india vs pakistan discussion thread

Monday November 05, 2007
A 100-plus partnership between MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh helped India beat Pakistan by five wickets in the first ODI at Guwahati on Monday.

Chasing 240 to win, India scored 242 for five with three overs to spare.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and guided by a well-complied 83 by Mohammad Yousuf, they scored 239 for seven. The Indian spinners dominated the Pakistan batsmen and gave them no chance to set up a daunting total.

India lost the early wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, but good partnerships saw them overhaul the target with ease even as they lost two wickets towards the end.

With this win, India have taken an important 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The next match will be played at Mohali on Thursday, November 8. That will be a day-night affair.

How it happened

47th Over: Uthappa is trying to loft Shoaib Akhtar. He's getting the ball to reverse swing. FOUR! He lofts it over the bowler and India is now just two runs from a victory. FOUR! Uthappa swings it. India has won by five wickets.

46th Over: Loud appeal, but the decision goes in Uthappa's favour. FOUR! Inside edge and Pathan gets it to the fence. India is now just six runs away.

45th Over: WICKET! Dhoni slashes at a Shoaib Akhtar delivery and Akmal holds on to the catch. Pathan is the new man in. He's greeted by a bouncer.

44th Over: FOUR! That's gone like a bullet off the bat of Dhoni. He has Uthappa for company now.

43rd Over: FOUR! Cracking shot by Dhoni and it races away to the mid-wicket fence. The shadows have become longer and India would be looking to finish this fast. WICKET! Yuvi swings but finds Afridi in the deep.

42nd Over: A single gets Dhoni to his fifty. His fifth against Pakistan. FOUR! Yuvraj has changed gears and he's hit it straight down the ground. Dhoni's happy rotating the strike. This has been a great partnership.

41st Over: FOUR! Yuvraj treats Rehman with disdain. A single and that's his fifty. His sixth against Pakistan.

40th Over: India need 48 from 66 balls with seven wickets in hand. Rao Iftikhar back in to the attack.

39th Over: Robin Uthappa is padded up and ready. But the team would be hoping that Yuvi and Dhoni will complete the job. FOUR! Dhoni gets and edge off Afridi, but they all count.

38th Over: The Pakistan bowlers are bowling very unimaginatively. CHANCE! Yuvraj into the shot, slips, falls, gets up, turns and dives into the crease! And he's safe, whew!

37th Over: SIX! Yuvraj gets stuck into that shot and Rehman can only watch it sail over the ropes.

36th Over: Afridi is bowling well. He's into his ninth over. The Indians are happy to get the singles off him. It's amazing that Yuvraj is playing in such a controlled fashion.

35th Over: The ball has been changed, Rehman to continue. India need 74 from 96 balls now. MSD and Yuvi are milking the singles. Pakistan needs to create some pressure, else this match will just drift away. FOUR! Yuvraj gets that away on the last ball.

34th Over: Afridi comes on to bowl his eighth over. He's given 24 from seven and taken one wicket. Rameez Raja rues the fact that both sides have not played entertaining cricket.

33rd Over: Abdur Rehman is brought in from the other end. Yuvraj and Dhoni bring up the 50-run partnership.

32nd Over: Malik is bowling around the stumps. He's tied up Yuvraj. FOUR! And Dhoni breaks the shackles and punches it over the bowler.

31st Over: Shoaib Akhtar continues from the other end. He's trying to get the reverse swing. He's bowling at more than 150 kmph.

30th Over: The right and left hand batting combination is getting difficult for the Pakistan bowlers. Malik has to think fast!

29th Over: The Rawalpindi Express is back in the attack. But unfortunately the ball has been changed and he may not get the reverse swing going. FOUR! Shorter delivery and Dhoni pulls it to the fence.

28th Over: The ball is being changed because it has been disfigured. The hard ball will suit India. Shoaib Malik to continue.

27th Over: India have lost an extra wicket at this stage but they are way ahead of Pakistan on the run graph. Maybe, it's time to get Shoiab Akhtar back in to the attack.

26th Over: Shoiab Malik brings himself on to bowl. Captain to captain and one run taken. Yuvi gets the strike and Malik sends down a no ball. Free Hit - a swing and a miss! Akmal too misses a stumping. FOUR! Bang off the next ball.

25th Over: Afridi is bowling well. He's getting over with his overs quite quicky. A clean over comes to and end. India scoring at 5.32, required rate is 4.8.

24th Over: FOUR! Rehman to Yuvi and great shot to the fence. Just rocks back and punches it. Shoaib gives it a chase but can't pull it back. He falls over the advertising boards.

23rd Over: There's a spring in the steps of the Pakistan fielders after the two wickets. Another 11 overs before the mandatory change of the ball. Yuvi and Dhoni need to stick on.

22nd Over: FOUR! Yuvi starts off with an excellent shot on the off side. Another poster screams for Dravid: "We miss the wall."

21st Over: WICKET! What a delivery from Afridi. Gambhir is foxed and bowled. Yuvraj Singh is the new man in.

20th Over: FOUR! Dhoni greets Rehman with a great shot. A poster in the crowd says "India's three bullets - Dhoni, Pathan and Yuvraj." FOUR! Another cracking shot. Ganguly, meanwhile, is yet to take off his pads.

19th Over: This is the first match that Dhoni's playing after his hair cut. Just three from the Afridi over.

18th Over: Spin introduced from both ends. Abdur Rehman comes in to bowl to Gambhir. He starts with a maiden over.

17th Over: Afridi continues with his off spin to the two left-hand batsmen. But with no slip and gully, there's hardly any pressure. WICKET! Close call and Ganguly is run out by the smallest of margins. He took time to turn. India have lost a crucial wicket against the run of play. Even the Pakistanis can't believe it! Dhoni has promoted himself up the order. FOUR! Poor fielding and the Indian captain gets off the mark. The Indian 100 comes up.

16th Over: The third powerplay has been taken. An extra fielder is outside the circle. FOUR! Gambhir dances down the track and smacks Rao over mid off. FOUR!Excellent timing and the same result.

15th Over: Shahid Afridi has been brought in to the attack. Good use of the feet by Gambhir. Mix up and could have been run out, but Gambhir runs back to the non-striker's end.

14th Over: The Pakistan captain might introduce spin in to the attack soon, me thinks. FOUR! Ganguly moves across and pulls Gul to the fence. Another cracking shot.

13th Over: After 12 overs, Pakistan was 49 for one. India have got a good start, they need to cash in on it. This is a good opportunity for Gambhir to cement his place in the side. Good shot, gets him three. FOUR! Excellent cover drive by the Delhi lad.

12th Over: This is a very crucial period of play. India really pulled it back from overs 11 to 20. FOUR! Ganguly frees his arms again.

11th Over: It's turning out to be double bounce, double pace wicket. India need to consolidate now. Rao Iftikhar is bowling a good line.

10th Over: Gul is bowling a good line. The bounce is irregular and that is troubling the batsmen. Maiden over by Gul.

9th Over: Bowling change and Rao Iftikhar comes in to the attack. Gambhir to face. FOUR! Ganguly uses it feet and smashes it to the cover fence.

8th Over: FOUR! Gul gets it agonisingly close to the stumps, but it misses it and so does the keeper. Ganguly must be thanking his stars. SIX! He gives himself room and goes straight over the bowler's head. What a shot!

7th Over: FOUR! Gambhir edges and it flies between the wicketkeeper and first slip. FOUR! And again. Shoaib is the unlucky bowler. FOUR! This time Gambhir is in control of the shot.

6th Over: Umar Gul to continue. FOUR! Good shot by Ganguly. He's found the gap on the off side.

5th Over: Shoaib Akhtar is firing it in. FOUR! Great cover drive by Gambhir. A misfield allows Gambhir to pick up two.

4th Over: FOUR! Inside edge gives Ganguly another boundary. He's not getting his timing. The ball is slowing down after hitting the wicket.

3rd Over: FOUR! Tendulkar gets off the mark. Shoaib fires it in and the batsman gets an edge to the third man fence. The stadium has come alive. Sachin pulls it and the ball lands just short of the square leg fielder. WICKET! Slow ball by Shoaib gets the little big man. Gautam Gambhir is the new man in.

2nd Over: Umar Gul will share the new ball. Ganguly to face, Tendulkar is yet to open his account. Loud appeal but Ganguly survives and it's FOUR from leg byes.

INDIA 1st Over: Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar to open for India. Shoaib Akhtar has the ball for Pakistan. FOUR! Excellent shot by Ganguly. Good way to get off the mark.

Pakistan managed a decent total after they decided to bat first in the first ODI against India at Guwahati on Monday. They started strongly but then the spinners pegged them back and at one point looked completely lost in the middle. Will India be able to go one-up in the series? We'll find out when we return for the Indian reply.

50th Over: The last five overs have yielded 51 runs. That's big! Zaheer in charge of the last over. WICKET! Misbah skies it and Bhajji holds on to it. Abdur Rehman comes in. FOUR! Yousuf clobbers taht one. WICKET! Rehman is run out on the last ball.

49th Over: RP's firing in the yorkers. FOUR! Yousuf plays that wonderfully. FOUR! Misbah joins the party.

48th Over: Zaheer Khan in to the attack. Pakistan can still get to the 235 mark. He's bowling well. No boundaries in the over.

47th Over: RP Singh is brought back. FOUR! Glorious cover drive by Yousuf.

46th Over: Irfan Pathan comes on. Pakistan batsmen are still picking the singles. Rameez Raja thinks Pakistan bowlers will have to bowl well to win this game. The Pakistan 200 comes up. Four more overs to go. FOUR! Good shot by Yousuf.

45th Over: Tendulkar continues from the other end. FOUR! Misbah goes for the reverse sweep and gets a much-needed boundary. FOUR! Yousuf sweeps and the Pathan over runs the ball. Another single and he brings up his fifty.

44th Over: Yousuf has been in the middle for long enough. He needs to press on the accelerator. Bhajji's in to his last over. "He's just been terrific," says Arun Lal.

43rd Over: Tendulkar's bowling a tidy spell from the other end. A score of 235 would be good enough to defend on this wicket.

42nd Over: Harbhajan comes back on. Just two runs from that over.

41st Over: WICKET! Full toss, Shoaib Malik swings and is caught in the deep. Another wicket for Tendulkar. Misbah-ul-Haq joins Yousuf.

40th Over: Murali Kartik continues. He's bowled beautifully. And he gets done with another over quickly.

39th Over: Afridi gave Tendulkar the charge and he bowled it short. FOUR! Afridi mistimes and it still reaches the fence. WICKET! Afridi is stumped for 31. Gives Tendulkar the charge again, but this time pays with his wicket. Skipper Shoaib Malik walks in.

38th Over: Kartik to Yousuf and a single brings up the 150. Pakistan need another 100 runs from here. These two need to carry on from here.

37th Over: Another throw of the dice from Dhoni. Tendulkar gets a bowl. Afridi launches himself into it but gets only a single. Pakistan need eight an over to get to 250. Tendulkar is bowling in to the rough.

36th Over: Irfan Pathan continues to Yousuf. A single brings Afridi on strike. Pathan's mixing up his pace and line. FOUR! New ball helps Yousuf. He's looking a lot more in control. Pathan responds with a change of pace. FOUR! Edged and it races down to the third man fence.

35th Over: The ball has been changed and Zaheer comes back to bowl. And it comes off the bat with a little more velocity. SIX! Afridi swings and gets the maximum. That's his first biggie.

34th Over: Irfan Pathan is brought back into the attack. Good move, he likes to get under the skin of Afridi. The marauder still hasn't found a boundary. A wide takes the innings extras to seven.

33rd Over: Poor fielding by RP Singh allows Yousuf to get off the strike. Murali to Afridi now. He's still got an off side packed field. Only one man on the leg to save the single.

32nd Over: "Harbhajan has been outstanding," says Rameez. He's given away just 19 runs and he's in his eigth over. Afridi has been sent in to target the spinners.

31st Over: The average first innings score at Guwahati has been 217. It doesn't look to be going beyond that at the moment for Pakistan. Kartik to Afridi. Four runs from that over.

30th Over: "Pakistan need an impetus," says Ian Bishop. Harbhajan continues. "There's no rhythm,' says Raja. WICKET! Younus lofts it and finds the fielder at long on. Shahid Afridi come in and gets off the mark with a single.

29th Over: The right and left combination is troubling Pakistan. Younus slogs, no mid wicket but cut off by Tendulkar in the deep. The two brings up Pakistan's 100.

28th Over: Harbhajan is looking for the block-hole delivery. Good delivery to bowl when someone is looking to sweep every ball. Pakistan have not got a boundary in the last 15 overs.

27th Over: These two batsmen hold the key for Pakistan. They need to build a partnership here. India has six fielders inside the circle, fairly attacking. DROPPED! Yousuf lofts Kartik, it's high in the air and Sourav Ganguly drops it. Good captaincy, pathetic fielding.

26th Over: Dhoni's still attacking with the man in slip. Younus and Yousuf are fighting hard for the runs. "They have just dried up," says Aamir Sohail. Another clean and quick over from Harbhajan.

25th Over: Kartik to Younus. Dhoni moves the slip to extra cover position. He sweeps and excellent fielding by Pathan. Another wicket will force Pakistan on the back foot.

24th Over: Harbhajan is bowling well. The spinners, in fact, are getting done with their overs fast.

23rd Over: Kartik is bowling very well. Big appeal for lbw against Younus, but the ball has pitched outside the line. Close call!

22nd Over: Harbhajan to continue, Yousuf to face. Quick single, a shy at the stumps and it results in an overthrow.

21st Over: India has only conceded 33 in the last 10 overs. This is a crucial phase of the innings.

20th Over: Bhajji is really spinning the ball. Another single and that's 1000 runs for Yousuf against India in ODIs. That has come from 35 matches.

19th Over: Spin from both ends, Murali Kartik comes in to the attack. Yousuf gets off the mark with a single.

18th Over: Spin introduced, Harbhajan is brought in to the attack. He's coming over the wicket to Salman Butt. He gets a double and brings up his fifty. WICKET! Run out next ball! Younus Khan is guilty of ball watching. Mohammad Yousuf is the next man in.

17th Over: Salman Butt is playing a flowing knock. India needs wicket. It's a batting wicket and it'll be difficult to contain if they don't get the breakthroughts. Good shot by Butt and brilliantly fielded by Murali Kartik

16th Over: Third powerplay taken. Younis is trying to settle down, but he's not getting the runs fast. Lofted and it drops just short of a diving Gautam Gambhir. "Pakistan's top order is one-dimensional. They need an Afridi magic," says Rameez.

15th Over: Change of ends for RP Singh. Butt to face. India's bowling well to Younis Khan. "Frustration must be creeping in," says Rameez Raja.

14th Over: Good comeback spell from Zaheer, but India needs more wickets to contain Pakistan.

13th Over: There's a good contest between bat and ball. Butt takes a single and it brings up the Pakistan fifty. FOUR! Excellent shot by Butt, what a straight drive. Disdain and beauty all rolled into one. Quick single to end the over.

12th Over: An off side field is set for Butt. FOUR! Room outside the off stump and he capitalises on it.

11th Over: The second powerplay has been taken. WICKET! Pathan gets the breakthrough. Akmal is trapped lbw for 12. Plays across the line and pays for it. Younus Khan comes out in to the middle.

10th Over: Change of ends for Zaheer. He comes in place of RP. Dhoni's set an aggressive field. Zaheer will have to make amends for his first spell now. "Zaheer's a wily customer," says Aamir Sohail.

9th Over: Akmal slashes at Pathan, completely unnecessary shot. Butt is having a ball because he's facing three left arm seamers. And Akmal is struggling because of the same reason.

8th Over: RP Singh has been the lone bowler to impress so far. FOUR! Straight down the ground by Butt. It's a fast outfield. FOUR! Butt again finds the gap.

7th Over: Irfan is just maintaining his line, he's bowling in the 130s. FOUR! Salman Butt dismisses that to the fence. FOUR! And again!

6th Over: Butt gets an edge, gets a single. That's the first run after 17 balls. Good comeback by India. Another effective over from RP, just one from it.

5th Over: Early change, Irfan Pathan replaces Zaheer. That's good thinking from skipper MS Dhoni. There's some swing in the air but not much movement off the track. Akmal's giving Pathan a lot of respect. And it's a maiden.

4th Over: RP seems to be more in control than Zaheer right now. This is been a good over till now, just one from it. Two more balls to go. And Butt's beaten on the last one, but safe.

3rd Over: Zaheer to Akmal. FOUR! Silken shot, the boundaries are coming easily.

2nd Over: RP Singh to share the new ball. He's bowling over the wicket. FOUR! Now Akmal gets it away. Good start by Pakistan

PAKISTAN 1st Over: Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal open for the visitors. Zaheer Khan to open the bowling. Lots of swing. FOUR! Butt's away! FOUR! Good way to finish the over, 11 from it.

Sehwag out as Pak bat

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to bat in the first one-day international against India at Guwahati on Monday.

Pakistan are playing with four specialist bowlers - Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar and Abdur Rehman.

India have left out Virender Sehwag and S Sreesanth from the playing XI. Gautam Gambhir has been included in the side.

The Teams:

India: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Murali Kartik, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh.

Pakistan: Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar.


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2nd match
Pakistan beat India by four wickets to win the second ODI and square the five-match series 1-1. The visitors chased down 322 with one ball to spare. Younus Khan starred for them with a fantastic 117. The two teams now head to Kanpur for the third match on Sunday, November 11.

50th Over: FOUR! Full toss and Tanvir gets it away. Two runs required. What a finish this is. He takes a single and the scores are level. Misfield and Afridi gets the single. Pakistan have won this game by four wickets! Excellent finishing!

49th Over: RP with the penultimate over. It's all about the nerves now. SIX1 Afridi miscues and it goes the maximum.

48th Over: Pakistan need 34 off 18 balls. Tanvir on strike, Zaheer to bowl. FOUR! Valiant attempt by Rohit Sharma but can't save a Afridi shot. FOUR! Bang again! FOUR! Amazing shot by Afridi. The Pakistan 300 is up. They now need 21 off 14. MISSED! Afridi hits it high and straight, Yuvraj comes in running, dives and misses it. The ball touches his fingers. Agonising!

47th Over: Pressure on RP and he sends down a no ball. Thankfully, it's not an overstepping. A swing and a miss for Afridi. RP is controlling it well now. WICKET! Misbah moves across, exposes his stumps and pays for it. RP is ecstatic. FOUR! Sohail Tanvir comes in and gets it away. Short fine leg has no chance.

46th Over: Lots of pressure on the fielders. Even Yuvraj has been sent to the deep. WICKET! Zaheer bowls Younus around the leg. Big, big breakthrough at this stage. The new man is Afridi. He starts with a single.

45th Over: Pakistan need 53 from 36 balls. Great running by Younus and Misbah. Not much to choose between the two teams at this time. A single brings up the 100 partnership. It's come off just 72 balls.

44th Over: India needs some magic from RP Singh now. MSD is taking a bit of time to get his field right. The singles will not trouble India, they have to dry up the boundaries. Good over, just five from it.

43rd Over: Ganguly, Dhoni and Pathan are having a conference. This is a crucial over. Can Pathan swing it for India? Or will Misbah be upto the task this time? FOUR! Cheeky shot but deft enough to get more runs.

42nd Over: Pakistan need 83 from 54 balls. This match is heading for a close finish. Zaheer Khan in to the attack. DROPPED! Misbah hoicks it straight and Uthappa runs in but can't convert it. The runs have started to flow. The Pakistanis are running hard. FOUR! Full toss and Misbah smashes it to the fence. The game's getting tighter now.

41st Over: Pathan back for his second spell. He was exceptional in his first, having conceded just 23 from six overs. Younus lofts and it falls close to the short fine leg fielder. Lucky it didn't carry! FOUR! Younus brings up his 100 in great style. He needs to carry on for Pakistan here.

40th Over: 100 runs needed from 11 overs by Pakistan to draw level in the series. Ganguly is sending down his ninth over. FOUR! Slower delivery and Misbah puts it away. It also brings up the fifty partnership.

39th Over: Bhajji's into his final over. It'll be great to end with another wicket. Misbah employs the reverse sweep with some success.

38th Over: This partnership is now worth 34 off 27 balls. Ganguly comes in to bowl his eighth over. FOUR! Younus is taking the risk and has been rewarded till now. Nine runs from the over.

37th Over: Bhajji continues, this is his ninth over. The fifth bowler still needs to bowl two overs. Those will be absolutely crucial. SIX Huge hit by Yuonus and the Pakistan 200 is up. This has been a good over for Pakistan, 14 runs from it.

36th Over: Pakistan need 134 from 90 balls. RP is in his seventh over. The new ball is not helping RP. It's not swinging.

35th Over: The ball is now being changed. Even though the ball is going to be hard, it will also be dry. Bhajji to continue. DROPPED! Younus hoicks it and Yuvraj follows the ball only to miss it by a whisker. Great effort!

34th Over: RP Singh is brought back. He gets some swing right away, but it's a wide. Afridi is padded up in the dressing room.

33rd Over: Pakistan need 152 from 18 overs. FOUR! Real loosener from Bhajji and Malik pulls it away. WICKET! Malik goes down the track, connects and finds Irfan Pathan at long-on. That's a crucial wicket. Misbah-ul-Haq is the new man in, gets off the mark with a single.

32nd Over: Bolwing change, Sachin Tendulkar is brought on. FOUR! Younus goes for the reverse sweep and clears the in-field. Gambhir puts in a brilliant piece of fielding but the third umpire rules in favour of the batsmen. FOUR! Younus sweeps, he's keeping the pressure on the new bowler.

31st Over: The asking rate is moving further north. Pakistan has to take some risks if they are to win this match. They're still dealing in singles.

30th Over: FOUR! Younus gets that away and it also brings up the Pakistan 150. "Win at Mohali, celebrate Diwali," screams a poster. India needs another wicket now. The fifty run partnership is up.

29th Over: Bhajji is spinning the ball well. One came in sharply in to Younus. He and Malik are good players of spin bowling. They are picking the singles. "Pressure on Malik. He needs to deliver for Pakistan," says Rameez Raja. Younus takes a single, brings up his fifty.

28th Over: SIX! Younus gets a top edge off Ganguly and it sails over the wicketkeeper's head and the fence.

27th Over: FOUR! Reverse sweep by Malik gets him more runs. Pre-meditated shot. He's off to a good start, he's got 14 off 15.

26th Over: Pakistan need 206 runs from 25 overs. Sharp fielding is creating the pressure. FOUR! Younus gets an edge and it runs down to the fence. MISSED! Yousuf edges, fast and furious but it just slips off Dhoni's hands. Missed catch, and maybe even a missed stumping.

25th Over: FOUR! Malik despatches Bhajji to the fence. He pierces the gap to perfection.

24th Over: The asking rate has gone up to eight. Ganguly's doing a decent job. He's got 99 ODI wickets, would surely want to make it at least 100 in this match.

23rd Over: Bhajji is flighting the ball well. The required run rate is going up with every ball. WICKET! Bhajji's doosra foxes Yousuf, Dhoni does the rest. The Pakistan skipper strides out in to the middle. He gets off the mark with a single.

22nd Over: Deliberate edge from Yousuf, Pathan dives to make a fantastic stop. Saves a boundary. A single brings up the Pakistan 100. India at this stage was 139-1.

21st Over: Pakistan need 228 from 30 overs at 7.6 runs per over. Another bowling change, Harbhajan comes on. Good move to get the lone spinner in before the dew makes it difficult to grip the ball. And he's got some turn and bounce immediately.

20th Over: Ganguly continues from the other end. He's bowling in the right areas. Just two runs from that over.

19th Over: FOUR! Pathan strays a little and Yousuf plays it late. Exquisite shot!

18th Over: Bowling change, Sourav Ganguly comes in to the attack. Yousuf and Younus will like to attack Ganguly, the field is still up. At this stage, India was 102 for one.

17th Over: Pathan to Yousuf and another lbw appeal but it had a big inside edge. He's bowling a good line now.

16th Over: The third power play has been taken. The Indians have got a couple of slips. They wouldn't want either of the batsmen to settle down here.

15th Over: WICKET! Pathan with the breakthrough, he's bowled Salman Butt. Mohammad Yousuf has joined Younus in the middle. Loud shout for lbw on first ball, but the umpire turns it down. Pathan can't believe it! It was plumb and the TV replay confirms it.

14th Over: Indian bowlers have to get a breakthrough. Butt has given his side an excellent platform. "Mere pace is not going to help," says Arun Lal.

13th Over: Pathan continues from the other end. Change of pace by the bowler is going to hold the key. FOUR! Ferocious cut by Butt.

12th Over: Change of ends for Zaheer Khan. He has an off-side packed field. FOUR! Elegant shot by Salman Butt.

11th Over: The second power play has been taken. There's plenty of fire power left with Pakistan. FOUR! Pathan strays and Butt gets it away. FOUR! A thumping pull short by Butt.

10th Over: FOUR! Younus chips RP into the mid-wicket fence. Pakistan fifty is up. RP strays outside the off-stump. India must keep a check on the extras.

9th Over: First change. Irfan Pathan brought into the attack. He gets into the rhythm straightaway. Just one from the over.

8th Over: Younus pats the ball to the mid-wicket region for three runs. RP is angling the ball in.

7th Over: Sloppy fielding by the Indians allows Butt a single. FOUR! Butt gets a loosener. Cuts Zaheer to the cover boundary.

6th Over: With Pakistan scoring quick runs, the pressure's right back on the Indians. WICKET! RP has got India the first breakthrough. Akmal attempting to cut, finds Yuvraj at point. He latches on to a

dipping catch. New man in is Younus Khan. RP greets him with a bouncer.

5th Over: Butt lucky as an inside edge didn't roll onto his stumps. FOUR! Butt plays it on the up, cuts into the third-man region, the slips fielders could only watch the ball fly. FOUR! Another one. Butt pulls it to the mid-wicket fence.

4th Over: RP is working up quite a pace. He's closing in on the 150 kph mark. FOUR! Zaheer makes a diving effort at fine-leg, but that doesn't stop Kamran Akmal to get four runs of a leg glance.

3rd Over: Loud shout for an lbw against Akmal, but not given as it was pitched outside the leg stump. Better over by Zaheer.

2nd Over: RP Singh to share the new ball. And he's cut Kamran Akmal into half . FOUR! Akmal responds in style. Tendulkar and Ganguly are in the slips.

PAKISTAN 1st Over: Zaheer Khan to start the proceedings for India. Salman Butt to face. He starts off with two wides. He's having problems control the movement. FOUR! Goes down the leg side, four leg byes.

Bhajji cameo

An excellent cameo by Harbhajan Singh helped India bring up the 300-plus score after wickets at the death had put India's plans of a big total in jeopardy. Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar smashed 99 and put on a huge partnership with Gautam Gambhir to give India a perfect platform.

50th Over: Rao Iftikhar with the last over. WICKET! Zaheer misses, runs and Akmal hits. RP Singh is the last man in. He takes a single. Bhajji has the last three deliveries. SIX1 What a strike by Bhajji. A single to end the innings. He finishes with 38 from 20 balls.

49th Over: Afridi comes on to bowl. FOUR Bhajji is playing a gem of an innings here.

48th Over: SIX! Bhajji walks down the track and lofts Rao Iftikhar for the maximum. He digs out a yorker and gets two for it. FOUR! Zaheer joins the party. Slam, take that!

47th Over: Shoaib has been particularly good with the slower delivery. He's sent down five dot deliveries. Make that six.

46th Over: Rao Iftikhar comes in to the attack. FOUR! Bhajji gets that away. The first boundary in six overs.

45th Over: Pakistan has staged quite a recovery. WICKET! Shoaib gets another wicket, Pathan holds out to Yousuf in the deep. Zaheer Khan is the new man in.

44th Over: Tanvir sends down another wide. This is definitely not going to help his team and captain. The last 10 overs have produced 53 runs and four wickets. Pakistan have lifted the tempo in the last half hour. Good shot by Bhajji and they pick up three.

43rd Over: WICKET! Dhoni edges Akhtar and Akmal does the rest. That was a sitter! Harbhajan Singh comes in and starts off with a single.

42nd Over: India needs a partnership between Dhoni and Pathan. Tanvir is bowling well now, right up in the block hole.

41st Over: Pakistan have pulled it back with the slog overs left. Irfan Pathan is the new man in. Shoaib Akhtar has cut down on his run-up to get over with the overs quickly.

40th Over: Tanvir continues from the other end. WICKET! Change of pace beats Yuvraj, he's caught in the deep. Robin Uthappa joins his skipper in the middle. WICKET! Uthappa is lbw for zero. Hard decision, the ball struck him out of line.

39th Over: Shoaib Akhtar is brought back. He still has five more overs. FOUR! Silken touch by Yuvi. He's come around the wicket and has also cut down on his pace. A wide brings up India's 250. Dhoni gets off the mark with a single. Shoaib has cut down his run-up but he's sending down wides after wides.

38th Over: Dhoni is the new man in. FOUR! Misfield by Shoaib Akhtar and Yuvi gets four more. Tanvir is distraught.

37th Over: Sehwag takes a single and that brings up the 50 partnership. Its come off just 54 balls. WICKET! Sehwag is bowled by Afridi. Makes room for a cut shot and the ball crashes in to the stumps.

36th Over: Sohail Tanvir back in to the attack. Close mix-up but Yuvi gets back home safely. Extras and poor fielding are going to prove costly for Pakistan. No ball and Yuvi gets a free hit. Right in to the block hole and Yuvi can only dig it out. FOUR! Straight drive by Yuvi.

35th Over: The ball has been changed in accordance with the new laws. Another single and oh! that doesn't look nice. Yuvraj falls down and clutches his ankle. The physio attends to him and he's up. India needs him out there.

34th Over: The Pakistan dressing room is looking worried. It has often been said that the Pak attack is one dimensional and they are paying the price for that. Viru and Yuvi are milking the singles and waiting for the loose deliveries.

33rd Over: Afridi to Sehwag, sends down two wides. A couple of twos for Sehwag. And two more adds up to eight runs from this over.

32nd Over: FOUR! Great shot by Sehwag and the Indian 200 comes up. Eighteen more overs to go, India should be looking to get at least 120 runs from them. FOUR! Yuvi joins the party.

31st Over: The two wickets have slowed India's progress. The entertinment quotient has just dipped a bit.

30th Over: Umar Gul continues from one end. Yuvraj to face. Good shot by Sehwag and excellent fielding by Salman Butt at point, a diving save. Vicious delivery from Gul crashes in to Yuvi.

29th Over: Afridi continues to Sehwag. Sehwag and Yuvraj should look to settle down quickly. They are picking up the singles.

28th Over: WICKET! Gul strikes again. Gambhir flicks it straight to Afridi and India have lost two set batsmen in quick succession. He goes for 57. New man in is Yuvraj Singh. India cannot afford to lose focus here. They are in a strong position to get past the 300-run mark.

27th Over: Afridi to Sehwag, loud shout for an lbw, but turned down. The Indians are running well, sloppy work by the Pakistani fielders.

26th Over: Umar Gul comes back in to the attack. Sachin is three short of his hundred. He takes two, wants to go for the third but leaves it and wisely so. FOUR wides! The Indian dressing room is on its feet and so is the stadium. WICKET! Tendulkar edges and Akmal completes the catch. The Master Blaster goes for 99. This is the fifth time he has fallen in 90's in ODI this year, third time he has got out on 99 in this year. Virender Sehwag comes in at No. 4, starts off with a single off an overthrow.

25th Over: Sachin picks up two and is now just five runs away from an entertaining hundred. "Pakistan in need of an Afridi wizardry," says Rameez Raja. Gambhir picks up a single and reaches 54 and that is also his 1000th ODI run. Congrats!

24th Over: Malik continues and so does Tendulkar. He moves on to 88. FOUR! Gambhir finds the gap between three fielders and that brings up his sixth ODI fifty. Great going by the Delhi lad. No ball gets another free hit and it's Sachin on strike. FOUR! And he sweeps it fine to move in to the nineties.

23rd Over: SIX! Sachin is toying with the Pakistan bowlers. Goes inside out for a maximum and Afridi can only stand and watch. The 150 comes up. Misfield at fine leg by Mohammad Yousuf allows two more runs.

22nd Over: The last five overs have yielded 46 runs. Make that fifty now. FOUR! Gambhir gets it away.

21st Over: Spin from both ends, Afridi comes in to the attack. FOUR! Sachin is in sublime form. A controlled late cut and the ball runs away to the fence. FOUR! No stopping Tendulkar.

20th Over: Captain Shoaib Malik comes in to the attack, spin for the first time. FOUR! Loosener and Gambhir finds the gap. The runs have started to flow. They've put up 115 runs from 116 balls. FOUR! Gambhir plays the lofted cover drive.

19th Over: Tanvir angles it in, Sachin finds the gap and a couple brings up the 100 partnership. The two batsmen are milking the singles. FOUR! Absolutely stunning shot by Sachin. He's on fire!

18th Over: FOUR! Sachin gives himself room and smashes Rao Iftikhar to the fence. That was a cracker! Takes a single of the next ball to bring up the Indian 100. Good, hard running by the Indians.

17th Over: Pakistan continue with pace. FOUR! Gambhir miscues but deep fine leg was at a distance and he gets away with it. Tanvir is again altering his angle.

16th Over: The third power play has been taken. Aamir Sohail says Shoaib Malik must take off pace and try bringing in slower bowlers. "Try Afridi for a while," he adds. FOUR! Sachin brings up his 86th ODI fifty and 13th v Pakistan with a delightful stroke.

15th Over: FOUR! Sohail Tanvir bowls on to the pads and Sachin flicks it to the fence with ease. He comes around the wicket now and changes the angle.

14th Over: DROPPED! Gambhir pushes at a Rao's delivery and Akmal floors it. FOUR! Sachin hoicks it to the fence.

13th Over: Tanvir continues from the other end. Good shot by Tendulkar and they run three. Five from the over.

12th Over: Rao Iftikhar is the second change. FOUR! Sachin greets him with a cracking shot to the fence. Six runs come from the over.

11th Over: The second power play has been taken and Sohail Tanvir is the first change. FOUR! Gambhir greets him with a wonderful cover drive. That also brings up the 50 partnership.

10th Over: Sachin slashes at the Umar Gul delivery and lucky not to get an edge. Overthrow and India gets an extra run. FOUR! The fielder at short fine leg can only stand and stare. Great shot by Sachin. FOUR! Edge and it flies to the third man fence. The Indian fifty is up FOUR! And a third to end the over.

9th Over: Gambhir is trying to play Shoaib Akhtar on the up. Not able to time it well. FOUR! Hooked, one bounce and into the advertising boards. Shoaib beats him the very next ball.

8th Over: Gambhir drops it, Sachin runs, he follows and they complete a good single. Gul surprises Sachin with a short delivery. The bowler is close to the 150 kph mark. Sachin tries to pull but it beaten by the pace. FOUR! Sachin finds the gap. What a shot!

7th Over: Cracking shot by Gambhir and Afridi stopped a certain boundary. Excellent fielding! CHANCE! Poor running by Gambhir and that would have been curtains had the throw hit. The next ball from Akhtar foxes Tendulkar. He's gesturing to Sachin, who gives no reaction.

6th Over: Tendulkar will have to play an anchor role if India are to put up a big score today. Conditions are tough, the balls is bouncing and jagging around. Just three runs from the over.

5th Over: Shoaib tries the slower one and sends down a wide. The next one is a no ball and Sachin to get a Free Hit. Another wide and it goes all the way to the boundary. Still in with a free hit, but Sachin fails to get it away. FOUR! On the leg and Sachin flicks it to the fence with ease.

4th Over: Umar Gul to continue from the other end. Excellent delivery, cuts Tendulkar into half. Five runs come from that over.

3rd Over: Gambhir facing Shoaib Akhtar. He picks up a single. Shoaib is angling it in. He's getting a lot of movement on a well-groomed track. Bouncer and words are exchanged between Shoaib and Gambhir.

2nd Over: Umar Gul will share the new ball. India has to be careful, but not over cautious. Sachin's taking his time to settle down. The bounce surprises him but he opens his account with a couple.

INDIA 1st Over: Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar stride out in to the middle. Shoaib Akhtar comes around the wicket to Ganguly. He gets two but not before a miscommunication. They've got to be careful! FOUR! Too short and too wide and the southpaw slams it to the off-side fence. WICKET! Inside edge and Ganguly is bowled. Shoaib came over the wicket this time and there was no footwork from Ganguly. What a start! Gautam Gambhir has joined Sachin.

India bat first

Indian captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat in the second one-day international against Pakistan at Mohali on Thursday.

Both the teams have made one change each. India has brought back Virender Sehwag in place of spinner Murali Kartik. Left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir has been included in the Pakistan playing XI in place of Abdur Rehman.

India won the first ODI at Guwahati by five wickets.

The Teams:

India: Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh.

Pakistan: Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar.