India pegged back after explosive start

Green Park Stadium was lit up early morning by a couple of old hands, before a younger face brought back a semblance of balance to the match. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly had threatened to simply blow away Pakistan - and an uncertain pitch - with an opening stand of 68 in just over ten overs. But Sohail Tanvir's left-arm saw the back of both and pulled India back to 119 for 2 after 25 overs in the third ODI at Kanpur.

Shoaib Malik saw enough in the pitch and the morning air to fancy a bowl. His counterpart said he would've done the same and for the briefest of moments, it seemed a good decision. Then Kamran Akmal got involved; he has dropped, on average, a catch per match in recent times, and off the very first ball of the match, he gave Ganguly a life. Shoaib Akhtar angled across Ganguly a loosener, which brought forth a nervous poke, heavy edge and a horrendous spill. To compare his woes to Parthiv Patel's now seems a terrible injustice to the Indian.

Pakistan drooped, Tendulkar and Ganguly swooped; despite the swing Umar Gul found in his first over, Tendulkar was composed enough to pick off a couple of boundaries. Ganguly got in soon after, a lordly dab at Shoaib timed so well it gave point no hope.

Shoaib and Gul got faster but so did the rate of scoring. Both openers first edged through slip for boundaries, before really finding their range. Ganguly announced himself first, jumping down the track to Gul and dismissing him over long-on for six as a monarch might an errant serf. In Gul's next over, Tendulkar wreaked more damage but with greater humility: first came a tidy punch to bring up the fifty in the eighth over, followed by a late cut.

But just when it seemed yet another century stand awaited ODI cricket's greatest opening pair, Pakistan cut their losses, cut their pace and brought in Tanvir. He responded with his most controlled spell since debut. In his first over, he slowed the scoring and in his second, the natural angle he creates across the right-handed batsman induced from Tendulkar an edge. He thus fell, for the second time in succession to the unluckiest dismissal in cricket: caught Akmal.

It got better for Tanvir, as he probed away with his quirky left arm. Debate continues as to whether he is properly wrong-foot, but that he is acquitting himself well internationally cannot be argued. A few run-lite overs later, Ganguly was gone, bowled by one that came in. Subsequently, the impetus went, Tanvir and Shoaib tightening the pressure on two new batsmen. Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir didn't look unduly worried, but neither did Pakistan, 119 for two halfway through, a score both sides could find peace with.

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