Sparkling Sachin takes wind out of Pakistan's sails

Sachin Tendulkar fell just two runs short of his 35th one-day century, though he notched up another landmark - his 12,000th run.

More specifically, to the delight of huge, noisy support in the crowd, and hundreds of millions more back home, his innings provided India the momentum to destroy Pakistan's hopes, which were reasonably high after a Saeed Anwar hundred had led them to a competitive total.

To complete Pakistan's defeat, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh filled the breach after Tendulkar's fall, with a run-a-ball 99 for an unbroken fifth-wicket stand which sealed India's fourth win on the trot, by six wickets, with 4.2 overs to spare.

Pakistan are still not out of the event, but if they do qualify for Super Sixes, they would not go in with many points in the bank. They have to pick themselves up and win big against Zimbabwe on March 4, and then hope the rest oblige (such as Australia beating England today) to allow them to squeeze in.

Tendulkar, who hobbled on one leg from 73 onwards, fell with India still 97 runs adrift when Shoaib Akhtar produced a brute of a ball to square him up, and Younis Khan came charging in from point to scoop up the edge inches off the ground.

But by then the deed had been more or less done. Tendulkar's innings (98, 75 balls, 12 fours, 1 six), was not without blemish, for he gave two chances, one a relatively straightforward one to Abdul Razzaq at mid-off off Wasim Akram.

Tendulkar's innings overshadowed a brilliant hundred by Saeed Anwar, which led Pakistan to a highly competitive 273 and had sparked, albeit briefly, hopes of a revival.

It was not to be. Pakistan's trump bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar (72 for 1 wicket in 10 overs) and Waqar Younis (71 for 2 wickets in 8.4 overs) in particular - though the rest too were guilty to a lesser degree - fed Tendulkar and other Indian batsmen short and wide balls on both sides of the wicket.

Tendulkar, followed by others, made mincemeat of them all, with great relish. Some years ago, India would have wilted under the weight of such a target, but no longer.

Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag started off the chase spiritedly, tearing into Akram and Akhtar straight away. The latter was spanked for 18 in his first over and taken off by Waqar, who brought himself on. But he bowled as poorly to start with, until his two-wicket burst sent back Sehwag through a great catch by Afridi and Ganguly was leg-before to the very next delivery.

After Razzaq's miss, Tendulkar and Mohammad Kaif continued to demolish whatever Waqar threw at them, adding a hundred for the third wicket before Afridi got through the latter's defences.

Tendulkar too didn't survive for long afterwards. Pakistan scented a whiff of an opportunity here, and Akram was brought back. But Yuvraj (50, 53 balls, 6 fours) and Dravid (44, 76 balls) made sure there were no hiccups.

Earlier Saeed Anwar made his first hundred in three years. It was vintage stuff from a great batsman, rolling back the years in what is his swan song on the world stage.

With conditions conducive to seam bowling, Waqar won the toss, and without an instant's hesitation, elected to bat. With both sides palpably full of nerves, Pakistan got off to a good start with Anwar and Taufeeq Umar going past 50 in 10 overs.

Umar was bowled through the gate by Zaheer Khan when he seemed set for a bigger score, and Razzaq crawled to 12 before swishing one to Dravid, who took a fine diving catch behind the stumps.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, having started with an emphatic four over Kumble's head, missed out again by running himself out for the 35th time. Yousuf Youhana stayed longer, gathering ones and twos in his typical style, and partnering Anwar in a fourth wicket stand of 88 before holing out to mid-wicket.

Anwar (101, 126 balls, 7 fours) anchored the innings brilliantly, and when he was fifth out - to a fast inswinging yorker from the otherwise hapless Ashish Nehra - on the first delivery of the 41st over, Pakistan had already posted 195.

It was time for the big hitters to make their presence felt. Though Pakistan lost Afridi and Younis (32, 36 balls, 2 fours), an improvising Rashid Latif (29, off 25 balls, 2 fours) and Akram, stroking two fours on the last two deliveries, took Pakistan to a highly competitive total.

The value of Anwar's 20th one-day hundred can be measured from the fact that the highest contribution next to him was Younis' 32. India's attack has been Anwar's favourite over the years; of his 20 hundreds, four have come against the arch-rivals, including his highest, world record 194.

He went past 2,000 against India, in just 50 games. In the twilight of his career, Anwar seemed to be so eager to make a statement, to make his bat do the talking. That was exactly what he did, but without the flamboyance of yore.

He paced his innings exceptionally well, concentrating on working the ball through the gaps and rotating the strike instead of going for his signature lofted drives and pulls.

At the conclusion of his innings, the wagon-wheel graphically displayed that he had craftily plastered the Indian attack to all parts of the park. But it was all in vain, as Tendulkar took the game away from Pakistan.