முதலில் ஆடிய பாகிஸ்தான் 5 விக்கெட்டுகள் இழந்து 115 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்றது. இந்திய அணி 15.5 ஓவர்களில் 4 விக்கெட்டுகள் இழப்புடன் இலக்கை எட்டி வெற்றி பெற்றது. Virat Kohli 37 பந்துகளை எதிர் கொண்டு ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் 55 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்றார்.
Chasing a target of 119 runs in a rain-affected 18 over match, the home side finished things in just 15.5 overs with six wickets in hand. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 55 off 37 balls aided by a poised 24 by Yuvraj Singh.
Dhoni played the finisher’s role once again with a nine ball 13. On a wicket where Indian spinners turned the ball in ‘square angles’, Pakistan bowlers failed to reap any benefits.
Earlier, on a wet ground Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, after winning the toss, had decided to send the opponents to experiment in the middle.
The pitch started showing off its true colours in the very second over, when Indian off spinner R Aswhin did beat Sharjeel Khan and Ahmed Shehzad with some unbelievable turn. The last delivery of Aswhin’s second over had deviated as much as 127 centimetres from its original direction by the time it reached the batsman.
Not only the spinners Aswhin, Ravindra Jadeja or Suresh Raina, but the Indian fast bowlers also have extracted some sharp turn from the pitch with slow paced cutters. Batsmen were forced to dance at the crease in order to find the direction of the ball.
After some steadying efforts by the openers and a quick dismissal of captain Shahid Afridi (8), it was the late-over heroics by Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal that took Pakistan to a total of 5/118. From 16 balls each, Malik has scored 26 and Akmal 22.
“It was a challenging wicket, that’w what you want as a cricketer,” said Virat Kohli after the match. “A good pitch, a good bowling attack and you pulling your team out of trouble.”
This win has helped India to remain a strong contender in the tournament, after losing to New Zealand in their first encounter. Pakistan lost the advantage it had after the first win against Bangladesh on the same venue. Image
Eden Garden at its best
As anticipated, the atmosphere was electric at Eden Gardens. Even the heavy thunderstorms that poured in before the match could not kill the mood; It could only cut down the the match by four overs.
