Ind v Eng (Bengaluru, ICC World Cup 2011)

Venue: Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

What climax? What drama? What a game of cricket?
Spellbinding stuff from both teams in this very high scoring game!

On paper, the Indian team appeared much stronger and expected winners of this contest.
A beautiful afternoon in the garden city and #MSDhoni, the Indian captain won the toss and elected to bat.

#Sehwag and #Tendulkar started in blazing fashion and put on 46 until Sehwag was prized by #TimBresnan for 35. #Gambhir joined Sachin and both of them tore into the English attack. Sachin was severe on #GraemeSwann, the premier English spinner and notched up his century. When he fell for a superb 120, score read 236 for 3 in 38.2 overs.

This meant an ideal launch pad for the Indian middle order to unleash their guns in the last 12 overs.
#YuvrajSingh 58 and #Dhoni 31 launched an assault of epic proportions to propel India past 300 shortly. When Dhoni was claimed by Bresnan at team score of 305 in the 46th over, India was looking well beyond 350 as target.

However amazingly, they just imploded through poor strokeplay and tight disciplined bowling by the English bowlers towards the end. Final score India 338 all out in 49.5 overs. Bresnan starred with a 5-for, mostly responsible to hold that total back.

One bowl short of 50 overs. Will that one unplayed delivery cost Indians dearly?

A massive target none the less. England needing around 7 runs per over from the start to chase it down. Looked real tough. However to their advantage the Chinnawamy stadium is extremely flat and docile for batting.

England captain #AndrewStrauss and top batsman #KevinPietersen opened England's innings in style pummeling the Indian quicks to all parts of the park. They reached 68 in under 10 overs before Pietersen was caught and bowled by #MunafPatel. #JohnathanTrott followed soon after for 18, scoreline 111-2 (16 overs). Runs were under control but they needed to ensure wickets were not lost too soon.

#IanBell joined his captain and slowly they started dominating the Indian bowling. Strauss was severe on the seamers and equally attacking against the spinners. Ian Bell found his touch too. In no time, they had crossed 150, then 200 and 250 as well (under 40 overs). Strauss completed a brilliant hundred to match Sachin's century while Bell completed a wonderful supporting fifty.

At 281 in the 43rd over (and on course for a facile victory), tragedy struck for England. In desperation, Dhoni threw the ball to #ZaheerKhan, the master of reverse swing, and he produced a magical spell to claim Bell and Strauss in one over followed by #PaulCollingwood soon after.

Suddenly, the target seemed to be slipping away from England's grasp. However there was still some twist left in the tale. Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan, who had bowled wonderfully, produced some massive sixes against #PiyushChawla to get things closer. When #AhmedShahzad smashed Munaf Patel for six over long on in the last over needing 10 runs to win, England sniffed victory again.

Last ball, 2 runs to win.
Munaf to Swann
A good yorker, dug out by Swann towards mid off and scamper for a run.
Scores tied
India 338 all out
England 338 for 8 

Amazing scenes in the dressing rooms. England felt they should have won. India thought they shouldnt have been stretched this far after putting up a mammoth score.

All in all, a tremendous result.
Cricket was the winner in this one!

MOM: Andrew Strauss (As Nasser Hussain put it during the presentation party - very few innings can match, let along surpass, a Sachin Tendulkar hundred and Strauss did just that today!)

Match Highlights:

Ind v Aus (QF, World Cup 2011)

Venue: Motera, Ahmedabad

A high octane clash between three time defending champs Australia and favourites India. The fading Aussies vs the emerging Indians.

With a place in the semi-finals at stake, Australian captain #RickyPonting won the toss and elected to bat. Openers #BradHaddin and #ShaneWatson got them off to a steady start. #RaviAshwin broke through Watson's defence to get India their first breakthrough.

 

Captain Ponting (had never scored a century in India in ODIs until this day) walked in to join Haddin. Both of them steadied the ship and began to step on the gas as they crossed 100 run mark around the 22nd over. Quick wickets of Haddin, Clarke and Mike Hussey slowed things down for them. #YuvrajSingh once again delivering wickets for his captain at crucial times.

 

Ponting took upon himself to push the run-rate up through some exquisite strokes and boundaries. He found an able ally in #DavidHussey who cut loose to contribute 38 in just 26 balls. Meanwhile Ponting completed a memorable one day hundred for himself and was the last Aussie wicket to fall towards close of their innings. Australia compiled a respectable 250 for 6 in 50 overs.

 

Was this enough? Runs on the board in big games are so important.

 

Will the Aussie pacers put pressure on the vaunted Indian batting line up and pull off a victory to march further towards their bid for a fourth consecutive #CricketWorldCup?

 

Indian innings began with trademark boundaries from #SachinTendulkar and #VirenderSehwag. But, Watson got Sehwag to pull off an awkward length to get caught at square leg.

 

That brought #GautamGambir at the crease and he along with Sachin started pushing the innings forward. Sachin Tendulkar hit a spate of boundaries to reach yet another 50 in one day cricket.

But soon after, #ShaunTait got him to nick one behind for 53. India 94 for 2. Just like the Aussie innings, India lost their way a bit by losing wickets at regular intervals (including Virat Kohli, Gambhir and MS Dhoni). At 187 for 5, they were certainly in a spot of bother.

 

The Aussies sensed opportunity and planned to go for the kill. They are masters of that approach. However, today they ran into an amazingly in-form Yuvraj Singh. With #SureshRaina with him, both chipped away at the Aussie total through aggressive strokeplay. 

The Australian bowlers threw everything they had at the duo but a superb cover drive off #BrettLee brought India a glorious victory and entry into the World Cup semi finals against #Pakistan. 

A dejected Australian camp, their world cup juggernaut (note they had one all three world cups 1999, 2003 and 2007) but the day belonged to an emerging Indian team.

 

MOM: Yuvraj Singh...

 

Check video below to watch highlights from the match

 

 

Ind v Pak (Semi final, ICC World Cup 2011)

Venue: Mohali, India

Can it get better? The traditional arch rivals, sub-continent giants clashing in a World Cup semi final !! WOW. The stage was set for a magnificent showdown and the teams didn't disappoint.

Prime ministers of both countries greeted and wished players from either teams before the game. Dignitaries, bureaucrats, film stars, top corporate biggies and who's who from both countries made the game even more electrifying!


#MSDhoni won the toss and elected to bat.
#Sehwag and #Tendulkar provided a stunning start for the Indians. Sehwag smashed #UmarGul for 20 runs in an over. Tendulkar opened from the other end too. 50 struck in no time.

A bowling change did the trick for Pakistan. #WahabRiaz, the lanky left hander trapped Sehwag leg before for 38. #GautamGambhir joined in and run-rate slowed down. #Hafeez flummoxed him in the air and he was stumped for 27. When #ViratKohli and #YuvrajSingh got out of consecutive delivers by Riaz, India were in a spot of bother at 141 for 4.

In the meanwhile, Sachin had quietly crept past 50 (thanks to butterfingers by Pakis on 4 occasions) and holding fort. By the time he departed on 85, Pakistan had staged a comeback and were hoping to keep India under a manageable total.

Some late flurry by Dhoni, #SureshRaina and #Harbhajan helped India reach 260 in their 50 overs, way below par considering the start they had. Wahab Riaz's 5-for a fitting reward for gutsy and disciplined bowling.

But, as they say in big games runs on the board are crucial.
Is 260 enough or Pakistan will easily chase it down considering the superfast Mohali outfield?

Pakistan started their run chase steadily through #KamranAkmal and #MohdHafeez. #ZaheerKhan broke through their partnership with score on 44. Young #AsadShafiq joined Hafeez to take the innings forward. A moment of madness from Hafeez led to his downfall, Yuvraj claimed Shafiq and the ever reliable #YounisKhan and suddenly Pakistan were 106 for 4.

#UmarAkmal and #MisbahUlHaq then put on a partnership and started rebuilding. Umar upped the tempo with some lusty blows. Harbhajan struck at a timely moment for India clean bowling Akmal. #MunafPatel followed suit to get the very dangerous #AbdurRazzaq.

#ShahidAfridi started throwing his bat around while Misbah concentrated on holding his end. The required run rate was creeping up all the time. Something had to give way...

India knocked Afridi, Riaz and Gul to snatch the game away from Pak. Misbah's late heroics only delayed the inevitable. India won the game by 29 runs. Although the margin for victory was comfortable, a India-Pak game is always tense, combative and electrifying.

India moved ahead to the final of the World Cup to play #SriLanka.

MOM: Sachin Tendulkar