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Pak say cheese after big chase
Inzamam and Malik struck half-tons as Pakistan snatched a three-wicket win. Score | Replay | Player of the match | Photos
In the heat and dust of Gujarat's communally divided state, the Indian and Pakistani cricketers produced a contest of a lifetime and till the last ball was bowled, no one among the thousands at the ground here knew what the result would be.
Sachin Tendulkar, who in the morning had played an innings of superb control, mixing aggression with caution in equal measure, was asked to bowl the last over of the match with Pakistan requiring just three runs for victory.
At the other end of the wicket stood the monk-like figure of Inzamam-ul-Haq – waiting at the crease for Tendulkar to unleash his wares at him. Even a run-chase of 316 runs in 48 overs had not troubled the Pakistan captain and he was so calm and collected that you were left wondering whether the man was playing an international match or was simply limbering up in his backyard at home.
Inzamam was taking singles as if he was sleepwalking and he was caressing the ball as if he did not want to make any statement of violence. Yet, the man had already made fifty and was now perfectly placed to take his side to a remarkable win.
The crowd at Motera, surprisingly, was not hostile to the visitors. It was neither very generous towards them. But at the final stage of the match they had lost their speech. They had begun by booing Inzamam but in the end they had been won over by the man's stoic approach to his task. They cheered him as well.
In the morning, they had shouted hoarse when Tendulkar was making runs and Yuvraj Singh was belting the ball with ferocious power and tremendous timing. They had gasped in admiration at MS Dhoni's brutal power in hitting the ball. They had also jeered and booed Ganguly, who while batting was such a nervous wreck that you wondered how one could not sympathise with him.
The fear of failure leads to more failures and Ganguly's scratching around at the wicket for 18 runs just proved that.
