India in command, 119-2 wickets in 20 overs - ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Semi-Final
India have added 119 runs for the loss of 2 wickets at the end of the 20th over with Sachin Tendulkar unbeaten on 45 runs.
The 'Mother of All Matches' is underway at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in the Indian city of Mohali with a capacity crowd in attendance. The hype around the match, propelled by the people of India and Pakistan and the cricketing world in general, have focused their eyes on the second semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 between the estranged neighbours.
The winning team will face Sri Lanka at the Wenkhede Stadium in Mumbai who has already qualified for the Final after beating New Zealand by five wickets on 29th March.
India won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch full of runs. The Men in Blue have brought in Ashish Nehra in place of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who has done well in the previous matches. Pakistan went into the match with the same team which won the quarter-final match against the West Indies.
Both teams were introduced with the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan who were in attendance at the match. India opened the innings with their regular openers, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, as Pakistan's bowling attack was initiated by Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq. Sehwag severely dealt with the bowlers and thrashed 5 fours in the second over from Gul.
Bowling changes were made by Shahid Afridi by bringing in Wahab Riaz and replacing Razzaq who took the prized wicket of Sehwag with the Indian score at 48 once he had scored a brisk 38 runs off 25 balls. Gautam Gambhir joined at the crease and Tendulkar opened his arms, Afridi brought another change and ball was handed over to Saeed Ajmal. He was declared leg before wicket on the fourth ball of the eleventh over bowled by Ajmal. A review was taken and he was declared not out.
India crossed the 50-run mark in the seventh over. Tendulkar got another life when he was dropped on 27 by Misbah-Ul-Haq off the bowling of Saeed Ajmal who was doing well with the ball. Mohammad Hafeez was introduced in the attack and on the fifth ball of his second over, Gambhir was smartly stumped by Kamran Akmal when he had scored 27 runs with the total at 116 runs. Tendulkar was dropped again in the 20th over by Younis Khan and gave him another life. At the end of 20th over, India had scored 119 runs, Tendulkar was unbeaten on 45 and Virat Kohli on a single.
India is doing well with the bat and they can expect a score of around 320-340 runs if they carry on like this, which will be difficult to chase by Pakistan.