I once met an astrologer who never watched India-Pakistan matches: He knew the outcome. It would end in despair. The astrologer was born in pre-partition Lahore, but post 1947, he crossed over to Lucknow. There’s a bit of the astrologer in most Indians and Pakistanis.
Pak win the toss, MSD looks shifty at the toss, no wonder he had his hands tied behind. No Amit Mishra - if India don't play him today, they never will in an ODI.
Bored question: How many times did you hear DRY in the pre-match talk - 1)10 2)7 3)6 And how many times did you hear 'Nightmare for seamers', 'the sun is beating down' and 'there are cracks' too?
Aside: It's been close to 7 years since Mishra made his debut and played his last ODI.
An African sings the national anthem. Elsewhere Misbah sings in the bathroom.
Game begins, a close run out call, Raina-Kohli get mildly physical.
Regardless of what happens later, RP will not make my final eleven. He won't make my final DC eleven. Paging Praveen Kumar. (oh right, that warm-up game)
Ok, wrong tweet on NakedCricket: "Can almost see him playing across and getn bowled now" - Imran Nazir holds out instead
And I'm still thinking: Why wouldn't you play Amit Mishra? Another four, Ishant takes over from where RP left.
When will MSD bring on spin: When Ishant+RP go for 50 of 5
MSD won't read this, but you can
That was Kamran Akmal playing on, with shots like that agriculture will get a new fillip in the region
RP's back and so are we. That one over had more in it than the last many by ishnat+nehra - dropped catch, wide ball, misfield
That doesn't seem right: RP Singh takes a wicket. Shit happens. So does RP.
Younis Khan and his broken finger take our leave. (and here's some light reading - Younis Khan sets off the bullshit detector)
MoYo, the frowning face of the ICL is back. Let's welcome him with a bouncer.
MoYo's innings will define this Pak innings. And also ICL's standing in world cricket.
Been a dull passage of play, then the passage through India - RP misfields, 2 becomes 4, and we're all laughing again. Clearly he's a Deccan Uncharger.
Bhajji bowling like a nervous drama queen, too bad he can't bite his nails while darting it in.
Bored Question: where will MSD hide those remaining Bhajji overs
MS should have bowled Yusuf through, change of ends may not work - instead, he should have changed Bhajji's end, if he intends to get his 7 overs in.
There you go, first four off Yusuf's bowling, MS has had no feel for this game, even less for his bowlers.
Look out for the Paki spinners: they will bowl an off or middle stump line, not like Bhajji way outside off, or outside leg. Can see some LBWs, bowled dismissals coming up. In the second innings.
8 overs to go: Pak will have to bat as badly as India have bowled to lose it from here.
MSD's throw, a pointer to how off target he and the bowlers have been today
May sound funny, but only the batting power play can save India now
Sanjay Manjrekar: His Lordship, Bhajji doesn't know how to bowl full. He's just full of himself.
Sit back, and enjoy the master class: If this is the Batting Power Play, then what was that for the last 30 overs. Misnomers.
Ravi Shastri: Up the ante, find something new.
Like I said earlier, only a power play could buy India a wicket. (Aside: yeah, you're such a know it all)
A trademark Bhajji wide, followed by a fluke: A wicket. Thankfully the cameras panned away, else we would've had to suffer a trademark Bhajji celebration.
Target: 303
Bhajji, RP and MS tried for a few more, but 303 is all they could give the Pakis. Bhajji bowled 8 overs too many, Kohli one extra one, and Raina none. Also, Mishra didn't bowl any, but then he wasn't picked.
India's middle overs aka the middle age overs
And when will RDX hit his next four: Oh, don't be impatient, a freehit is just round the corner
Boy, this is a long match. It's just gone into 27/9/09 - One day cricket my foot, call it Two day cricket. Today.
That SIX from Raina gives the Indian reply new purpose. If the game were to finish in the next six balls, that SIX, you will remember.
First Afridi for MSD, and now Ajmal for Raina: Watch them appeal, India. They don't appeal, they beg, demand, want. At best India's appeals were belated.
Don't think I'll waste a word on Yusuf Pathan, but you can check him out here. That pretty much sums it up.
India live in hope that the 7th batsman/allrounder will pull off a stunning win. The team selection is based on this false hope, and we're getn into a loop here: Amit Mishra again is it?
While he was sleeping, RDX hit a four, and it wasn't even a free hit. In the background Bod Dylan sings, the times are a changing...
It's a thankless job being Rahul Dravid, damned if you, damned if you don't. Dravid has become a cliche, nobody understands him. The cramps could earn him a rest for the next few games. Who will rememeber this innings?
RP gone, hopefully for a while: When did you ever see MoYo slide and take a catch - the ICL does strange things to strange people.
Now for some studied fwd defence from Ishant. If only he could be half as copybook with the bowling.
Ishant gone...And now the ICL's Rana Naved doing them so proud they want him back
Yet again the batting power play strikes. Don't take cocaine if you can't handle it guys.
Befitting end, Bhajji on the reverse sweep, bowled. Thought he was playing his own bowling. Always the wrong line.
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