India own
India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan by 29 runs in a nerve-jingling second semi-final in Mohali to progress to the final.
Pakistan were skittled out for 231 in the 50th over chasing 261 and India won the right to take on Sri Lanka in a dream final in Mumbai on Saturday in the.
Zaheer Khan had Misbah-ul-Huq(56) heave high into the night sky and Virat Kohli took the catch at long-on.
Ashish Nehra continued wonderful death bowling as he trapped Umar Gul (2) plumb with a low-swinging full toss that struck him in front of leg-stump.
Nehra also had Wahab Riaz (8) slice a full ball outside off stump high in the air and Sachin Tendulkar backpedal from cover to take a straightforward catch.
Nehra also plucked out Shahid Afridi (19) with a high full toss which the Pakistan captain hit a towering drive right up in the air. Virender Sehwag settled nder the catch at cover.
Munaf Patel bowled a beauty of a leg-cutter to dupe Abdul Razzaq (3) looking to edge it down to third man for one. The slower ball gripped off the pitch and hit the outside of off stump.
Harbhajan was back to strike for India, getting one to skid on straight, and bowling dangerous-looking Umar Akmal (29) who got into a big tangle.
Yuvraj Singh gave India the vital breakthroughs, getting Younis Khan (13) to loft a cover-drive and Suresh Raina leaps above his head to pluck it out of the air at short extra-cover.
In his previous over, Yuvraj clean-bowled Asad Shafiq (30) with a straight and full delivery that the batsman decided to cut.
Mohammad Hafeez (43) gave away his wicket trying to scoop Munaf Patel down the leg from outside the off and ended behind to wicket-keeper M S Dhoni.
Zaheer Khan returned with a wicket as Kamran Akmal slashed at a wide one but could not keep it down and Yuvrah Singh took an easy catch at backward-point.
Pakistan's new pace revelation Wahab Riaz took five wickets to restrict India to 260 for 9 in 50 overs.
Suresh Raina played a little cameo of 36 off 39 balls to make sure India remain firmly in the game after they lost their way in the middle of the innings.
Hugely impressive left-arm seamer Riaz swung the ball both ways to end with marvellous figures of 10-0-46-5 and make sure six dropped catches do not count much.
The average first innings total on this ground is 258.
Riaz got Zaheer Khan (9) to give a huge heave and edge behind to Kamran Akmal.
Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with a chancy 85, not his best, having been dropped four times in a pathetic display of catching by the Pakistanis.
Saeed Ajmal, who even Tendulkar found difficult to read, foxed Harbhajan Singh (12) with a lovely doosra, allowing wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal to do the simple stumping.
Riaz came back to trap Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had been dropped two balls earlier by Akmal. Dhoni pushed around a good delivery that jagged back to hit him in front off and middle.
Ajmal also got the big wicket of Tendulkar who was caught playing a loose drive by Shahid Afridi at short extra cover for a scratchy 115-ball innings, his 95th ODI fifty and 15th in World Cup.
Tendulkar crossed 300 runs against Pakistan in World Cup when he scored 72. Tendulkar was dropped four times, thrice off Afridi.
He also had some nervy moments at the start, first a big appeal for lbw by Ajmal and then another for a stumping. And then he rocked back to pull Afridi and Misbah-ul-Huq at midwicket spilled a sharp chance low one to his right.
Hugely impressive Riaz snared in-form Yuvraj Singh (0), out first ball, with a reverse-inswinging yorker that went through. The let-arm seamer got Virat Kohli (9), who edged to Umar Akmal at backward point.
Hafeez saw Gautam Gambhir (24) come down the track but dragged the ball a touch shorter and it ripped past the edge for Akmal to complete the stumping.
Virender Sehwag was the first to go after an explosive 38 off 25 balls— he smacked Umar Gul's second over for 21 runs, including five boundaries. Riaz trapped him lbw with one that pitched on middle and leg, straightened and hurried on to Sehwag a bit.
Sehwag asked for a review but the original decision was sustained.
India brought in the left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra for the of-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Pakistan are unchanged, which means no place for Shoaib Akhtar.
In the past five years, seven of the nine games staged at the venue have been won by the side batting first and only twice have scores of 300 plus been posted.
Mohali had some heavy rain and thunderstorms Tuesday night ahead of the semi final-match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
However, the sun was out in full force on Wednesday and the match is expected to begin on schedule, according to NDTV.
The weatherman though has said that there is a slight possibility of a light shower in the evening. However even if the match is called off due to rain -- there is a reserve day (Thursday) when the match can be played.
According to the Mohali pitch curator Daljit Singh, ball is likely to seam around under the flood lights.
Five of seven day-night games here in the last five years have been won by the team batting first. But one of the exceptions was when Pakistan chased down India's 321 with a ball to spare in 2007.
In the last 11 ODIs between the two teams, since 2007, only three have been won by the team winning the toss. Eight times, the team losing the toss has won the match.
INDIA: Mahendra Singh Dhoni(Cpt.)†, Virender Sehwag, Gautum Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh
PAKISTAN: Shahid Afridi(Cpt.), Misbah-ul-Huq, Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Kamran Akmal†, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Akmal†, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan
India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan by 29 runs in a nerve-jingling second semi-final in Mohali to progress to the final.
Pakistan were skittled out for 231 in the 50th over chasing 261 and India won the right to take on Sri Lanka in a dream final in Mumbai on Saturday in the.
Zaheer Khan had Misbah-ul-Huq(56) heave high into the night sky and Virat Kohli took the catch at long-on.
Ashish Nehra continued wonderful death bowling as he trapped Umar Gul (2) plumb with a low-swinging full toss that struck him in front of leg-stump.
Nehra also had Wahab Riaz (8) slice a full ball outside off stump high in the air and Sachin Tendulkar backpedal from cover to take a straightforward catch.
Nehra also plucked out Shahid Afridi (19) with a high full toss which the Pakistan captain hit a towering drive right up in the air. Virender Sehwag settled nder the catch at cover.
Munaf Patel bowled a beauty of a leg-cutter to dupe Abdul Razzaq (3) looking to edge it down to third man for one. The slower ball gripped off the pitch and hit the outside of off stump.
Harbhajan was back to strike for India, getting one to skid on straight, and bowling dangerous-looking Umar Akmal (29) who got into a big tangle.
Yuvraj Singh gave India the vital breakthroughs, getting Younis Khan (13) to loft a cover-drive and Suresh Raina leaps above his head to pluck it out of the air at short extra-cover.
In his previous over, Yuvraj clean-bowled Asad Shafiq (30) with a straight and full delivery that the batsman decided to cut.
Mohammad Hafeez (43) gave away his wicket trying to scoop Munaf Patel down the leg from outside the off and ended behind to wicket-keeper M S Dhoni.
Zaheer Khan returned with a wicket as Kamran Akmal slashed at a wide one but could not keep it down and Yuvrah Singh took an easy catch at backward-point.
Pakistan's new pace revelation Wahab Riaz took five wickets to restrict India to 260 for 9 in 50 overs.
Suresh Raina played a little cameo of 36 off 39 balls to make sure India remain firmly in the game after they lost their way in the middle of the innings.
Hugely impressive left-arm seamer Riaz swung the ball both ways to end with marvellous figures of 10-0-46-5 and make sure six dropped catches do not count much.
The average first innings total on this ground is 258.
Riaz got Zaheer Khan (9) to give a huge heave and edge behind to Kamran Akmal.
Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with a chancy 85, not his best, having been dropped four times in a pathetic display of catching by the Pakistanis.
Saeed Ajmal, who even Tendulkar found difficult to read, foxed Harbhajan Singh (12) with a lovely doosra, allowing wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal to do the simple stumping.
Riaz came back to trap Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had been dropped two balls earlier by Akmal. Dhoni pushed around a good delivery that jagged back to hit him in front off and middle.
Ajmal also got the big wicket of Tendulkar who was caught playing a loose drive by Shahid Afridi at short extra cover for a scratchy 115-ball innings, his 95th ODI fifty and 15th in World Cup.
Tendulkar crossed 300 runs against Pakistan in World Cup when he scored 72. Tendulkar was dropped four times, thrice off Afridi.
He also had some nervy moments at the start, first a big appeal for lbw by Ajmal and then another for a stumping. And then he rocked back to pull Afridi and Misbah-ul-Huq at midwicket spilled a sharp chance low one to his right.
Hugely impressive Riaz snared in-form Yuvraj Singh (0), out first ball, with a reverse-inswinging yorker that went through. The let-arm seamer got Virat Kohli (9), who edged to Umar Akmal at backward point.
Hafeez saw Gautam Gambhir (24) come down the track but dragged the ball a touch shorter and it ripped past the edge for Akmal to complete the stumping.
Virender Sehwag was the first to go after an explosive 38 off 25 balls— he smacked Umar Gul's second over for 21 runs, including five boundaries. Riaz trapped him lbw with one that pitched on middle and leg, straightened and hurried on to Sehwag a bit.
Sehwag asked for a review but the original decision was sustained.
India brought in the left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra for the of-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Pakistan are unchanged, which means no place for Shoaib Akhtar.
In the past five years, seven of the nine games staged at the venue have been won by the side batting first and only twice have scores of 300 plus been posted.
Mohali had some heavy rain and thunderstorms Tuesday night ahead of the semi final-match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
However, the sun was out in full force on Wednesday and the match is expected to begin on schedule, according to NDTV.
The weatherman though has said that there is a slight possibility of a light shower in the evening. However even if the match is called off due to rain -- there is a reserve day (Thursday) when the match can be played.
According to the Mohali pitch curator Daljit Singh, ball is likely to seam around under the flood lights.
Five of seven day-night games here in the last five years have been won by the team batting first. But one of the exceptions was when Pakistan chased down India's 321 with a ball to spare in 2007.
In the last 11 ODIs between the two teams, since 2007, only three have been won by the team winning the toss. Eight times, the team losing the toss has won the match.
INDIA: Mahendra Singh Dhoni(Cpt.)†, Virender Sehwag, Gautum Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh
PAKISTAN: Shahid Afridi(Cpt.), Misbah-ul-Huq, Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Kamran Akmal†, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Akmal†, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan
