The fifth ODI of Asia Cup 2012 and you could cut the tension with a knife. A cricket match between India and Pakistan has always been a contest worth watching. I am a great fan of the game of cricket, but whenever I watch India taking on Pakistan, it's never for the cricket; it's the expressions on the faces of the cricketers and their body language that engage my interest. I was a little disappointed though, knowing my favorite Pakistani cricketer, Shoaib Akhtar, was not playing.
In addition to all the sledging, I also wanted to see The Little Master - Sachin Tendulkar - play after being relieved the great pressure of scoring a hundred centuries in cricket.
Watching Pakistan bat into the first twenty overs of their innings, I began losing hope for India. Like me, even they have very little faith in themselves. After the openers playing a terrific innings and putting on a partnership of 224 (or 244, don't quite remember), the remaining batsmen managed to take Pakistan's score to a mind-boggling 329. Pakistan managed to get a score of 329 despite the fact that they opted for an extra pace bowler and were batting shallow.
I thought all my prayers had failed when Gautam Gambhir managed to get himself out on a duck. But the partnership that Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli put up left India in a quite good position despite the early loss of Gambhir. Kohli's follow up with 183 and Rohit Sharma's 68 made the game worth my time.
I was a little disappointed as I was expecting a bit of swearing and middle-finger-raising (not on the pitch, of course) after Kohli knocked his way to 183. However, the 'Do Not Get In My Way' look he displayed after reaching his century was quite entertaining, and his wild punches in the air while holding the stumps after the end of the match were even more so.
A majority of my Facebook friends (especially the Pakistanis) claimed that it was Kohli against Pakistan. I beg to differ. If it wasn't for Sachin's fifty with Kohli and later the backup that Rohit Sharma provided, Kohli may not have been able to play the marvelous innings he played despite his splendid form of late.
All in all, it was a wonderful contest. I was happy to see India emerge as the victors and I hope it wins the Asia Cup.
In addition to all the sledging, I also wanted to see The Little Master - Sachin Tendulkar - play after being relieved the great pressure of scoring a hundred centuries in cricket.
Watching Pakistan bat into the first twenty overs of their innings, I began losing hope for India. Like me, even they have very little faith in themselves. After the openers playing a terrific innings and putting on a partnership of 224 (or 244, don't quite remember), the remaining batsmen managed to take Pakistan's score to a mind-boggling 329. Pakistan managed to get a score of 329 despite the fact that they opted for an extra pace bowler and were batting shallow.
I thought all my prayers had failed when Gautam Gambhir managed to get himself out on a duck. But the partnership that Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli put up left India in a quite good position despite the early loss of Gambhir. Kohli's follow up with 183 and Rohit Sharma's 68 made the game worth my time.
I was a little disappointed as I was expecting a bit of swearing and middle-finger-raising (not on the pitch, of course) after Kohli knocked his way to 183. However, the 'Do Not Get In My Way' look he displayed after reaching his century was quite entertaining, and his wild punches in the air while holding the stumps after the end of the match were even more so.
A majority of my Facebook friends (especially the Pakistanis) claimed that it was Kohli against Pakistan. I beg to differ. If it wasn't for Sachin's fifty with Kohli and later the backup that Rohit Sharma provided, Kohli may not have been able to play the marvelous innings he played despite his splendid form of late.
All in all, it was a wonderful contest. I was happy to see India emerge as the victors and I hope it wins the Asia Cup.
No comments:
Post a Comment