Team India won the first match against arch-rivals Pakistan quite convincingly.
Pakistan started off quite well, Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were off to a good start with a opening partnership of 44 runs. But after the first wicket fell in the 11th over, the run-rate dropped. With the introduction of the spinners, the run-rate slowed down further for Pakistan.
With the score reading 104 for 3 in 29 overs, there was an urgent need for acceleration from Pakistan. In came Shahid Afridi and along with Mohammed Yousuf they put on 59 runs in just 54 balls. Afridi fell when he tried to loft Sachin Tendulkar over the ropes. Afridi missed and Dhoni did the rest!
With the fall of Afridi, Pakistan were 163 for 4 in 38.5 overs, very much in need of further acceleration. But thanks to Mohd. Yousuf and Misbah-ul-haq, Pakistan managed to score 76 runs in the last 10 overs to take the score to 239 for 7 in 50 overs.
India, chasing a modest target of 240, lost Sachin Tendulkar who was trapped leg before the wicket by Shoaib Akhtar in the 3rd over.
In came the Twenty20 star Gautam Gambhir and immediately got 2 lives, when he was dropped twice by the Pakistani fielders off Shoaib Akhtar. Ganguly was run-out after a brilliant 82 run partnership with Gambhir, who soon followed him back to pavilion.
It was down to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh to take India through and they almost did. The star-duo put on 105 runs for the 4th wicket. Yuvraj fell in the 42nd over while Dhoni followed in the 45th over. But the job was already done. Uthappa and Irfan Pathan took India home with ease.
India won the first match of the much-hyped One Day International series against Pakistan quite convincingly and lead the series 1 – 0. Clearly, India was the better team and deserved to win.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the Man-of-the-Match for anchoring the innings with 63 runs.
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