Yes, we did it! š
India gave a fitting reply to their neighbors Pakistan who considered themselves above everything!
India into the Finals of the World Cup 2011 for the third time, and this time it was even more juicy beating Pakistan en route. Every Indian must have savored this special moment which they witnessed and I am sure none will forget it for a lifetime.
Must say, the game was totally hyped. Right after the victory against Aussies, media were at it. 24hrs they showed only one thing, spoke about one thing India vs Pakistan Semi Final encounter. So many blog posts, so many articles in the span of 4-5 days about the encounter that it was just a must WIN match for the Indian team. Lose it and you get F****D big time.
The biggest decision Dhoni took was opting for Indian pacer Ashish Nehra for in form offie Ravichandran Ashwin. He being the captain of the Indian team for so long knows something better than us sitting out here. Lakhs of people had their voices raised for this decision of Dhoni’s to keep Ashwin out. The game was yet to begin and we just needed to wait and watch!
Dhoni winning the toss and electing to bat first was a fantastic decision. Chasing under lights and that too a India vs Pakistan encounter, would definitely be tough and Dhoni got it right. Spectacular start for the innings by Sehwag and our lil’ master Sachin Tendulkar set the stage for India. Sachin was in GOD MODE yesterday. 4 lives Pakistani fielders gifted him and that was what our lil’ master needed. He capitalized on it. Got to a fantastic score of 85 without which India would have surely struggled to defend. Gambhir played a good innings but sacrified his wicket in a hurry to get the run rate up. Kohli and Yuvraj were on the lower scoring side yest. Must mention the bowling of Wahab Riaz who was chosen in place of Rawalpindi Express. He did deliver. 5 fantastic wickets. Kudos. With 260 on board India were well in the game.
Pakistan started off pretty well with Kamran Akmal ( yes the always blabbering keeper ) and hafeez gave them a decent start until the pack started to fall. Zaheer, Munaf, Yuvraj, Bhajji all picking up 2 wickets each. How can anyone forget the contribution of ASHISH NEHRA? 10 overs 33 runs and 2 wickets! The best bowling figures amongst the Indian bowlers. He really silenced the blabbering people. All those who had pointed fingers at him were forced to keep it back on their nose. He bowled exceptionally well. Dhoni was spot on with his team selection. Best Captain ever. Take a bow.
Was the match FIXED?
A lot of questions are now being raised seeing the way team Pakistan played last night. Firstly in the fielding department. 7 catches dropped. 4 of Tendulkar alone!
Secondly, what the f**k was Misbah Ul Haq doing? Did he think it was a Test match or something? Until the powerplay started he never seemed to be in a mood to hit the ball!
Thirdly, why dint Pakistan take the powerplay when Razzaq and Misbah were at the crease?
All these things summed together you are sure to get the same question in your mind – Was the match FIXED? Only time will tell.
Hear what Afridi had to tell in the post match presentation.
” I PROUD I AM CAPTAIN OF THIS GUYS” – Sahid Afridi, Captain – Pakistan
Be it fixed or not, INDIA won it at the end. That is what matters š
Mumbai here we come! India vs Sri Lanka the finals on Saturday 2nd April 2011. 2 of the best sides in cricket at present will battle it out for the greatest glory.
Lets win this one for SACHIN TENDULKAR. He truly deserves it.
Bring it on. Lets have it!
Cheers
Muki
Moments Through The Journey 
1. Fixing: A side which has been remarkable in the field dropping so many catches – is not logically real in any sense. The keeper was also poked with the same question a few games ago for the consistency in which he was dropping the ball.
2. Misbah’s batting: Either he was planning to retire from cricket, or get killed or something or he got paid. There was no logic or sense to the way he played. 5 wickets fell around him due to the pressure he alone created. A batsman of his quality could have still found singles at will. He showed no desire, and I personally wish ICC investigates him in particular.
3. At the end of the day, all that matters is we won the semis. What seemed like a par score, and a strange Nehra selection, Dhoni’s acceptance in the end to reading the pitch wrong deserves Respect.
4. Riaz was fantastic today. Epitomized the commitment of the kid playing for his country. [IMO – deserved MOTM]
5. Afridi – was beyond my expectations. The game was played in such good spirits. A wonderful passionate player. Respect.
@DOC: Agree with u on the Misbah thing. He was crazy to play the way he played! Afridi as a captain – THUMBS UP!
yup even i have a feeling that the match was fixed. Had read a good report a couple of days back…
Another thing i would like to mention is when India won, manmohan singh clapping and a grumpy looking gillani looking on.. and then his assistant came over and what i presume, reminded him to wish manmohan, cos the very next second he did it.
All in all, a wonderful day, esp for me, who had stopped watching international cricket for 6 years now, and infact even before the game i was telling others-“india vs pak, big deal”. But surely a day to remember.
Oh is it? I dint see that! seen manmohan singh clapping and gilani with a grumpy look but not the handshake thing. SERVED THEM RIGHT!
I think it was bhajji/s doosra completely confusing Umar Akmal,(looked really promising with his big shots) which was the “Change the Game” moment. Ian Chappell made an interesting observation during the post-match discussion about the way Akmal was batting. Akmal’s mind was completely opposite to that of Sehwag. Sehwag has a clean uncluttered mind and Akmal’s had a totally cluttered mind. Misbah on the other had frustrated him to the core with those dead defences and failing to rotate strike. Akmal was already expecting a shot length off cutter from bhajji, when the deadly doosra( was much of top spin) came into him and if one watches the replay, it totally seems Akmal had no clue what was happening once the ball had pitched. By the time he realized where the ball went, he had heard the bails back of him legs. I was an amazing delivery which I really enjoyed yesterday. (Just before bhajji came in, I was talking about where the fuck was the ungli mein tingli)
For me the ball of the tournament was from Munaf Patel! It was just mind boggling. And must say, Bhajji’s ball to pluck of Umar Akmal too was crucial. He looked really dangerous!
@GShyam: If I recollect, Akmal misread the pace of the ball off the pitch, or at least in real time it seemed like it zipped off the turf, making it almost unplayable. But the situation which Misbah created at the other end, plus the comfort with which Akmal was stroking around, it was ideal to pluck him out first ball of Bhajji’s over.
Yes, It seemed like he couldn’t get the pace of the ball. That is why I said I said it was a more of a top spinner. I agree Misbah spoiled it for Pak. But I thought, Akmal was the man who could take away the match from us.
@gshyam: true… i can’t agree more.