runs before holing out to Yasir Hameed off Malik.

 

Highlights coming soon

 Presentation Ceremony

Pakistan Innings

India Innings

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India Vs Pakistan, 5th ODI, Jaipur India

 

Pakistan desperately need a face saving win in the concluding ODI at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium to goad themselves for the bigger battle ahead,  the three Test series.

India, having already clinched the Indian Oil Cup, would be keen to wrap up the rubber in style and gain a significant, psychological advantage ahead of the Tests.

 

With the final tie rendered inconsequential, India may try out some of their bench players as they go into the fifth ODI with the aim of increasing the victory margin. Players like paceman S Sreesanth, batsman Rohit Sharma and all rounder Praveen Kumar, who have not played a single match in the series, may get a chance to prove their worth against their arch rivals who will be determined to score a consolation win. With the form the Indian top and middle order have been in, the depth in batting may not be called upon, which is why India could take their plan of giving opportunities to the youngsters a step further and promote Sharma to give him a chance of facing a substantial number of overs.

 

Pakistan have a couple of options to choose from. The first, and perhaps rather short-sighted approach, would be to field their strongest XI and search for a morale-boosting win. The second is to look at the Tests as a totally different game, and give Imran Nazir and Fawad Alam, who have carried drinks through the one-day series, a shot at the Indians. Both players have been cut from the Test squad so this is their final opportunity to play on the tour. While allowing for the dew factor, giving Abdur Rehman match practice, for he is Pakistan's second spinner in the Test squad, is something Pakistan will want to consider.

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Sawai Maan Singh Stadium in Jaipur.

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India Vs Pakistan 4th ODI - Result and Highlights

India 260 for 4 (Tendulkar 97, Yuvraj 53*, Dhoni 45*) beat Pakistan 255 for 6 (Yousuf 99*, Younis 68, Zaheer 2-40) by six wickets

India's wait for a one-day series triumph over Pakistan on home soil ended on Thursday night after 24 years when they thrashed their arch-rivals by six wickets to take an invincible 3-1 lead in the five-match series. On a day that marked his Test debut 18 years ago against Pakistan, Sachin Tendulkar guided India to a convincing six-wicket victory over the arch-rivals in the fourth ODI of the Indian Oil Cup here on Thursday.

 

Chasing a competitive 256 for victory, the Indians overhauled the target comfortably with 21 balls to spare in a floodlit encounter which saw Sachin Tendulkar (97) missing a century for the sixth time this year.  The jinx of the 42nd century continued to haunt the master batsman who laid the foundation for the run chase but again fell agonisingly short of the three-figure mark.

 

Yousuf's splendid innings earlier in the afternoon was almost as eye-catching, with some glorious drives through the covers and a lofted six over midwicket off Harbhajan Singh. As ever, he was immensely strong off the pads, and with Misbah-ul-Haq ticking along at a run a ball, the run-rate crept towards five in the final stages of the innings.

 

India didn't let things drift though. The bowlers, both pace and spin, were fairly accurate, and the fielding a marked improvement on the previous games. Even Ganguly played his part, with his 100th ODI wicket being Afridi, unfortunate to be given leg-before after being struck just outside the line of off stump.

 

The fifth and final match at Jaipur on Sunday is now rendered inconsequential, but the hosts, who have retained the squad for the game, will be looking to win the series with a crushing 4-1 verdict.

 

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Sachin's 97

India Innings

Pakistan Innings

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India v Pakistan, 4th ODI, Gwalior, India

Pakistan gear up for a crunch encounter at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium as they look to keep alive their chances whereas a buoyant India will look to wrap up the five-match ODI series against Pakistan when the arch rivals clash in the fourth tie of the series in Gwalior on Thursday.

 

India displayed excellent temperament to win the previous match at Kanpur and take 2-1 lead after failing to defend their mammoth total of 321 at Mohali and would be confident to carry forward the winning momentum at the capt Roop Singh stadium which has been a happy hunting ground for them.

 

 

With India boasting a deep batting line-up and the wicket at the predicted to be "perfect for batsmen", the task could be easier for the hosts irrespective of whether Mahendra Singh Dhoni  calls the coin correctly or not in the day-night clash.

 

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik looked his usual calm and composed self on the eve of the fourth ODI and did not want his team to feel the pressure before the crucial game. When asked whether Pakistan was missing a quality spinner in their ranks, Malik said "We have good spinners in our team. It's just that they are struggling a bit. Everybody goes through a bad patch and I'm sure they'll come good."

 

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India Vs Pakistan - 3rd ODI Result and Highlights

India 294 for 6 (Yuvraj 77, Dhoni 49) beat Pakistan 248 (Butt 129, RP Singh 4-63) by 46 runs

 

Yuvraj Singh played a dominating knock of 77 runs and took one wicket to guide India to a 46-run victory against Pakistan in the 3rd ODI here at the Green Park Stadium on Sunday. Salman Butt's heroic century went in vain as India made amends for the Mohali debacle by clinching the game against Pakistan with a comfortable 46-run margin to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

 

Yuvraj foiled Pakistan at key moments, first with an intelligent, elegant 77, then with a shining run out amid a gloomy fielding performance and finally with a vital wicket. The interventions were necessary for when Pakistan began the chase, their target appeared a stroll.

 

The left-handed batsman, who was in devastating form, sent the visitors on a leather hunt and shared a solid 100-run partnership with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who hit a cavalier 49 off 52 balls to guide India to a competitive total of 294 for 6.

 

The Pakistani run chase largely centered around the left-handed Butt who notched up his fourth ODI hundred, all of which have come against India, but a spate of wickets in quick succession in the last few overs turned the scale in the home team's favor.

 

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India Innings

Pakistan Innings

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India Vs Pakistan 3rd ODI Kanpur, India

Having allowed arch-rivals Pakistan to snatch a thrilling victory and level the series, India will need to review their strategy as they go into the crucial third cricket ODI in Kanpur on Saturday. They are 1-1 now, but Pakistan have the momentum with them following possibly their greatest run chase, at Mohali. There is still a lot to play for in the remaining outings of the five-match series.

 

Now, the pitch at Green Park Kanpur has traditionally been a low scoring one, with teams getting past 250 runs just four times in 20 innings. But to ensure that it remains that way against Pakistan, India will have to bowl with far more discipline.

 

It would be interesting to see whether the Indians retain Sehwag for the match. The right hand batsman did come up with a 25-run cameo in Mohali but India's bowling lost much of its sting in Kartik's absence. As a result, Harbhajan looked a lesser threat.

 

Like at Mohali before the 2nd ODI, while India have a favorable win-loss record at this ground winning 6 out of their nine matches, one of their losses came in the only encounter against Pakistan in the 2005 series. On April 15, 2005, while chasing India’s 249, Pakistan romped home with nearly eight overs to spare thanks to a brilliant 102 off just 46 deliveries from Afridi, who had come as opener.

 

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Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

 

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India Vs Pakistan - 2nd Result and Highlights

Pakistan 322 for 6 (Younis 117, Misbah 49, Singh 2-59) beat India 321 for 9 (Tendulkar 99, Gambhir 57, Akhtar 3-42) by 4 wickets

An outstanding century by Younis Khan enabled Pakistan clinch a cliff-hanger against India by 4 wickets in the second One-Day International at the PCA Stadium here on Thursday. In the final count the target of 322 runs wasn't enough to prevent Pakistan from leveling the series one-all.

After India rattled up an imposing 321 for 9, with Sachin Tendulkar stroking 99, Younis slammed 117 as the visitors overhauled the target with one ball to spare in the high-scoring cliffhanger.

 

Younis arrived in the middle in the sixth over of the innings with the asking rate already over six an over. Although starting cautiously, he kept the scorecard ticking with singles and twos, sandwiched between fours through flicks off over-pitch deliveries and glances down to the fine leg. While batting with Mohammad Yousuf, Younis did get bogged down by the nagging line and length by the Indian bowlers but a 69-run partnership with Shoaib Malik and a 102-run stand with Misbah-ul-Haq always kept Pakistan in the hunt, even as the required rate touched ten-an-over.

 

Earlier in the day India, who set a total of 321 after winning the toss, rode on a sparkling knock of 99 from Sachin Tendulkar. However, it went in vain as India would have recounted the middle overs of their own innings, when they lost three quick wickets of Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Robin Uthappa, and eventually, the momentum.

 

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Happy Diwali! Ind Vs Pak 2nd ODI Mohali, India

 

Having gained the psychological advantage by easily winning the first match, a confident India go into the second one-day international against arch-rivals Pakistan in Mohali on Thursday, seeking to keep the momentum going with another convincing performance. Pakistan have to look at the weak links in their batting. A lot to play for in the remaining outings of the five-match series. Remember, Pakistan won 4-2 in India the last time round despite losing the first two games.

 

The five-wicket triumph in the first one-dayer in Guwahati will no doubt serve as a huge morale booster for MS Dhoni and his men but they can hardly afford to be complacent against the unpredictable Pakistanis in what promises to be a thrilling floodlit contest at the PCA stadium.

The conditions in Mohali will definitely suit the Pakistanis as the track will have something for both the batsmen and the bowlers as well.

 

A cursory look at the matches at Mohali and it will be difficult to figure out whose home ground it is. While India have played seven matches here, Pakistan have featured in five at the PCA Stadium. While India have secured five wins from their seven outings, Pakistan have won just one of their five encounters.

 

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PCA Stadium in Mohali.

 

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India Vs Pakistan 1st ODI - Result and Highlights

India 242 for 5 (Dhoni 63, Yuvraj 58) beat Pakistan 239 for 7 (Yousuf 83*, Butt 50) by 5 wickets

Mahendra Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh hit half-centuries to inspire India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in their opening one-day match in Guwahati. They put on 105, the aggressive Dhoni hitting eight fours in his 63, while Yuvraj fired six fours and a six in 58 as India surpassed Pakistan's total of 239-7 with 18 balls to spare for a 1-0 lead in the five-match series..

 

When Shoaib Malik won the toss and chose to bat it appeared to be a sound decision, given that the pitch was dry, on the slower side, and threatened to break up in the second half.

Pakistan earlier rode on impressive half-centuries from middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf (83 not out) and left-handed opener Salman Butt (50) to reach a respectable total after winning the toss. Part-timer Tendulkar grabbed two crucial wickets, while off-spinner Harbhajan and left-arm spinner Kartik conceded just 65 off their combined 20 overs.

 

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Pakistan Innings

 

 

India Innings

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India Vs Pakistan - 1st ODI Guwahati, India

 

Barely a day after imposition of Emergency, Pakistan renew their cricketing rivalry against arch-rivals India with a five-match One-day series here on Monday with two young captains leading a highly talented but unpredictable teams.

Six months ago, India and Pakistan were coming to terms with their early World Cup exits. All seemed to have been forgotten when, a little over a month ago, they battled for the World Twenty20 title. Then Australia came to India and South Africa to Pakistan. And both sides are back to learning from their mistakes. It's these glorious cycles that grips both nations.

 

The political turmoil back home would no doubt weigh down heavily on Pakistanis' mind as they go into the first One-dayer seeking to take an early advantage in the battle of nerves and skills.
The series will also be a test of character for the captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan, who have shown a remarkable composure but any contest involving the traditional foes is bound to put that extra bit of pressure.

 

Surely it allows the teams to understand each other, as evinced by the camaraderie this evening. Once both sides finished warming up, Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar, standing close to the pitch for close to 20 minutes, seemed to be discussing life, the universe and everything. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Yousuf greeted each other like long, lost brothers. And Sourav Ganguly couldn't get enough of watching Sohail Tanvir's wrong-footed action. Such dosti.

India would also be without their senior batsman Rahul Dravid, their batting main stay so far who has been dropped for the first two matches of the series.

With the talks of 'phasing out process' in the Indian cricket, other two ageing warhorses Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly would also be under pressure as the hosts would rely on their strong opening partnerships. The seasoned Virender Sehwag would also be keen to regain his old magic, particularly as his inclusion in the team in place of former skipper Dravid triggered lot of a debate.

 

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Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.

 

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