ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Semifinals: India vs. Pakistan

This was the big match. The epic. The local derby. The one match that would pause the lives of over a billion people in an entire sub-continent. Companies shut shop early, and the governments interrupted their debating to join the neighbours in a show of patriotic fervor.

The rich and famous descended on Chandigarh, because after all, all you need to get good stadium seats in India is to be famous and have good contacts, while the other "ordinary" fans beg and fight for the little few thrown at them. But they, the ordinary still go to the matches, and cheer. Because this is what real fans and lovers of the sport do.

But I digress here, partly because I got really tired of the cameramen focusing on the celebrity faces during the telecast. But getting back to the match, well, contrary to what many pessimists would have predicted, it did not rain. And the pitch was well and ready for the big match.

This might not have been the Finals of the World Cup, but it hardly seemed otherwise. India chose to leave out Ashwin, a move that had potential to backfire while Pakistan took the decision of leaving out Shoaib Akhtar, a rather unemotional send-off to the man who at one time seemed destined for greatness.

Virendra Sehwag did what he always does, look comfortable and relaxed at the crease in a high pressure match. It looked ominous when he took 21 runs off an over of Pakistan's best pace bowler, Umar Gul. But once he was out, there was nothing else that gave any measure of confidence.

Tendulkar spluttered his way through an average innings built on luck, while the rest quietly disintegrated to leave Pakistan a below-par score of 260. Riaz, with his 5 wickets, led the Pakistani attack with healthy support from the spinners, and a complete lack of support from an inept fielding squad.

Article Author: Priyank Chandra

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