SPORTS
India will take on Sri Lanka in the June 24 final although before that both the teams will meet each other on June 22 in their final round-robin encounter.
India held their nerve in the final moments to snatch a sensational three wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan and sailed into the final of the Asia Cup cricket tournament here today.
India will take on Sri Lanka in the June 24 final although before that both the teams will meet each other on June 22 in their final round-robin encounter.
With two defeats out of as many matches, Pakistan crashed out of the tournament along with Bangladesh and will face each other in another inconsequential match on Monday.
Harbhajan Singh (15 not out) turned to be the hero at the Rangiri International stadium as he not only picked up two crucial Pakistani wickets but also finished the proceedings in style, hitting Mohammad Aamer for a huge six over the midwicket boundary with India needing three runs off the last two deliveries.
Chasing a competitive 267 for victory, Gautam Gambhir (83 off 97) and Dhoni (56 off 71) scored half centuries while Suresh Raina (34 off 27) and Harbhajan provided the firepower down the order to see India overwhelm the target convincingly with a ball to spare.
Earlier, Salman Butt (74) and Kamran Akmal (51) made contrasting half centuries before India made a remarkable comeback to bowl out Pakistan for 267.
Praveen Kumar (3/53), Zaheer Khan (2/41) and Harbhajan (2/47) were the pick of the Indian bowlers, sharing eight wickets between them.
It was war minus the guns as two bitter rivals fought tooth and nail for supremacy. The fortunes fluctuated wildly with Pakistan dominating at two stages in the match and India coming back strongly twice.
India's chase, however, started on a slow pace with attacking Virender Sehwag (10 off 32) finding runs hard to come by before edging one to Kamran Akmal off Abdul Razzaq.
Virat Kohli (18) too fell cheaply, leaving it upto Gambhir and Dhoni to build the platform for the victory with the 98-run third-wicket stand.
Except for an ugly mid-wicket spat between Gambhir, who survived a close call for a catch behind the wicket off Saeed Ajmal, and Kamran Akmal, the game was a perfect boost which the ODI cricket needed, more so at a time when the Twenty20
format has stolen the thunder.
Gambhir and Dhoni mixed aggression with caution to slowly but assuredly take India towards their first victory against the arch-rivals in nine months.
The duo ran hard between the wickets, often converting ones into two to the chagrin of the Pakistani fielders. When the bowlers begged to be punished, they hit hard and clean, clinically bisecting to collect boundaries.
Gambhir, oozing with confidence from his 82 against Bangladesh, was the more adventurous of the duo, often stepping out of the crease to attack the spinners. He enjoyed a reprieve at 69 when Aamer spilled a simple offer at long off.
The left-handed opener had century for the asking, but chose to cast away the opportunity, losing his citadel as he made room to back cut Saeed Ajmal.
Dhoni seemed confident from the moment he walked into the simmering cauldron. He stoutly defended when the bowlers commanded respect, but smashed them with disdain when they faltered in line and length, once heaving the dreaded Shoaib
Akthar over the ropes at wide long-on.
First with Rohit Sharma (22) and then along with Raina, Dhoni seemed determined to see his side home but he played on a Shoaib Malik delivery in the 43rd over, which triggered panic among the Indians.
But Raina was cut out at his task as he hit two sixes and two boundaries during his 27-ball stay to take India closer towards the victory.
Needing seven runs in the last over, Indian lost Raina to an unnecessary run out in the second ball of the over.
From there on it was left to Harbhajan to take up the responsibility and the off-spinner took the opportunity with both hands to see India home with a ball to spare and avenge their 56-run defeat to the arch-rivals in the Champions Trophy
in South Africa last September.
Earlier, opting to bat in the do-or-die match, Butt constructed two substantial partnerships at the start of the innings -- first a 71-run opening stand with Imran Farhat (25) and then shared 73 runs with Shoaib Malik (39) -- before three quick wickets in the middle overs put brakes on the Pakistani scoring.
Pakistan were cruising at the 144 for one in the 29th over and looked good to make a total in excess of 290 before Indian bowlers scalped three wickets in just 17 balls to storm back into the game.
The wickets slowly but assuredly tightened the noose around the Pakistan middle-order, who failed to get going on a slow and low Dambulla wicket.
Pakistan got off to a solid start with Butt and Indian Cricket League-returnee Imran Farhat posting 71 runs for the first wicket.
The openers were right on top of the Indian attack when Harbhajan produced the much-needed breakthrough, having comebackman Farhat smartly snaffled by Virender Sehwag at the first slip.
But from there on India had to wait for 13 overs for another wicket as Butt and former captain Shoaib Malik, who is returning to the national team after three months following the removal of his 12-month ban, batted with rare aplomb to
set the platform for a big total.
The duo rotated the strike to upset the line of the spinners and occasionally scored a boundary to keep the score card ticking.
But just as Pakistan began to assert themselves in the middle, left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan went through Mali's defence to give India the breakthrough.
To add to Pakistan's dismay, Butt followed suit in the next over. He fell to a spectacular piece of fielding from Ravindra Jadeja on his follow through.
Butt, who has scored five of his eight ODI hundreds against India, struck nine boundaries during his 85-ball stay.
As if the double blow was not enough, Umar Amin (5) was brilliantly caught by Virat Kohli off Harbhajan four overs later but inspite of that Pakistan were in a good position at 159 for four in the 33rd over.
But then Umar Akmal (21) and skipper Shahid Afridi, who asserted himself in the middle with a towering straight six off Harbhajan, steadied the Pakistani ship with a 37-run fifth-wicket stand that came off just 29 balls.
Just when it was time to step on the accelerator, Umar Akmal was caught behind by Dhoni off Ravindra Jadeja.
Afridi too perished in the 44th over, trapped in front of the wicket by Praveen but not before hitting two fours and a six.
However, a late cameo from Kamran Akmal helped Pakistan go beyond the 250-mark. The wicket-keeper batsman struck three fours and as many sixes to pile up 40 runs in the last five overs and help Pakistan reach the competitive total.
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