India record maiden World Cup semifinal victory at home

By IANS,

Mohali : India recorded their maiden World Cup semifinal win on home soil after they beat Pakistan at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here Wednesday. India had lost to England and Sri Lanka in the semifinals of 1987 and 1996 editions.The other highlights:


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* India have posted wins in all five ODIs against Pakistan at the World Cup, maintaining 100 per cent record.

* Sachin Tendulkar (85 off 115 balls) recorded his 38th fifty in India – his 95th fifty in ODIs. Tendulkar (6,958) requires 42 runs to become the first batsman to aggregate 7,000 runs at home.

* Tendulkar is the first Indian batsman to total 400 runs in the 2011 World Cup, aggregating 464 at an average of 58.00. His tally is second only to the 467 of Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan (66.71) in eight games.

* Tendulkar is also the top run-scorer in India-Pakistan ODIs, making 2,474 at an average of 39.90 in 68 matches, bettering Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 2,403 (ave.43.69) in 67 matches.

* The batting legend has not now got eight MOM awards against Pakistan. At Mohali, he was adjudged the MOM for the ninth time at the World Cup – his third against Pakistan. Overall, he has got 62 MOM awards, extending his record in ODIs.

* Gautam Gambhir and Tendulkar put on 68 for the second wicket – India’s highest against Pakistan at the World Cup.

* Zaheer Khan, with 19 wickets at 17.57, set an Indian bowling record for most wickets in a single edition of the World Cup.

* Yuvraj Singh registered his second golden duck in ODIs. His first golden duck was against Kenya at Port Elizabeth on October 17, 2001. The left-handers’s second duck at the World Cup is his 14th in ODIs.

* Virender Sehwag enjoys an excellent batting record in the 2011 World Cup, aggregating 380 runs at an average of 54.28 in seven matches. He produced his career-best performance in a series, obliterating the 348 in five matches at an average of 69.60 in the 2008 Asia Cup.

* Sehwag (38 off 25 balls) registered his top innings against Pakistan at the World Cup, eclipsing the 21 at Centurion on March 1, 2003.

* Sehwag (1,036 at 35.72) is also the sixth and Mahendra Singh Dhoni the seventh Indian to complete 1,000 runs or more against Pakistan. Sachin Tendulkar (2,474), Rahul Dravid (1,899), Mohammad Azharuddin (1,657), Sourav Ganguly (1,652), Yuvraj Singh (1,251), and Dhoni (1,001) are the others to register the feat.

* Suresh Raina (36 not out off 39 balls) posted his highest World Cup score.

* Wahab Riaz (5-46) recorded his career-best bowling performance in ODIs – his first five-wicket haul. His excellent figures are best for Pakistan against India at the World Cup, eclipsing the 3-59 by Mushtaq Ahmed at Sydney on March 4, 1992.

* Riaz is the second bowler to take five wickets in India-Pakistan games at the World Cup, the first being Venkatesh Prasad – 5-27 at Manchester on June 8, 1999.

* The left-arm pacer is the fifth Pakistani bowler to capture five wickets in an innings at the World Cup. He has joined Shahid Afridi (twice in 2011), Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Qadir.

* Riaz (5-46) is the first Pakistani bowler to take five wickets in an innings at Mohali. South Africa’s Makhaya Ntini (5-21 against Pakistan on October 27, 2006) and Riaz are the only two bowlers to take five wickets in ODIs at Mohali.

* Umar Gul (8.62) has recorded the worst economy rate by a Pakistani bowler against India at the World Cup.

* Kamran Akmal is the third wicketkeeper to effect four stumpings in the 2011 World Cup, joining Kumar Sangakkara and Mushfiqur Rahim.

* Misbah-ul-Haq completed his 2,000 runs in ODIs – 2,005 at an average of 40.91 in 71 matches.

* Not a single Pakistani batsman has made 250 in the 2011 World Cup, the highest being Misbah-ul-Haq’s tally of 248 (ave.49.60) in eight games.

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