2004-2005 India Pakistan Cricket Series Discuss

India vs Pakistan One Day Teams & News

India lose by 159 runs, Pakistan win series 4-2
Inzamam links splendid victory to team best performance

It was an impressive show of skills in all three departments that led Pakistan to the victory to clinch six match ODI series 4-2 with the biggest margin of victory of 159 runs against the Indian cricket team in the cricketing history of both nations.

After winning the toss Pakistani captain Inzamam ul Haq had no hesitation in electing to bat first, as Feroz Shah Kotla wicket according to experts was good for batting first. Salman Butt and Shahid Khan Afridi opened the innings. Afridi launched his attack on Ashish Nehra by hitting him for three boundaries and a massive six in the second over. Some poor decisions helped India restrict Pakistan total.
Shoaib Malik (In Picture) top-scored with 72, his third half-century in four matches was named man of the match for his impressive knock containing eight fours.

Indian batting on an under prepared wicket had a daunting task ahead, Virinder Sehwag despite getting a chance in the first over when he was caught by Shoaib Malik in the covers of a no ball by Rana Naveed ul Hassan was unable to cash in the chance. Rana had the last laugh as he got Virender Sehwag caught in the first slip by acting captain Younis Khan on 21. As soon as Sehwag's wicket fell, it was clear by the body language of his team mates that there will be no fight at least on Sunday. Mahindra Dhoni was the only exception, and he was the top scorer of the Indian batting line up with 24.

After Kaif's wicket fell, the play stopped for a short while when the Indian crowd hurled bottles on Pakistani fielders standing at the boundary line after looking at the writing on the wall of clear Indian defeat.

Play resumed after a short break, and when Ashish Nehra's wicket fell, Pakistan team recorded their first one day series win under the new coach Bob Woolmer in over a year. Shoaib Malik was named man of the match and Rana Naveed the pick of the Pakistani bowlers was named man of the series for bagging fifteen wickets with an average of 16 per piece.

Inzamam ul Haq who had to remain in the dressing room for the entire second half due to a back spasm lifted the Pepsi Cup with a huge smile on his face, as he and the men in green made the nation proud. While Pakistani fans waited till the last of the ceremonies was over, the Indian audience took their cue earlier, what with their teams poor show. Waving flags and banners, the Pakistanis meanwhile, had just begun celebrating.
Addressing a crowded press conference after securing victory against its rival India, Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq while lauding players performance said that each player played vital role in clinching victory in the ODI series.
Referring to Pak-India series, he noted that both neighbours series had great importance regionally and globally, which had attracted million of spectators.

Flaunting caps, T-shirts and even kurtas bearing their national flag, the Pakistani visitors stepping out of Feroze Shah Kotla stadium were headed straight for Delhis delights. On the agenda for most, was a binge at restaurant with Indian friends in tow, besides visiting popular tourist sites like India Gate and Qutub Minar, shopping for family back home and hitting the dance floor at happening clubs in the Capital.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Team will return to Lahore from New Delhi via the Pakistan International Air (PIA)'s flight on Monday 5:00 pm. The team would be accorded with warm welcome by the PCB authorities and huge number of cricket fans at Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Ganguly banned! Dravid captain; Kumble, Sriram back in Indian side

The BCCI Joint Secretary Goutam Dasgupta announced a 15-member squad for the remaining two matches of the series against Pakistan, which is tantalisingly poised at 2-2. Rahul Dravid was today made the Indian captain for the last two one-dayers in the series after Sourav Ganguly was slapped a six-match ban for slow over-rate in the fourth one-dayer against Pakistan.

Veteran leg spinner Anil Kumble who missed the first two one-dayers due to injury and was not considered for selection for the next two matches was brought into the side in place of paceman Irfan Pathan. Pathan, who had a poor Test series and was struggling to find form, had been omitted from the squad. Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly's place in the side has gone to Tamil Nadu batsman Sridharan Sriram.

Swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag was made Vice Captain of the Indian side.

Indian Team for the last two matches: Rahul Dravid (captain), Sachin Tendulkar , Virender Sehwag , M S Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, S Sriram, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Ashish Nehra, L Balaji, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar.

Pakistan to go for the Kill

Rejuvenated Pakistan under the captaincy of Inzamam-ul-Haq will be looking for an inspiring series victory in the One-day Internationals starting with the Cochin edition against a desperate India headed by Sourav Ganguly whose leadership is under fire following defeat to Pakistan in Bangalore Test last week.

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said, "Pakistan may have drawn the Test series with exceptional cricket, but the one-dayers are a different ball game and we are confident of doing well. We have happy memories of this ground after beating Australia and South Africa here in the past." On his captaincy, Sourav said, "That (captaincy) is for the selectors to decide. I have been around (as captain) for quite a long time. I have nothing to prove to anybody."

The Pakistan captain Inzamam Ul-Haq said his team was high on morale after the brilliant Test victory in Bangalore, but warned them against complacency. "We cannot carry our win in Bangalore to Cochin. It is a new game and we (have to) start from the beginning,' said he.

The Indian selectors have slashed spinner Anil Kumble, middle order batsman V.Laxman, opener Gambhir and wicket keeper Dinesh Karthic from the team for Yuvaraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Ashish Nehra and Mahender Dhoni. The batting strength of India is supposed to be the best in the world after Australia. They have qualities to face any kind of bowler for runs. The bowling power is also praiseworthy, consisting of Irfan Pathan, L.Balaji, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Murali Kartik. To the contrary, Pakistan are comparatively a weak side in all the three faculties of the game. The Pakistani batsmen often lose concentration on the pitch; the bowlers fail to keep the line and length of the ball and the fielders miss the easy catches even. The most trusted batsman is Izamam-ul-Haq. Others may or may not make runs. None of the bowlers is fearsome as were Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

Anil Kumble omitted from Indian team for one-dayers

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble has been omitted from the 14-player squad named by India on Tuesday for the first two games of their one-day international series against Pakistan starting on Sunday.
The 34-year-old Kumble claimed 17 wickets in the three-test series including a face saving 37* in the last innings when the frontline batsmen fell like nine-pins. The series ended in a 1-1 draw on Monday following Pakistan's 168-run victory in the final test in Bangalore.
Batsman Vangipurappu Laxman, wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik and opening batsman Gautam Gambhir were the other test squad members to be left out.

India: Saurav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag , Sachin Tendulkar , Rahul Dravid , Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Murali Kartik, Dinesh Mongia, Mahendra Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Ashish Nehra, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Zaheer Khan.

Pakistan make three changes for India one-dayers

Pakistani selectors left out Shoaib Akhtar and made three changes to the squad currently in India.

Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Danish Kaneria, Arshad Khan and Shoaib Malik.

India A vs Pakistan Warm Up One Dayer

Hyderabad, March 30, 2005

India Pakistan Cricket Series 2005 - Warm Up One Day Match Result: Pakistanis won by 8 wickets

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Dhoni set to open with Shikhar Dhawan

Indian cricket board secretary S.K. Nair Nair announced the India-A team that would play a limited overs match against Pakistan March 30 at Hyderabad. Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu and Sanjib Sanyal are likely to be left out of the final XI. According to a source, Rudra Pratap Singh and Amit Bhandari will share the new ball, while Bengal mediumpacer Ranadeb Bose is set to be the third seamer. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan will open the innings.

India-A (from): Dinesh Mongia (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, M.S. Dhoni, Robin Uttapha, Suresh Raina, Niraj Patel, Venugopal Rao, S Sriram, J P Yadav, S Bahutule, R Powar, R P Singh, Ranadeb Bose, Amit Bhandari.

Pakistan (from): Inzamam-ul Haq (captain), Salman Butt, Mohammed Hafeez, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Mohammed Sami, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Shahid Afridi, Rao Iftikhar, Arshad Khan, Shoaib Malik.

MATCH: Pakistan, playing without their five senior players, restricted India 'A' to 189 for 7 in their stipulated 45 overs in the one-day warm up match before racing to a comprehensive 8 wicket victory with 4 overs to spare. Suresh Raina cracked a superb half century for India A. Raina compiled an authoritative 55 off 64 balls with five fours while S Sriram (38) and Y Venugopal Rao (30) also chipped in with useful knocks after Pakistan won the toss and elected to field. The visitors who rested their top guns -- skipper Inzamam-ul Haq, Yousuf Youhana, vice-captain Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Sami -- used as many as seven bowlers to give bit of practice to all ahead of the six-match one-day series against India beginning in Kochi on Saturday.
In return, Man of the Match Shoaib Malik made a sparkling 81 of 78 balls, hitting 4 4s and 4 6s. Salman Butt 70 (124) was the other top scorer. They won with 4 overs remaining.

In Picture: Top Hyderabad's famous Charminar

Above Man of the Match & Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik gets into a car with his father-in-law Hamid Siddiqui on the way to his wife Ayeshas residence on Tuesday evening.

India Pakistan First ODI

Kochi, April 2, 2005

India Pakistan Cricket Series 2005 - 1st One Day International Result: India 281-8 bt Pakistan 194 by 87 runs

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Players arrive in Kochi, Holiday declared

The 80,000 capacity Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi is bustling with action, all set to raise the curtain on the first of the six- match One Day International Series for the Pepsi Cup between a subdued India and a confident Pakistan on April 2.

''The wicket will be a purely batting track as is the practice in any one day match around the world," observed the curator of the pitch, veteran G. Kasturi Rangan.
Meanwhile, the government has announced a holiday for Kochi on the game day. The port city is brimming with activity and law and order machinery is working overtime. Five Team India players Rahul Dravid , Irfan Pathan, Mohammed Kaif, Harbhajan Singh and Lakshmipathy Balaji arrived in the city on Wednesday.

Team India vice-captain Rahul Dravid said India will come back strongly in the ensuing ODI series and also backed skipper Sourav Ganguly as a man who will be back in form quickly. It is a little disappointing to lose the last Test, but that is over. One-day (game) is totally different. We have to look ahead and be positive. We can put up a good performance in the one-day series, he told reporters on the sidelines of a painting exhibition by his mother Pushpa Dravid in Kochi.

BCCI lays down the menu; Players to enjoy the backwaters

Taj Malabar hotel is leaving no stone unturned as it is hosting the Indian and Pakistani cricket teams in Kochi. Of the 96 rooms, 60 were booked for the teams and officials. Specific room allotments were done on the directive of the Indian cricket board. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also laid down the menu. Along with the 'official' menu, the players will have different varieties of fish, especially Kerala preparations.
Both the teams are expected to go boating in the backwaters. An additional treat for first timers will be the beautiful Chinese fishing nets (In Picture) that are in plenty around the hotel, which is located on Wellington Island. A visit to Fort Kochi and its antique shops is also on the cards.

MATCH:

Sachin wins it for India after Sehwag and Dravid's rescue mission

Sachin Tendulkar showed his bowling prowess yet again at Kochi, taking his second five-for here to lead India to a convincing 87-run win the first one-day international of the six-match series. Requiring 282 to win, Pakistan were bundled out for 194, with Tendulkar taking 5 for 50.

Chasing 282, Pakistan got off to a terrible start, losing four early wickets with 64 on the board, before Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez began a recovery, taking the score to 104 for 4 at the end of the 25th over. Inzamam, on 36 not out, looked in command of the situation, but the heat was oppressive and the required run-rate was already 7.12.

Earlier, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag made fine centuries as India recovered from the loss of two early wickets to finish on 281. In conditions of extreme heat and humidity, both teams made mistakes and played sloppily as the game went on, but Pakistan kept their heads better. India failed to capitalise on the platform Sehwag and Dravid made, making just 40 runs in the last 9 overs, as the Pakistanis bowled accurately to keep the score to an achievable target.

In Picture: Sachin looks in dismay to see his shot being snared off Rana Naved-ul Hasan; he came back with 5/50, his second 5 wicket haul in Kochi

India Pakistan Second ODI

Vishakhapatnam, April 5, 2005

India Pakistan Cricket Series 2005 - 2nd One Day International Result: Pakistan 298 all out (44.1 overs) lose by 58 runs

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Visakhapatnam gears up to host 2nd ODI; Teams arrive Discuss ODIs

The two teams reached Vizag in a special chartered flight and were given a traditional welcome at Taj Residency hotel by the hotel staff, dressed in traditional Andhra Sarees. The city wore a festive look as many buildings were decorated to welcome the players. Corporation staff had kept the highway spotlessly clean right from the airport to the hotel. Some of the roads leading to the airport were also newly asphalted to give the players a neat ride to the hotel.
Police had made elaborate security arrangements as policemen stood throughout the 12-km from the airport to the hotel. Meanwhile, Groundsmen under the supervision of the curator are working overtime to give finishing touches to the pitch and the outfield.

Cricketers learn to cope with intense heat ahead of 2nd ODI today Discuss ODIs

Launching the six-match limited-over series with a commanding victory, host India goes into Tuesdays second contest wary of Pakistans counter-punching ability as both teams learn to cope with stamina-sapping heat.
In Cochin, the mercury touched 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) during the series-opening match and the relative humidity was measured at 65 percent. But the temperature had shot up to 37 degrees Celsius and the relative humidity stood at 70 percent when the teams took to the nets for practice early Monday in Visakhapatnam on Indias eastern coast.

"Playing in these conditions is very tough. April in India is always like this," said vice captain Rahul Dravid , reflecting the views of players on both teams. "Its a matter of how we cope with the conditions. Youve got to manage your time and recover well, on and off the field," said Dravid, who batted for 47 overs to score a composed century in the first one-dayer, but stayed in the dressing room when India came out to field. He did not field at all at Cochin. "One has to leave enough in the tank for the next match, and whoever manages it better will win the series," he said.

Pakistans vice captain, Younis Khan, said his team was also testing ways to avoid heat exhaustion. "During non-match days, were trying to reduce the heat-related problems through shorter training sessions," said Khan, who missed the first one-dayer due to viral influenza.

Dravid added India would stick to the batting order with out-of-form skipper Sourav Ganguly at No.3. "Its a challenge for any team to carry along players who are out of form, and still manage the same result," said Dravid. "Im sure Ganguly will get runs sooner or later."

MATCH: India went 2-0 up in the one-day series against Pakistan as they won in Vishakhapatnam by 58 runs. Pakistan were all out for 298 as they tried in vain to overhaul a mammoth Indian score of 356-9, a record for the hosts in matches against Pakistan.

Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra took 4-72 but India's hero was Mahendra Doni.
He hit 148 off 123 balls - his maiden ton - and his batting along with Virender Sehwag 's brutal 74 took the game out of reach of Pakistan.

In Picture: Mahendra Dhoni batted well for his 148 and then kept wickets through out the Pakistani innings on a tiring day when the temperature hit mid 30s.

India Pakistan Third ODI

Jamshedpur, April 9, 2005

India Pakistan Cricket Series 2005 - 3rd One Day International Result: Pakistan won by 106 runs.

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Inzy bus takes hit in stride Discuss ODIs

Around the time militants targeted the Tourist Reception Centre in Srinagar yesterday, a miscreant targeted the bus carrying Inzamam-ul Haqs team just outside Ranchi airport. Both the Indian and Pakistani teams arrived here by road, for the third one-dayer slated for Saturday, after a flight from Vizag to the Jharkhand capital.
Fortunately a single stone was hurled and, fortunately again, the shards didnt injure the target: Inzamam himself. Of course, its not clear whether the missile struck the Pakistan captains window by mistake or intent. In keeping with the spirit of the tour, though, Pakistan hasnt made the incident an issue. They need to be complimented. We treated it as a stray incident.... There was a crowd of about 10,000 after we left the airport (for the three-hour drive) and somebody committed a bit of nuisance, assistant manager Asad Mustafa told The Telegraph.
Inzamam, reprimanded by the ICC today for abuse of cricket equipment after being run out in the Vizag one-dayer, said much the same thing: Kuch vaisi badi baat nahin thi.... Mujhe kuch chot bhi nahin lagi...

Pak to unleash Kaneria, Iftikhar, Younis in Jamshedpur ODI Discuss ODIs

Pakistan will make three changes for the third One-Day International against India to be played at Jamshedpur on Saturday. Pakistan, who trail 0-2 in the six-match series, have decided to drop paceman Mohammad Sami, off-spinner Arshad Khan and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez.
"The three will be replaced by wrist spinner Danish Kaneria , fast bowler Rao Iftikhar Anjum and middle-order batsman Younis Khan ," Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said.
Younis was undoubtedly the player of the three-Test series with 424 runs at 84.80 that included a career-best 267 at Bangalore.

In Picture: Indian and Pakistani players arriving in Jamshedpur.

MATCH: Pakistan all but ended the Indian assault on 320, removing the top six for 82, prompting a steady stream of people leaving Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan did most of the damage, removing Virender Sehwag , Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. His partner, Mohammad Sami, removed Sachin Tendulkar with one that moved away a shade and then took out Rahul Dravid . Kaif and Irfan Pathan delayed the inevitable, with Pathan striking a couple of marvellous boundaries in his spirited 64, his first one-day international fifty. Kaif scored 32.
Vizag hero and local boy, M S Dhoni, entertained the crowd for a brief moment with a 28 in 24 balls.

In the morning a cool hundred by Salman Butt, his second of the tour, led Pakistan's charge against an Indian attack that experienced the unfamiliar sensation of bowling first on a dead track at Jamshedpur. He was kept company mostly by Shoaib Malik, whose 75 raised the tempo midway through the innings. But it was Pakistan's late blast, engineered by Yousuf Youhana, which helped them surge past 300 to a large but now frequent total in India. India were set a target of 320, a tall job exacerbated by a slow over-rate, which gave them only 15 minutes to prepare for the task ahead.

In Picture: Top Shoaib Malik plays a big shot on his way to 75 at Jamshedpur.
Above Salman Butt touches down on the way to a fine century against India at Jamshedpur

India Pakistan Fourth ODI

Ahmedabad, April 12, 2005

India Pakistan Cricket Series 2005 - 4th One Day International Result: Pakistan (319-7) beat India (315-6) by three wickets

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Toss will be crucial in Ahmedabad, says Inzamam Discuss Inzy

Pakistan cricket team captain Inzamam-ulHaq yesterday said the toss will play an important role in today's fourth one-dayer against India at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera near here. Speaking to mediapersons on match eve here, he said the the Motera wicket is likely to turn and the team batting second might have problems due to this. Inzamam said everything has been fine in Ahmedabad uptil now and was confident that people would be able to watch a good contest between the arch rivals.

''Our boys are relaxed and the security is not getting to them,'' he said, adding the players are confident and concentrating on cricket. The visiting skipper said the final team composition has not been decided yet and it will be done before the start of the match. Inzamam praised Shoaib Malik, who he felt, bowled well in the last match at Jamshedpur, which the visitors won comprehensively. ''Malik has not bowled for some time and after bowling in a few matches, he will get his rhythm back,'' he said.
To a question, Inzamam replied that the batting order will be decided according to the situation of the match, but added that explosive opener Shahid Afridi was certain to play.

Series comes alive Discuss ODIs

A series that seemed to be one-way traffic after two matches has suddenly, and most emphatically, come to life after Pakistan's outstanding display at Jamshedpur. India may still be ahead in the race, but the advantage is only a slight one, which might become slighter still if the coin lands in Inzamam-ul-Haq's favour tomorrow morning.

So far, the team batting first has won all three games, and with heat being a factor as usual at Ahmedabad as well, the team batting in the afternoon after chasing leather for three-and-a-half hours in sweltering conditions could once again be severely disadvantaged. Win the toss and bat first is the obvious mantra.

Besides the toss, Ganguly will be desperate for something else a few runs for himself. In three matches so far, he has contributed a mere 13, but the problem isn't with Ganguly alone: Sachin Tendulkar (series aggregate 12), Yuvraj Singh (32) and Mohammad Kaif (39) have done precious little for the cause of the Indian total.

Teams arrive in Ahmedabad amidst tight secuity Discuss ODIs

The Indian and Pakistan cricket teams arrived in Ahmedabad today (April 11, 2005) amid strict security for the fourth ODI match to be played tomorrow (April 12, 2005). "The two teams have arrived and were taken directly to their hotel amidst tight security arrangements," police sources said.

Unprecedented security measures were in place at the Sardar Patel Airport, from where both the teams were whisked away to the hotel as per the special arrangements, the sources said.

MATCH: Inzamam-ul-Haq hit his 79th one-day half-century to steer Pakistan to a series-tying three-wicket victory over India in Ahmedabad. Pakistan successfully chased 316, the fourth-highest total ever. The tourists needed three runs from the final over, but only got there off the final ball, Inzamam making 60 not out.

Earlier Sachin Tendulkar hit a brilliant century (123) with meaningful partnerships with Virender Sehwag (29) and Mahendra Dhoni (47), to ensure that Pakistan will have to score a record breaking 316 to level the series, which they did!

Pakistan 319-7 (48/48 overs) beat India 315-6 (48/48 overs)

In Picture: Top The Pakistan team huddle in ahmedabad.

Above L: Sachin scores his 38th one-day century; R: Everyone chipped in as Pakistan staged the fourth highest run chase in one-day history

India Pakistan Fifth ODI

Kanpur, April 15, 2005

India Pakistan Cricket Series 2005 - 5th One Day International Result: Pakistan 252-5 beat India 249-6 by five wickets

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Teams arrive in Kanpur sans Ganguly Discuss ODIs

The India and Pakistan cricket teams arrived here tonight to play in the fifth one-day international cricket match on Friday. The teams, which arrived here by road from Lucknow, checked into a city hotel amidst tight security arrangements.
A big crowd of fans thronged the shopping complex near the hotel located in the centre of the city to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars.
The six match series is now level at 2-2 after Pakistan staged a superb comeback winning the last two matches in Jamshedpur and Ahmedabad.

Kanpur is India's favorite strip Discuss ODIs

After the disappointment at the Ahmedabad tie against Pakistan, India would get the last chance to turn the ball in its court at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur on April 15 during the fifth and the second-last one dayer of the ongoing series.
The lush green stadium, located just about 100 metres from the bank of river Ganga in the industrial city of Kanpur has been known for favouring the Indian cricketers at most of the times.
India has played eight matches at the stadium, out of which, it has been triumphant on six occasions and has lost the other two matches. Only four Indian batsmen including master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar have the record of hitting a century at this field. Sachin hit a ton of just 89 balls including seven sixes, in Kanpur against Australia in 1998.

Wicket favours first bat Discuss ODIs

The wicket, according to Anand Shukla, BCCI pitches committee member, and chief curator Shiv Kumar, is batsman-oriented; spinners, they said, will get slow turn as the match progresses. The bounce will not be as high as the one we saw in Jamshedpur but it will be good for the batsmen to play on the rise, says Shukla.
He goes so far as to predict that the previous highest score of 259 (India vs England in 1989) at this venue should get a beating.
Legendary groundsman Chhote Lal, who has prepared practice and match wickets here since 1979-80, says the match will be decided in favour of who bats first. It will be difficult chasing, he says, a total of 280-plus should be safe.
Here is a tinge of green but its just dead rolled grass. Not like the green he left in his very first Test wicket, which West Indian fast bowler Malcolm Marshall exploited. I still remember that match. Malcolm bowled a bouncer and Gavaskars bat left his hand. Everyone fumed at me during lunch, asking my why I left grass on the wicket.
India have played eight of the nine ODIs staged here, winning six. One of those two defeats was when India captained by Kapil Dev were dismissed for 78 by new boys Sri Lanka, back in 1986.

MATCH: A spectacular solo effort from Shahid Afridi saw Pakistan breeze to their 250-run target with 47 balls to spare in Kanpur. The big-hitting opener struck nine sixes in total to become the first player to notch up 200 sixes in one-day internationals, reaching his 50 in just 20 balls - three balls short of the world record set by Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya against Pakistan in 1996.
Afridi, who collected an extraordinary 42 runs from two overs, went on to record 102 off just 46 balls, making him the joint-second fastest centurion in the history of international limited-overs cricket, as Pakistan finished on 252 for five in response to India's total of 249 for six.
Pakistan now having edge over India in the series by 3-2.

India, in a team showing three changes, elected to bat first and totalled 249-6, recovering superbly from 26-3 after Naved-ul-Hasan's early wickets. But brilliant partnership of 135 for the fifth wicket between Mohammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid got India going. Dravid was run out in the final over for 86 after Kaif had hit 78.
Naved-ul-Hasan's accurate opening burst rattled the Indian top order as they limped to 38 for 3 at the ten-over mark. Apart from the relentessly disciplined length that Naved maintained, the batsmen also had to contend with a pitch with variable bounce as the batsmen struggled, edged and finally fell.
But none of the dismissals had anything to do with the pitch misbehaving. Sachin Tendulkar received a beauty from Naved: unsure of whether to play forward or back he pushed at one that left him a shade and edged a simple catch to Kamran Akmal behind the stumps. Virender Sehwag had no clue when confronted by one that came in and played outside the line of a ball that crashed into his of stump. And just when the situation demanded a cautious approach, Mahendra Singh Dhoni swished and swung, connected a few, dodged a few and finally edged one to Younis Khan at second slip.

Musharraf, who is coming to Delhi to watch the last match, can hold his head high as he walks into the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium, able to face the tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium and inside the very living rooms of India where countless millions would be watching the live telecast.

In Picture: Top Afridi's 102 came from 46 balls and contained 10 fours and nine sixes as he reduced the Indian bowling to smithereens.

Above In the fifth over, Hasan bowled Virender Sehwag for 5 to reduce India to 11 for two.

India Pakistan Sixth ODI

Delhi, April 17, 2005

India Pakistan Cricket Series 2005 - 6th One Day International Result: Pakistan 303-8 (50 overs) beat India 144 (37 overs) by 159 runs

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Teams in Delhi amid tight security Discuss ODIs

After a gruelling 50 days of cricket, the India-Pakistan series is poised for an exciting finish.
The arch-rivals meet for the final and sixth one-dayer at Feroze Shah Kotla in Delhi. India, trailing 2-3, need to do their best to pull even. Pakistan, who cannot lose the series, go in as favourites.
The match will be played on a fresh pitch. The captains yesterday inspected it for about 15 minutes, Rahul Dravid eventually echoing Inzamam ul-Haqs point of view that the pitch will be the same for both the teams, yielding no advantages to either.
The curator, Mr Radhey Shyam Gupta said: There is no grass on it and the bounce will be low.

Meanwhile the match referee, Mr Chris Broad, and the neutral umpire, Mr Rudi Koertzen, were stopped from entering the Ferozeshah Kotla yesterday afternoon by overzealous security personals. It was only after Delhi and District Cricket Association officials intervened on being called up that the duo got in. A three-phase security ring has been thrown around the stadium.

In another incident, a plainclothesman at the team hotel pushed and shouted at Pakistans assistant manager Asad Mustafa. He quickly apologised, but that didnt stop Inzamam-ul Haq from giving him a tongue-lashing. Aap cool rahen aur tameez se baat karen... Samjhe ki nahin... the captain warned. The plainclothesman apologised to Inzamam as well, not once but thrice!

India face up to end of a memorable era Discuss ODIs

TWO YEARS on from their finest hour an unexpected surge to the World Cup final Indian crickets oddest couple are heading in different directions, John Wright in search of pastures new and Sourav Ganguly seemingly towards a premature sunset.
Between them, coach and captain engineered some spectacular triumphs, none more notable than the victories over Steve Waughs Australians at Calcutta (2001) and Adelaide (2003). They also brought in and here Wright, rather than Ganguly, deserves the acclaim a culture of professionalism that had been alien to a team that relied far too much on individuals, most often Sachin Tendulkar .
Most importantly, the Indians, traditionally tigers at home and cattle to the abattoir abroad, learnt how to fight the good fight in foreign climes, drawing Test series in England and Australia, and triumphing for the first time across the border in Pakistan.
The figures alone make for impressive reading. Under Wrights guidance, India won 20 of 51 Tests, losing only 15. In the decade that preceded the Wright-Ganguly era, they had managed an abysmal two wins away from home, in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but in the 27 matches that followed, they had nine wins against 11 defeats, a record that would pass muster in most countries barring Australia.

As for Wright, whose relationship with Ganguly was sometimes fraught because of the captains more relaxed attitude to physical training, he will leave behind nothing but fond memories. On the eve of his final game, Dravid whose stint under Wright at Kent made him one of his chief supporters said: Hes made a huge contribution and helped us grow, as a unit and as individuals. Hes been more than a coach, hes been a friend to many of us.

The one dayer in Kotla will be the last time Wright will be guiding Team India.

MATCH: Pakistan has avenged its one-day cricket home series loss to India last year by dominating the sixth game in Delhi and claiming the return series 4-2 in a match disrupted briefly by disappointed fans.

Pakistan won the final one-dayer by 159 runs, bundling India out for 144 in 37 overs after Shoaib Malik (72) and skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq (68) anchored an imposing score of 8-303 in 50 overs.

The hosts starting their chase on a jittery note by losing openers Virender Sehwag (21) and Sachin Tendulkar (9) cheaply. India never recovered as Pakistan's bowlers tore through the middle order after skipper Rahul Dravid (19) and Yuvraj Singh (13) were run out. Rookie Mahendra Dhoni's 24 was the top score for India, whose slide to 94 for six angered the fans.
Spectators in the northwestern gallery of the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium began throwing water balls into the ground and play was suspended as the two umpires - South African Rudi Koertzen and India's A. V. Jayaprakash - summoned Pakistan's fielders into the middle and police reinforcements moved into the troubled stands to restore calm.
Pakistan's fielders and the Indian batsmen went into the pavilion as play remained suspended for 16 minutes. On resumption, Arshad Khan completed a haul of three for 33 as India crashed to an embarrassing defeat.

A capacity crowd of 28,000 packed the stadium more than two hours before the toss and cheered as Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the players before the start of play.

Pakistan was give a sound foundation by Malik's 87-ball 72 and Inzamam's brisk 68 from 69 deliveries.

In Picture: Top Man of the Match Shoaib Malik top scored for the visitors, stroking eight fours in his 72 before being bowled by Agit Agarkar

Above Left The home fans react by throwing bottles onto the pitch, forcing the umpires to take the teams off for 15 minutes.
Above Right The Pakistan captain said winning the toss was crucial on what was a good batting track.

Pakistan vs India - 6 One Day Internationals on TV / Broadband

Update Live Telecast in USA of One Day Series

BCCI awarded the overseas rights for the India-Pakistan 2005 series to Sony Entertainment Television (SET). Available LIVE in USA on Dish Network Pay Per View for $249.95.
The Six India vs Pakistan One Day Internationals also available to view as live webcasts from April 1 - April 16, 2005 for only $199.95!
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