By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
Jaipur : Shoaib Malik played the captain’s role to perfection as he guided Pakistan to a consolation 31-run win over India in the fifth and final One-Day International to reduce the final margin to 2-3 here Sunday.
Malik top-scored with 89 (82 balls, 6x4s, 2x6s) and then took three wickets as he helped his team notch a morale-boosting win at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium ahead of the three-match Test series starting in Delhi Thursday.
Besides Malik, Mohammed Yousuf scored an 82-ball 74 (4x4s) in Pakistan’s 306 for six wickets in 50 overs, and then left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir struck four vital blows as India were bundled out for 275 in 49.5 overs.
With the series already decided before this day-night encounter, both teams, with an eye on the Tests, gave opportunities to the players who had not played in the series.
The other notable performers were Irfan Pathan, who scored 43 (39 balls, 4x4s, 1×6) as he tried hard to get close to the Pakistani total in the company of the tail-enders, Rohit Sharma, who scored his maiden half-century (52, 61 balls, 3x4s, 1×6) and pacer Sreesanth, who took three scalps.
For Pakistan, Yousuf and Malik, who rediscovered his form, were involved in the biggest partnership of the innings, 168 for the fourth wicket.
Chasing Pakistan’s total under the lights, India lost Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa quickly. Gambhir failed to read the line of left-arm pacer Tanvir’s delivery and was out leg before the wicket while Uthappa consumed by pacer Rao Ifthikhar Anjum.
Uthappa failed to take advantage of the ‘life’ Misbah-ul-Haq had provided him two balls earlier when he dropped the catch at the second slip off Anjum.
But Sachin Tendulkar, in the company of Virender Sehwag, played some sizzling square cuts and off-the-pad shots for boundaries off speedsters Umar Gul and Tanvir. Sehwag square drove Tanvir for a boundary, but preferred to give strike to his senior partner.
After stepping out to Tanvir, who bore the brunt of Tendulkar’s attack, to tap him to a boundary, the maestro tried to play an uppish shot off the same bowler but Misbah at wide second slip took a good catch.
Sehwag followed Tendulkar and India were suddenly tottering at 62 for four. Sehwag chased a widish delivery from Tanvir and edged the ball to debutant wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who replaced Kamran Akmal in the XI.
Sharma and Yuvraj Singh then steadied the ship with their fine 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Sharma rotated the strike well and when he found the bearings he also launched himself into attack. He lofted Anjum to long off for a six, two balls after Yuvraj had inside edged the same bowler for a lucky boundary.
Yuvraj had a scare when he was hit on the side of his helmet as he took his eyes off an Anjum delivery.
Mumbai’s Sharma finally reached his maiden half-century with a square cut boundary off left-arm spinner Fawad Alam. But he was out soon after when he hesitated a bit while lofting off-spinner Malik to long on and Yasir Hameed took the catch to signal his end.
Yuvraj, who was joined by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, escaped a stumping attempt at 39 as he managed to put his bat in the crease just in time. The Punjab batsman swept the next ball for a huge six over mid-wicket, and completed his 34th half-century off 61 balls (3x4s, 1×6).
Dhoni, who had hit 183 against Sri Lanka at this venue in 2005, also got into the act as he scored his first boundary off pacer Gul. In the same over, Dhoni twisted his ankle while turning for a second run, prompting to call Sehwag as a runner with the total being 188 for five.
India now needed 119 runs off 86 balls at 8.3 runs per over.
The long break seemed to have broken Yuvraj’s concentration and on the first ball after resumption he tried to play a pull shot but was declared out. Television replays, however, showed that the ball had not touched the bat on way to the wicketkeeper.
Soon, Dhoni, struggling with his twisted leg, strangely took a few steps to loft Malik out of the ground, but spooned a catch to Nazir. From 143 for five India slipped to 195 for seven.
With this wicket, India’s fight was effectively over, barring some entertaining lofted shots by Murali Karthik, Sreesanth and Pathan.
Earlier, Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl first, apparently taking into account the evening dew that poses problems for the bowlers and fielders.
Salman Butt (36, 49 balls, 6x4s) and Imran Nazir, playing his first match of the series, gave Pakistan a solid start of 65 runs. In-form Butt again started off well against an attack that comprised debutant pacer Praveen Kumar, who became the 170th Indian to play ODIs.
Nazir hit Praveen for two boundaries and the bowler conceded four leg byes in one expensive over. But overall, the Uttar Pradesh bowler, who has been with the team for the entire series without getting a chance to play, bowled the tight first over and even moved the ball away from the batsmen.
Sreesanth, also playing his first match of the series, struck the first blow when Butt tried to hook but ended up top edging the ball to Sharma at mid wicket.
Yasir Hameed, batting for the first time in the series, followed Butt soon after. After only five runs were added to the total, he tried to steer a Sreesanth delivery but only managed a snick the ball to Dhoni.
Nazir became the third wicket to fall with the addition of 12 runs. He tried to drive through the covers, could not middle the shot and the ball popped up for bowler Sreesanth to take the catch.
After Nazir’s dismissal – the third strike by Sreesanth in three successive overs – Malik and Yousuf joined hands and got down to repairing the damage. Showing good understanding, they judged and ran their singles and doubles well.
Yousuf was all grace as he played some delectable masterstrokes on the off side. Malik also came to terms with captaincy and batting and notched up the highest score of the series.
Both put on 168 for the fourth wicket, a partnership that was instrumental in Pakistan crossing the 300-run mark.
Karthik broke the biggest stand of the innings when Malik made a premeditated charge and the left-arm spinner deceived him before Dhoni whipped off the bails. Yousuf too was out soon after that, also stumped by Dhoni off Yuvraj.
Down the order, Fawad Alam and Misbah raised 38 for the sixth wicket. Fawad, playing his second ODI, showed his talent and courage while making a strokeful and unbeaten 32 off just 23 balls. He also smashed two boundaries and one six. Misbah made 22 off 17 balls (1×4, 1×6).
SCOREBOARD
Fifth ODI, India vs. Pakistan, Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur
Pakistan:
Salman Butt c Sharma b Sreesanth 36
Imran Nazir c & b Sreesanth 20
Yasir Hameed c Dhoni b Sreesanth 1
Mohammad Yousuf st Dhoni b Yuvraj 74
Shoaib Malik st Dhoni b Kartik 89
Misbah-ul-Haq c & b Pathan 22
Fawad Alam not out 32
Sohail Tanvir not out 3
Extras: (leg byes 10, wides 18, no ball 1) 29
Total: (for six wickets in 50 overs) 306
Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Butt, 12.6 overs), 2-70 (Hameed, 14.4), 3-77 (Nazir, 16.5), 4-245 (Malik, 42.2), 5-261 (Yousuf, 43.6), 6-299 (Misbah, 48.6),
Bowling:
Praveen Kumar 10 1 50 0 (1nb, 1w)
Sreesanth 10 1 52 3 5.20 (4w)
Irfan Pathan 10 0 59 1 (2w)
Murali Karthik 10 0 62 1 (2w)
Virender Sehwag 4 0 26 0 (1w)
Yuvraj Singh 6 0 47 1 (4w)
India:
Gautam Ganbhir lbw b Tanvir 12
Sachin Tendulkar c Misbah b Tanvir 30
Robin Uthappa c Misbah b Anjum 1
Virender Sehwag c Sarfraz b Tanvir 10
Rohit Sharma c Hameed b Malik 52
Yuvraj Singh c Sarfraz b Gul 50
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Nazir b Malik 24
Irfan Pathan b Tanvir 43
Praveen Kumar c Tanvir b Malik 12
Murali Karthik c Nazir b Anjum 16
Sreesanth not out 10
Extras: (lb 3, w 11) 14
Total: (all out in 49.5 overs) 275
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Gambhir, 3.4 overs), 2-26 (Uthappa, 6.4), 3-57 (Tendulkar, 9.6), 4-62 (Sehwag, 11.3), 5-143 (Sharma, 27.6), 6-188 (Yuvraj, 35.5), 7-195 (Dhoni, 37.4), 8-214 (Praveen, 41.4), 9-238 (Karthik, 44.2)
Bowling:
Umar Gul 10 0 49 1 (1w)
Sohail Tanvir 9.5 0 53 4 (7w)
Iftikhar Anjum 10 1 52 2 (1w)
Fawad Alam 10 0 56 0
Shoaib Malik 10 0 61 3 (2w)
Result: Pakistan won by 31 runs
Series: India won 3-2
Man of the Match: Shoaib Malik
Man of the Series: Yuvraj Singh
Umpires: Billy Doctrove (West Indies) and Suresh Shastri (India)
TV umpire: Amiesh Saheba (India)
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka)