Final verdict — India no match for Pak

Bangalore, April 4: In the end it did not matter which eleven India came up with. A collection of individuals was never going to challeng...

Bangalore, April 4: In the end it did not matter which eleven India came up with. A collection of individuals was never going to challenge the sustained team effort of the marauding Pakistanis. And it did not need all of 100 overs to confirm that. In less than a dozen overs of aggressive fast bowling, the visitors left the home team’s reply to 291 for 8 in 50 overs in tatters. After that only the hooligan element in the crowd was likely to stop the Pakistanis from stamping their authority on the tournament.

Thus this so-called warm-up tournament for the World Cup was handed over on a platter to the visitors after the Indian selectors virtually destroyed any semblance of team work with their mindless changing and chopping of players.With some players not knowing whether they were coming or going, it came as no surprise when the Indians failed to drive home the advantage after having the Pakistanis on the mat at 28 for two. At the end even that proved to be an illusion as the superior batting, bowling andfielding team romped home by 123 runs today.

The Indian batting lacked conviction, especially against the chilling pace of Shoaib Akhtar. Even on this placid pitch the strongly built youngster who displaced the tested Waqar Younis from the Pakistan team, appeared to have the Indian batsmen under his spell.

Openers Sadagoppan Ramesh and Saurav Ganguly, both came acropper in no time. While Ramesh hung his bat out and perished to Akhtar, Ganguly who was cramped with deliveries aimed on his body, tried to make room and break out of the shackles. His attempt to improvise brought only grief.

Amay Khurasia, the third left-hander in the top order, seemed to be unlucky when umpire Parthasaradhi, who had a bad match, adjudged him leg before to a delivery that cut back after pitching outside the line of the leg stump.Skipper Ajay Jadeja tried to make a match of it and played a few shots. But it was never going to be enough against the mammoth Pakistani total. India were all out for 168 with Azhar Mahmood theweakest link in the Pakistani bowling line-up walking away with five wickets and the Man of the Match award.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram decided not to subject his young team to the ordeal of batting second and under pressure. The move paid off as his side rattled up a huge score and left it to the Indians to battle two devils, the opposition and pressure.

The Pakistanis began their innings shakily, but the beefy Inzaman-ul Haq paced his essay superbly. And with help from the ebullient Shahid Afridi and Moin Khan, he turned the heat on the Indian bowling attack.

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Only Venkatesh Prasad, who bowled with matchless guile and exemplary control, and to a lesser extent Ganguly, kept the Pakistanis in check. India, who erred in playing three medium pacers on this placid track, were left ruing the decision.

Inzamam, grafted initially but after settling in, played a series of powerful shots to give Pakistan the edge. Moin Khan, who played a cameo innings kept the pressure on the bowlersbefore Azhar Mahmood (25) and Wasim Akram (21 n.o.) piled on the agony.

Inzamam was finally run out nine runs short of his century. But he had done enough to help his side blot out memories of the World Cup quarterfinal defeat on this very venue.

Scoreboard

Pakistan

Saeed Anwar lbw Prasad 9 (7b, 2 fours
(played across to full length ball, plumb in front);
Shahid Afridi c Jadeja b Ganguly 65 (61b, 9 fours, 1 six)
(Heaved across the line on the rise; caught at short mid-wicket);
Ijaz Ahmed b Srinath 3 (14b)
(Shouldered arms to in coming delivery. Hit top of stumps);
Inzaman-ul-Haq run out (Jadeja) 91 (112b, 9 fours)
(Backing up too far, Jadeja short mid-wicket smart fielding, run out at bowler Kumble’s end);
Yousaf Yohana c Kumble b Ganguly 16 (21b, 2 fours)
(Mistimed lofted drive, lobbed to mid-on);
Moin Khan c Mongia b Prasad 35 (42b, 4 fours)
(Wild heave, edged to WK); Azhar Mahmood c Srinath b Agarkar 25 (28b, 2 fours)
(Uppish on-drive to shortmid-wicket);
Wasim Akram not out 21 (17b, 1 six);
Saqlain Mushtaq run out (Prasad) 1 (1b)
(Went off short mid-on fielder’s foot to mid-off. Direct hit at batsman’s end as Saqlain returned for 2nd);
Arshad Khan not out 6 (3b 1four);
Extras (5lb, 5nb, 5w) 15; Total (for 8 in 50 overs) 291
Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Anwar); 2-28 (Ijaz); 3-122 (Afridi); 4-154 (Yohana); 5-217 (Moin Khan); 6-247 (Inzamam); 7-273 (Azhar Mahmood); 8-275 (Saqlain)
Bowling: Prasad 10-1-37-2 (1w); Srinath 10-0-65-1 (2nb); Agarkar 10-1-63-1 (3nb 2w); Kumble 10-0-56-0 (2w); Singh 3-0-30-0; Ganguly 7-0-35-2.

India

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Saurav Ganguly c Moin b Akram 13 (27b 2 fours)
(Made room and slashed; edged to WK);
Sadagoppan Ramesh c Moin b Akhtar 1 (5b)
(Hung bat out, edged);
Rahul Dravid lbw Mahmood 25 (36b, 4 fours)
(Played across the line, missed & trapped in front);
Amay Khurasia lbw Akhtar 3 (4b)
(Ball appeared to pitch outside line of leg stump. Cut back, declared out by Parthasarthi);
Ajay Jadejac Moin b Mahmood 41 (51b 3 fours)
(edged slash);
Robin Singh c Moin b Mahmood 5 (13b, 1 four)
(Played away from body at ball angled across, edged to WK)
Ajit Agarkar run out (Ijaz) 13 (17b 1 four)
(Direct hit at bowler’s wicket by Ijaz running in from short square);
Nayan Mongia not out 27 (51b, 2 fours);
Anil Kumble b Mahmood 1 (8b)
(ball cut back; batsman on backfoot);
Javagal Srinath lbw Azhar 0 (1b)
(Played back to pitched up ball);
Venkatesh Prasad b Saqlain 17 (35b, 1 four)
(Ball turned sharply and castled);
Extras (1b, 5lb, 8nb, 9w): 22. Total (all out in 42.1 overs): 168
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Ramesh); 2-41 (Saurav); 3-44 (Khurasia); 4- 56 (Dravid); 5-63 (Robin); 6-104 (Agarkar); 7-131 (Jadeja); 8-135 (Kumble); 9-135 (Srinath)
Bowling: Akram 6-0-37-1 (nb5 w3); Akhtar 8-3-22-2 (1w); Mahmood 10-1-38-5 (2w); Mushtaq 9.1-1-29-1 (2nb 1w); A Khan 6-0-23-0 (2w); Afridi 3-0-14-0 (1nb).