No circus from India. Rohit and Dhawan will open..One slip!
And...we are back for the chase! It was not a hara-kiri out there; was a slow death with 9 wickets spread across 20 overs and the UAE resembled a hedgehog clasped in my palms. Understandable nerves but what needs to be appreciated is that they are here, crossing the qualification hurdles to earn a match-up against India and the other big guns.
HOWZSTAT: The last time India played an international game against the UAE was during the 2015 World Cup (28 Feb' 2015) and Shaiman Anwar was the only one who looked like gettting some runs there. He scored 35 then and 43 now, meaning he is the leading run-scorer on both occasions.
UAE spoiled a perfect script for India by opting to bat and how did India avenge that? By restricting them well below hundred. It all started with Bhuvneshwar Kumar drawing first blood, which opened the floodgates. UAE looked clueless against the Indian quicks first and later against the spinners. Their innings was all about ugly heaves and swings, which rightly resulted in wickets at regular intervals. Chastened by the spate of wicket-falls, the best plan for the minnows would have been to get a partnership in the middle. Instead, they tried to hit their way out of trouble. And as is the case often, the ploy did not work out well, precipitating 77 dot balls in the process. Though India wanted to bat first, they won't mind where they stand after the completion of 20 overs. Every bowler used today got at least a wicket and now it is the turn of the batsmen to go in and overwhelm the minuscule target. The only thing to look forward to in the next innings is whether India will shuffle the batting order? Chase in a while from now...
19.6 -
Bhuvneshwar to Qadeer Ahmed, no run, and again! The bouncer on the stumps and Qadeer Ahmed ain't getting any bat on that. Missed it by a long way
Qadeer Ahmed, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Ahmed Raza, out Shaiman Anwar Run Out!! Shaiman Anwar had to run and he ends up running himself out, but must say it was all for the team cause. Just imagine how disastrous a total would be sans the 43 of Shaiman Anwar. It was a bouncer and Raza was hurried for pace. Fails to connect with the big swing and they tried to steal a bye. Dhoni hits the bulls-eye and Shaiman Anwar wasn't even in the frame. Shaiman Anwar run out (Dhoni) 43(48) [4s-3 6s-1]
Bhuvneshwar to Ahmed Raza, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
19.4 -
Bhuvneshwar to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, makes room and pulls this shortish delivery off the inside half through mid-wicket
19.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to Shaiman Anwar, no run, walks across the stumps and fails to flick this full delivery slung down the leg-side, could have been a wide had he stayed still
Ahmed Raza, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.2 -
Bhuvneshwar to Naveed, out Caught by Negi!! UAE might not as well reach 100 here. Length delivery in the slot to be smacked away and Naveed had only so much power that he found the fielder to perfection. Hit it well but didn't get the elevation. Negi rushes forward from deep mid-wicket and accepts it gleefully. Naveed c Negi b Bhuvneshwar 5(7)
Bhuvneshwar to Naveed, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
19.1 -
Bhuvneshwar to Naveed, no run, short ball over the stumps, Naveed backs away slightly and tries to pull it over square leg, was a fraction too early into the shot, beaten
Bhuvneshwar Kumar [3.0-2-7-1] is back into the attack
18.6 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, no run, yet again he tries to go big, over mid-wicket, cleared the front leg and the full ball dipped in to take his toe-end of the bat, the ball thuds him onto the back leg
18.5 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, no run, yorker outside off, Anwar moves across and fails to dig it out
18.4 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, SIX, this is much better. Stays still and slaps it back over the bowler's head. Kept his head still and ensured he connected it off the middle
18.3 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, no run, what was that Anwar? He shuffles a long way across the off-stump and looks to lap it over MSD. The length delivery kept low and went on with the inward angle to beat him
18.2 -
Bumrah to Naveed, 1 run, full and on the stumps, Naveed toe-ends the drive through cover
18.1 -
Bumrah to Naveed, 2 runs, backs away and slaps this length ball over a leaping mid-off. Dhawan was the fielder and he did well to backtrack and leap high, just beyond his reach
Jasprit Bumrah [3.0-0-14-1] is back into the attack
17.6 -
Yuvraj to Naveed, 1 run, turned this to square leg, a misfield and there was an easy two there but the batsmen don't take the risk
17.5 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, is there a run-out again? NO, thankfully there isn't. Anwar punched this down to long-on and Naveed was too casual in his approach. Was just ambling like his early morning jog and nearly runs himself out. The throw came in quick and Dhoni appeals for the umpteenth time after dismissing the bails. Naveed was just in...
17.4 -
Yuvraj to Naveed, 1 run, shortish outside off, Naveed backs away and slaps it to long-off
17.3 -
Yuvraj to Naveed, no run, high full toss outside off, Naveed backs away and missed it by a long way
17.2 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, backed away and drove the low full toss to long-off
17.1 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, no run, slows this up in the air and the ball dips right in front of the booming blade of Anwar, was looking to force it through the off-side but it hit the toe-end and went on the bounce to Dhoni who half-appeals
17.1 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, wide, drifts this down leg and Anwar fails to sweep
Mohammad Naveed, right handed bat, comes to the crease
16.6 -
Negi to Fahad Tariq, out Fahad Tariq Run Out!! Absolute waste of a wicket. You expect these when associate teams play with professional teams (with all due respect to them). But what was Tariq trying to do there? He came down the track, mistimed the punch to the left of the bowler and was keen on a non-existent single. Negi ran across and flung the ball back to Dhoni who did the rest. Tariq was half-way down the pitch. Shaiman Anwar was never interested in the single. Fahad Tariq run out (Negi/Dhoni) 3(5)
Negi to Fahad Tariq, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
16.5 -
Negi to Fahad Tariq, 2 runs, full and that's driven through extra cover for a brace
16.4 -
Negi to Fahad Tariq, no run, an action replay of the previous delivery and just that Tariq was more cautious this time
16.3 -
Negi to Fahad Tariq, no run, a loud appeal for stumping but nothing from the umpire this time. This was tossed up nicely outside off and Tariq was too early into the big shot. Missed it by a country mile and MS was too quick to whip the bails off. Tariq though was well inside
16.2 -
Negi to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, sliding in with the arm around off, Anwar backs away and drives off the toe-end, towards long-off
16.1 -
Negi to Fahad Tariq, 1 run, driven to sweeper cover
15.6 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, no run, shortish on leg-stump, Anwar goes on the back foot and mistimed the pull towards mid-wicket
Fahad Tariq, right handed bat, comes to the crease
15.5 -
Yuvraj to Muhammad Kaleem, out Caught by Pandya!! Crikey! What a catch. Hardik Pandya has pulled off a stunner. This was an ugly stroke from Muhammad Kaleem. The ball was flat and around the stumps, kept a bit low as well. Kaleem half-turns and goes for a big mow over mid-wicket. Mistimes it completely and Pandya from long-on sprints forward, dives full length and plucks it inches above the turf. Search it on YouTube folks! Muhammad Kaleem c Pandya b Yuvraj 2(10)
Yuvraj to Muhammad Kaleem, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
15.4 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, short and on the off-stump, Anwar slaps it to the left of long-off
15.3 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, FOUR, short again and this time Anwar pounces on it. Jumped back and clobbered the ball through extra cover, got full value for the shot
15.2 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, no run, short and wide, Anwar cuts and Rohit dives to his left to stop a certain boundary
15.1 -
Yuvraj to Shaiman Anwar, no run, dipping full ball on leg-stump, Anwar looks to sweep, misses and is hit on the pad
Yuvraj Singh, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
14.6 -
Negi to Muhammad Kaleem, no run, went for the slog-sweep and gets an inside edge onto the pad
14.5 -
Negi to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, wristed to long-on
14.4 -
Negi to Muhammad Kaleem, 1 run, tries to work this tossed up delivery through the leg-side. Gets a leading edge which dribbles through point
14.3 -
Negi to Muhammad Kaleem, no run, wanted to pull on seeing the length short instead mistimes it back to the bowler
14.2 -
Negi to Muhammad Kaleem, no run, jaffa! The classic left-arm spinner. Pitched on leg and turned away from the right-hander. Kaleem had no clue about that. Ended up playing all around that. It was close from shaving the bails...
14.1 -
Negi to Muhammad Kaleem, no run, short and wide, guided to backward point
13.6 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Kaleem, 1 run, looks to flick this delivery spinning down leg, manages some inside edge onto his pad and it rollls down the leg-side
13.5 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Kaleem, no run, wanted to drive this full ball through cover, ekes out an inside edge to mid-wicket
13.4 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Kaleem, no run, floated up delivery, Kaleem works it to short mid-wicket
13.3 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Kaleem, no run, this one turned in sharply and went right through the bat-pad gap. Kaleem was looking to force it through the on-side, with the turn. But was beaten by the late dip and Dhoni dislodges the bails in a flash. Kaleem lost his balance, only for a fleeting moment but managed to land his back leg in time
Now then! Is this out? Again an appeal for stumping and NOT OUT is the verdict. Kaleem just managed to land his back foot in time. When I say Just its really jussssssst. Good job from MS though..
13.3 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Kaleem, wide, spinning down leg, Kaleem fails to glance
Muhammad Kaleem, right handed bat, comes to the crease
13.2 -
Harbhajan to Amjad Javed, out Caught by Negi!! Bhajji gets a wicket too and isn't he delighted? Oh, yes! He is all smiles. This was slower and dipped right in front of the batsman. Javed leaned forward and flicked it a little too early. Again off the toe-end and Negi just had to move a few yards to his left at mid-wicket to pluck that. Amjad Javed c Negi b Harbhajan 0(1)
Harbhajan to Amjad Javed, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
13.1 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, rocks back and cuts this delivery from middle-stump, through cover and it's an easy single
12.6 -
Negi to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, eased down to long-off
Amjad Javed, right handed bat, comes to the crease
12.5 -
Negi to Muhammad Usman, out Caught by Harbhajan!! First wicket for the debutant. What a moment! Someday he will look back at this replay and say: "You know what I've spun that ball a long way and the batsman couldn't pick the S of spin." Haha.. Fun apart. To be honest it was a flatter delivery around off, Usman came down the track and wanted to have a piece of it. Doesn't get to the pitch of the delivery and skews it off the toe-end. Bhajji had one of the easiest to grab at long-off and he doesn't miss many. Pats on the back and handshakes for the debutant. Muhammad Usman c Harbhajan b Negi 9(12) [4s-1]
Negi to Muhammad Usman, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
12.4 -
Negi to Muhammad Usman, 2 runs, spinning in slightly around middle, Usman rocks back and cuts it to deep backward point where Bhuvi makes a diving stop, certainly saved 2 runs there
12.3 -
Negi to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, short and just outside off, Anwar cuts it to sweeper cover
12.2 -
Negi to Shaiman Anwar, FOUR, poor delivery, down leg and Anwar has smashed it into the fine leg fence. Drops to one knee and middles the sweep, no chance for the fielder there
12.1 -
Negi to Shaiman Anwar, 2 runs, floated around the stumps, Anwar leant back and flat-batted it down the ground, to the left of long-on and Anwar picks a double on that
Pawan Negi, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Here comes the debutant...
11.6 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, the length is short and Anwar is content to fetch a single through cover
11.5 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Usman, 1 run, stabbed to sweeper cover
11.4 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Usman, no run, this one too spun and bounce. Usman was looking to sweep it through mid-wicket but was beaten by the dip and turn. Dhoni was quick to whip the bails off but Usman just got his foot back in. In fact, he almost twisted his ankle there as was desperately trying to make his ground. He was on the line for a while, but just managed to have something behind when the bails came off
TV umpire is pressed into the action, for a stumping chance. Did Muhammad Usman get his back foot in? Looks like. He might have just dragged that foot back in time and NOT OUT flashes out on the giant screen - The right call has been made
11.3 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Usman, no run, finally some turn and bounce for Bhajji! Pitched around off and spun away from a tentative poking blade, Usman was lazy on the front foot prod and jeez! The ball rose high so that MS had to hop and snaffle that
11.2 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, fraction short and spinning in, Anwar makes some room and times the punch through cover
11.1 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, no run, flatter and around off, Anwar drives it gently to the right of Bhajji who half-stops and prevents a single
10.6 -
Pandya to Muhammad Usman, 2 runs, very full and around fifth stump channel, Usman slams it off the toe of the bat and Yuvi had to cover a bit of ground at deep backward point, two runs nonetheless
10.5 -
Pandya to Muhammad Usman, FOUR, please hit-me ball. Short and sat up nicely to be slapped, Usman leant on the back foot and muscled the pull through mid-wicket, scorched off the turf and raced away
10.4 -
Pandya to Muhammad Usman, no run, angled away from a good length, Usman drives sans any feet movement, beaten by the away angle
10.3 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, width offered on a shorter length and Anwar cuts it uppishly down to third man. This perhaps was the kind of shot he was trying to play on the first ball of this over
10.2 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, no run, length delivery angled in on middle and off, pushed back to the bowler
10.1 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, no run, oooooh! That just took off. Pandya pitched it short and in the corridor of uncertainty, the ball rose higher than Anwar expected. He was trying to cut that square on the off-side, beaten neck and crop. The feet were going nowhere...
9.6 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Usman, no run, flatter on the middle and leg, Usman tucks it off the inside edge to square leg
9.5 -
Harbhajan to Muhammad Usman, no run, peach from the turbanator, comes round the wicket and spins it away from the lef-hander, beaten all ends up
9.4 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, tossed up delivery on the stumps, Anwar swings across the line, the ball falls well in front of deep mid-wicket
9.3 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, 2 runs, nicely done this time, allows the ball to come to him and pushes it in the gap through extra cover
9.2 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, 2 runs, slower through the air, courageous from Anwar to play it off the back foot, cuts it and gets it away towards third man for a couple of runs
9.1 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, 2 leg byes, gets low this time and wants to lap it behind the keeper, gets it off the pad and will add two to the team total
8.6 -
Pandya to Muhammad Usman, no run, a redux of the previous delivery and it will earn Pandya a wicket-maiden, Usman was beaten outside off off the back foot, he was completely squared up on this occasion
8.5 -
Pandya to Muhammad Usman, no run, that is a top delivery from Pandya, shapes it away from Usman who he is beaten on the defensive push
Muhammad Usman, left handed bat, comes to the crease
8.4 -
Pandya to Rohan Mustafa, out Caught by Kohli!! Pandya comes round the wicket and keeps it short outside off, Mustafa does what he has been doing so far in the over, plays an ugly shot and will walk back leaving his team in shambles. Kohli takes the catch and does not even celebrate. Mustafa slapped at it, did not time it at all and it went straight to the fielder at cover. Rohan Mustafa c Kohli b Pandya 11(22) [4s-2]
Pandya to Rohan Mustafa, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
8.3 -
Pandya to Rohan Mustafa, no run, shortish delivery outside off, Mustafa hops and pushes it towards backward point
8.2 -
Pandya to Rohan Mustafa, no run, this is even worse than the previous shot, short delivery and at him, he pulls at it from where he was standing, did not go back, there was no way he would have got a bat on this one, beaten
8.1 -
Pandya to Rohan Mustafa, no run, wild from Mustafa, short delivery and well outside off, Mustafa comes down the track and moves away from the line of the delivery, loses his shape as he tries to pull it, did not get anywhere close to it
7.6 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, no run, ugly swipe and does not connect with it, the ball was quicker than he expected, well outside off, he rotated his body on it, but did not get a feather
7.5 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, no run, got squared up a tad this time, not much by the spin but by the angle, gets rapped on the back pad, the ball would have slid down the leg-side
7.4 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, no run, shortish and on off, Anwar stands tall and punches to extra cover
7.3 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, no run, finally gives this one some flight, Anwar pushes it to the left of the bowler
7.2 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, no run, too straight this time, Anwar nudges it behind square on the on-side
7.1 -
Harbhajan to Shaiman Anwar, no run, warm-up delivery for Harbhajan, keeps it flat on off, Anwar pushes it short cover
Harbhajan Singh, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Pandya to Rohan Mustafa, no run, Pandya comes round the wicket and keeps it well outside off, Mustafa has finally decided to bat sensibly, lets it go through to the keeper
6.5 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, Anwar prefers to keep his feet glued in the crease as he pushes it wide of point for another single
6.4 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, 2 runs, fullish outside off, moves away ever so slightly, Anwar hedges at it and gets it in the gap through cover, gets a couple before it is hunted down
6.3 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, no run, gets it to nip back into Anwar off the pitch, Anwar pushes at it and gets beaten on the inside edge
6.3 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, wide, bouncers are good but only so long as they don't go wayward, this one was too high and well down the leg-side, rightly called a wide
6.2 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, no run, how did that miss an inside edge? The ball came a bit low as well, it was well outside off and Anwar went for the dirve, was beaten and Dhoni collects it at ankle height
6.1 -
Pandya to Shaiman Anwar, no run, back of a length and on the stumps, Anwar prefers to stay leg-side and bunts it to short cover
Hardik Pandya, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
5.6 -
Bumrah to Rohan Mustafa, no run, back of a length with some extra bounce, it was bowled from round the wicket and the angle troubled Mustafa, he awkwardly defends it from the crease into the pitch
5.5 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, fullish and on middle and leg, Anwar gets it off the inside edge to backward square leg
5.4 -
Bumrah to Rohan Mustafa, 1 run, fuller and on the middle and leg, Mustafa goes for the full-blooded drive, gets it off the inside edge to backward square leg
5.3 -
Bumrah to Rohan Mustafa, no run, steps out this time and takes it on the full, drives it off one-hand to cover-point
5.2 -
Bumrah to Rohan Mustafa, FOUR, ugly heave and he gets a thick top edge but luckily for him the ball falls away from the fielder at fine leg and races into the fence
5.1 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, short of a length, tucks it to mid-on
4.6 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, full and outside off, swings hard at it and gets it off the toe end to second slip who dives to his left and saves a certain four
4.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Shaiman Anwar, 1 run, gives him the charge this time, Bhuvneshwar keeps it short and Anwar goes for the pull anyway, gets it off the higher part of the bat, but the ball falls right between mid-on and mid-off
4.4 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, 1 run, got squared up a little bit by the late away movement, gets it off the outer part of the bat to third man
4.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, slanted across the left-hander, ignored
4.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, wide, short delivery and down leg too, ducks under it and it has been called a wide
4.2 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, FOUR, dropped , Raina is the culprit here, it was Rohit Sharma's catch but Raina from second slip went for it and spilled it, the swing away from the left-hander produced an edge as Mustafa went for a drive away from the body, it went at a nice height towards Rohit, Raina jumped towards it and the ball lobbed off his hand and into the third man fence
4.1 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, another swing and a miss from Mustafa, the outswinger on a good length, Mustafa steps out and throws the kitchen sink at it, misses it by a mile
3.6 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, no run, signs of aggression from Anwar but he does not get value for a good shot, nimbles down the track and thwacks it on a bounce to the man at mid-off
3.5 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, no run, length delivery on off, Anwar stays leg-side of the delivery and pushes it from the crease
3.5 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, wide, dangles it well down the leg, Anwar misses the glance and it is rightly called a wide
3.4 -
Bumrah to Shaiman Anwar, FOUR, and that could have been the second wicket for Bumrah, short delivery and Anwar goes for the pull, gets a fine top edge and the ball skies above Dhoni's head into the fine leg fence
Shaiman Anwar, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.3 -
Bumrah to Shahzad, out Caught by Raina!! That is a poor shot from Shahzad, was in no position to play the drive off the back foot. When the ball is swinging so much, you need to get yourself behind the line of the delivery but Shahzad had no intention of doing so, played it well away from the body and got a thick outside edge, Raina had the easiest of catches at second slip as he reverse cupped it in front of his face. Shahzad c Raina b Bumrah 0(4)
Bumrah to Shahzad, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
3.2 -
Bumrah to Shahzad, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Shahzad has a feel for it and is beaten
3.1 -
Bumrah to Rohan Mustafa, 1 run, low full toss swinging back in, Mustafa gets an inside edge onto the pads, the ball rolls away towards mid-off, half a shout from the bowler for an lbw
2.6 -
Bhuvneshwar to Shahzad, no run, bigger swing than the previous delivery, cuts back in a long way and hits Shahzad on the back leg, it was doing too much and would have slid down the leg-side
2.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Shahzad, no run, big swing for Bhuvneshwar once again, Shahzad pushes it with an angled back to mid-on
Mohammad Shahzad, right handed bat, comes to the crease
2.4 -
Bhuvneshwar to Swapnil Patil, out Caught&Bowled!! Bhuvneshwar is rewarded for his consistent lines. Patil was promoted up the order and the move falls face-first. The ball might have swung away after pitching this time, Patil was too early on the flick it and closed the bat face, leading edge lobbed off high in the air and Bhuvneshwar called for it, did not want to take a chance perhaps. Takes it comfortably and India draw first blood. Swapnil Patil c and b Bhuvneshwar 1(9)
Bhuvneshwar to Swapnil Patil, THAT'S OUT!! Caught&Bowled!!
2.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to Swapnil Patil, no run, shortish but still swinging away outside off, Patil pokes at it with no feet movement, was in no position to get any bat and is beaten
2.2 -
Bhuvneshwar to Swapnil Patil, no run, inswing followed by an outswinger, Patil wants to push it from the crease, beaten all ends up. The old Bhuvi is back
2.1 -
Bhuvneshwar to Swapnil Patil, no run, this one tailed back in the air and then off the surface as well, Patil push-drives it to mid-off
1.6 -
Bumrah to Rohan Mustafa, no run, very full and on the stumps, Mustafa goes for the drive and ekes out an inside edge onto the pads, the ball rolls away towards point
1.5 -
Bumrah to Swapnil Patil, 1 run, and that will be the first run for UAE courtesy a loose delivery from Bumrah, short and wide outside off, Patil flays the cut to third man
1.4 -
Bumrah to Swapnil Patil, no run, Bumrah draws Patil on the drive by keeping it full and then taking it away from him, he is beaten on the push
1.3 -
Bumrah to Swapnil Patil, no run, a juicy full toss but Patil misses out, width was there on offer and Patil caressed it, could not beat the man at backward point though
1.2 -
Bumrah to Swapnil Patil, no run, back of a length nipping back off the surface, Patil is happy to stay back and push it towards the cover region. 8 balls and UAE are yet to get off the mark
1.1 -
Bumrah to Swapnil Patil, no run, two slips for Bumrah as well. He keeps it full just outside off, Patil push-drives off the front foot to mid-off
Jasprit Bumrah, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, better from Bhuvneshwar, inswing, Mustafa was committed on the front foot, did not accomodate for the swing, the ball nipped in and hit his thigh pad. Great start from Bhuvneshwar, who was given two slips to start off the over
0.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, doing too much this time, big swing from Bhuvneshwar, keeps it on the stumps and brings it back, Mustafa wears it on his pads, trying to nudge it away
0.4 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, fuller and outside off, enticing the batsman to go for the drive, he does so and gets it straight to the fielder at backward point
0.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, full and on the stumps, Mustafa clips it to square leg
0.2 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, big shout for an lbw , but the umpire is not interested, the ball might have slid down the leg-side, Mustafa was committed on the front foot, trying to work it into the on-side, missed it. Replays show the ball would have just gone over the stumps
0.1 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rohan Mustafa, no run, some swing for Bhuvneshwar straightaway, takes it away with an angle and brings it back off the pitch, Mustafa lets it go
Rohan Mustafa and Swapnil Patil are at the crease. Rohan Mustafa is on strike. Bhuvneshwar will open the attack
That's it from tonight. Dhaka might not have one-way traffic lanes but it was one at the Shere Bangla tonight. The biggest takeaway for India was the reassurance that Yuvraj Singh is back. Perhaps. The benchwarmers in Negi, Harbhajan and Bhuvneshwar showed promise and look like worthy replacements should an injury happen. UAE were obviously short of their best but let's applaud their efforts to make it to this stage. Join us for the blockbuster finale between showstoppers India and hosts Bangladesh on 6th March. But before that, another dead rubber between Sri Lanka and Pakistan takes place tomorrow. Tune in for that battle of weaknesses too. Till then, cheers and goodbye. Ta-ta.
Dhoni: "You need 15 minutes to learn a bad habit but about 5-10 games to learn something good. It was important for the spare players to push the selectors and the skipper and show that they are good enough. And they did their best in the opportunity they got. It's fantastic from our point of view. The batting might not change, maybe one here and there, but it's important to get the bowlers a few games in case an injury happens. You can always look to improve. We could have taken one more wicket and reduced the runs early on; it's always about improvement. You have to be at your best on the day and that's what counts in knockout games. You can only do a few changes in the batting order. Others could do with some batting too but now everyone in the top 7-8 has got enough chances to bat and I feel less responsibility coming in at no. 7 or 8. Any team that plays at home is difficult to beat (talking about Bangladesh). But we have played some dominating cricket and have to come up with another big performance against Bangladesh. They have improved a lot and are a very good team."
Rohit: "Wickets here have been challenging. Glad that we can put up a performance like that. You have to see off the conditions and get a hang of the conditions before playing your shots. On a wicket like this, you need to give yourself some time and I did exactly that tonight. Important to select your shots - when there's extra bounce, you play a little bit squarer because it's not easy to play on the up. That's what our batsmen have been doing and we have been discussing that as well."
Rohit Sharma is the Man of the Match for his 28-ball 39
Amjad Javed: "Yes, not enough runs. We planned to score 120 and put them under pressure but couldn't. We were playing against the favourites of the tournament but we will come back harder and stronger when we represent UAE in the next tournament. When you have newcomers, it's difficult when they are facing top-notch bowling. Hopefully after this experience, they will go back, play in the domestic tournaments and come back stronger. All our batsmen played well in the league stages against the top Associate sides. But the problem is that we only watch top quality bowling on TV. Now that they have faced it, they will come hard next time."
Hang on for the presentations..
Shikhar: "I wanted that innings. Haven't spent much time at the crease. The wicket does a bit and so I wanted to stay longer. As openers, we like to go in and cash in the first six overs. But there's odd bounce and so we have to restrict our shots. Early wickets have been coming in this whole tournament. I was feeding off Rohit's brilliance and it's vice versa. Somedays I score quickly. We complement each other. I knew I can play more balls and get set tonight."
India started slowly, scoring only 8 runs in the first three overs. But then came Amjad Javed's second over, Rohit pummelled him for 16 runs and provided the required launchpad. He might have perished trying to finish it too early, but looked in complete control of proceedings during his short stay. Yuvraj's promotion in the batting order did not come as a surprise. And both the Southpaws punched a few lusty blows to make sure that others did not have to put the helmet on. India remain undefeated, they look well oiled and will start as the favourites against Bangladesh in the final on Sunday.
After they failed to cross the 100-run mark, UAE were expected to come hard at the Indians, considering that the bowling had been their prime skill in the tournament so far. But in hindsight, we can safely remark that the UAE bowling had appeared impressive because it had not faced the Indian-task before today's match. The opportunity was up for grabs for the bowlers to impress against, arguably, the best batting side in the world. The ball was moving around a bit during the start of the innings but you need something extra, perhaps extraordinary, against Rohit Sharma these days.
10.1 -
Shahzad to Yuvraj, FOUR, India win by 9 wkts. A stroll, if that sums it up. Squeezed UAE in jar and then hosepiped to a win. Yuvraj, the old Yuvraj, gets a short ball, bends a touch and swats it with a crossed bat. Through backward square leg and it runs away to signal India's win and unchallenged supremacy
9.6 -
Rohan Mustafa to Yuvraj, 1 run, veering in with the angle and Yuvraj flicks it to backward square leg, retains the strike with that run
9.5 -
Rohan Mustafa to Yuvraj, FOUR, sees Yuvraj charging in and drops it short. Yuvraj tries to defend and ekes out an outside edge that runs all the way to third man
Mankading attempt? At least threatened to. Rohan Mustafa came in, aborted the bowling and then shadow-flicked the stumps. Dhawan was backing up and hurried back in. Mustafa had a huge laugh. No Spirit of Cricket debate for tonight then..
9.4 -
Rohan Mustafa to Yuvraj, no run, another use of the feet but sort of gets too close to this wide ball. Crashed straight to cover
9.3 -
Rohan Mustafa to Dhawan, 1 run, slightly quicker and Dhawan nudges it through mid-off for the easiest of singles
9.2 -
Rohan Mustafa to Dhawan, no run, slower delivery on yorker length outside off, Dhawan waits and then squeezes it out to cover
9.1 -
Rohan Mustafa to Dhawan, no run, flatter on off, Shikhar gets forward and defends it
Rohan Mustafa, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
8.6 -
Shahzad to Yuvraj, no run, opens his blade and defends to backward point
8.5 -
Shahzad to Yuvraj, SIX, Dhaka is a time machine and we are back into the golden days. Delicate shimmy down the track and then a free-flowing bat lift to grease the ball over long-off. Meated all the way
8.4 -
Shahzad to Yuvraj, no run, this has been punched into the off-side
8.3 -
Shahzad to Yuvraj, FOUR, dismissed. The Yuvraj of old. Stands tall and pulls a short ball wide of mid-on. The fielder there late out a late hop to try catching the ball. That was for the captain and the coach. "See I tried"
8.2 -
Shahzad to Yuvraj, no run, Shahzad has a wry smile because this was a peach. Length ball with a wobbly seam scissoring away from over the wicket, Yuvraj was opened up a touch as he looked to adjust for the nip away. Could only see it whoosh past the outside edge
8.1 -
Shahzad to Yuvraj, no run, gets a length ball and Yuvraj totally mistimes the drive to mid-off
Mohammad Shahzad, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
20 runs in 12 overs. Early finish?
7.6 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Dhawan, FOUR, follows it up with a short ball and Dhawan has clubbed it. Qadeer Ahmed isn't Starc. Modest pace, sat up pretty and Dhawan swiped it uppishly through mid-wicket
7.5 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Dhawan, FOUR, slower delivery angled across, Dhawan throws his bat at it post a shimmy. Has timed a few well to give himself that liberty. Off the outside edge and it runs through the vacant slips
7.4 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Yuvraj, 1 run, UAE look lethargic enough to have allowed a couple there but the batsmen decide against it. Yuvraj allows the length ball to come right upto him and clips it to backward square leg
7.3 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan follows suit. Some width outside off and Dhawan meets it with a slightly open blade. Another quick single effected
7.2 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Yuvraj, 1 run, opens the face of the bat on impact and pinches a quick single to cover-point
7.1 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Yuvraj, FOUR, it's in your pizza. In your sandwiches and parathas. Yuvraj had "buttered" this through covers. Typical Yuvraj. Leans it and caresses this ball through covers
Pawan Negi is padded up next. Only fair
6.6 -
Naveed to Dhawan, FOUR, finally gets enough on the ball and finds a plughole to collect a boundary. Not a full-blooded punch to this length ball..just a stab and the ball pings off the middle through extra cover
6.5 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, backs away while skipping out and creams this full ball on leg-stump with a drive. Placement evades him and cover once again intercepts
6.4 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, length outside off, Dhawan ignores this one with a bat airlift
Want to propose a theory that the sum of timing-and-placement for Rohit and Shikhar is constant. What law should it be called?
6.3 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, length delivery and that has been hit well. Stays his ground and crashes it, straight to cover though
6.2 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, was looking to drive this through mid-off but the bat face closed and Dhawan mistimed it back to the bowler
6.1 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, fullish and hurled out with the angle, Shikhar lifts his bat and lets it go
5.6 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Yuvraj, no run, gets an overpitched delivery and Yuvraj lets out a drive. Stopped at extra cover by a diving Anwar
Yuvraj Singh, left handed bat, comes to the crease
5.5 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Rohit, out Caught by Naveed!! This was all too much to take. Ironically perishes off a tripe ball. Short and wide, Rohit could have murdered it. Instead manages just a tame toe-end on the uppish cut and it settles nicely into the hands of third man who just had to wait for the ball to arrive. Rohit c Naveed b Qadeer Ahmed 39(28) [4s-7 6s-1]
Qadeer Ahmed to Rohit, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
5.4 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Rohit, FOUR, another one. Rohit Sharma had timing and placement for cereals this morning. Length ball, Sharma stays put and just mows it over mid-wicket. Are you surprised that it vroomed away?
5.3 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Rohit, no run, speared on the pads again, Sharma this times nudges it round the corner
5.2 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Rohit, no run, length ball that's defended back to Qadeer Ahmed
5.1 -
Qadeer Ahmed to Rohit, FOUR, difficult to describe. Imagine coming early to the office for one day and finding your boss appreciate your punctuality. That sort of timing. On the pads, Sharma just clipped it. Swear it was just that. Off the middle and it races away. What's with that bat? Or is it Rohit Sharma?
Qadeer Ahmed, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
4.6 -
Naveed to Rohit, 1 run, okay. He has compensated it with a yorker right at the base of the stumps. A helpless Rohit could only squeeze it out into the off-side. Top ball
4.6 -
Naveed to Rohit, no ball, and that's a cardinal sin. That's almsgiving. That's Missionaries of Charities. Short of length, Sharma spooned the defence uppishly back as the ball hugged the pitch and stopped on the batsman. Naveed though had overstepped. Free-hit coming!
4.5 -
Naveed to Rohit, no run, that was crunched. No hyperbole. Slides back and punches this ball straight to mid-off
4.4 -
Naveed to Rohit, no run, gets the short ball again and tries to pull off a Nataraja. Hauls his front leg in air, swivels but looked a bit cramped for the pull. Mistimed to square leg
4.3 -
Naveed to Rohit, FOUR, short of length outside off, Sharma opens the face of the bat ever so late. Rode the bounce well too and steered it wide of the lone slipper
4.2 -
Naveed to Rohit, FOUR, that's audacious. Short ball? Alright. Stays back, gets his bat high and swipes the air as he pulls over mid-wicket. One bounce over the ropes. Try thinking a delicate axing and you can picturize this shot
4.1 -
Naveed to Dhawan, 1 run, leg-stumpish line, Dhawan lets out a "phew" and clips a quick single to square leg
3.6 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, no run, a walking defence offered with a straight ball. Kept out
3.5 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, FOUR, tries to cramp him for room, hurls it on the pad and Sharma gets his Zephyr-like wrists into play. Bends and times the pants off that flick through mid-wicket
3.4 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, SIX, let me describe it. This was like Donald Trump's POTUS candidacy. A bit outrageous. Skips down the track and lofts this disdainfully over the covers
3.3 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, FOUR, that's a Rohit Sharma drive in a back gear. No feet, just leans to drive this fullish ball. Off the inside edge and perilously close to off-stump as it scoots to the fine leg fence
3.2 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, no run, gets his die-straight bat in front of his pad and defends this length ball back
3.1 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, 2 runs, veering down leg on a fuller length, Sharma got his bat low and crossed to pinch a flicked brace through mid-wicket
2.6 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, that's why you have two slips. That's why you bowl to Dhawan. Back of a length and rising off the pitch, Dhawan looked to drive straight with feet in jelly. The away angle, the bounce and a hint of nip saw the ball climb past the edge
2.5 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, nips in from a length, Dhawan was cramped and squeezed out the defence into the off-side
2.4 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, nips in a touch and beats Dhawan's attempted flick to take the thigh pad
2.3 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, wait, what? Such a convincing appeal from all around. Short of a length delivery zipping off the turf and powered with an angle across. Dhawan rose higher but perhaps eked out a top-edge on his tamely attempted slap. Umpire shakes his head and has a rather sheepish look. Replays confirm a top-edge
2.3 -
Naveed to Dhawan, wide, overcompensates and hurls it outside the tramline on the off-side. Umpire has some cardio to do
2.2 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, better have a short leg. Leg-stump line, Dhawan half-turns and nudges it round the corner
2.1 -
Naveed to Dhawan, no run, too straight to entertain a relatively overpopulated slip cordon in a T20. On the pads and clipped to mid-wicket
Two slips. Even UAE know it all
1.6 -
Amjad Javed to Dhawan, 1 run, here's the event that should keep you awake. Dhawan has tapped a length ball to mid-off and hared a single to open his account. Could really do with some runs, cheap or not, in his bank before the T20 bonanza
1.5 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, 1 run, something has happened. Full delivery moving away, Sharma leans to drive, middles it but the cover fielder is lazy - doesn't bend down enough and lets the ball through for a single
1.4 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, no run, just a hint of extra bounce on this back of a length delivery. Outside off, Sharma got his bat higher and taps it into the pitch
1.3 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, no run, high and straight bat to blunt this back of a length ball back to Amjad Javed
1.2 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, no run, back of a length outside off, Sharma gets his bat behind the line and defends it tamely to cover-point
1.1 -
Amjad Javed to Rohit, no run, lovely fuller length from over the wicket, Sharma gets his bat lower and then eases the ball in front of mid-on
Amjad Javed, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
Sane over and enough evidence for UAE to see with regards to what they could have done
0.6 -
Naveed to Rohit, 1 run, there's a squarish third man in place and this Sharma's bat-throw of a shot finds the fielder
0.5 -
Naveed to Rohit, no run, fullish and curving away outside off, Sharma shoulders arms. This looks like a safer length to delay the inevitable
0.4 -
Naveed to Rohit, FOUR, and it's away! Had the width to stretch the arms on this length ball, Sharma stays put and flogs it delicately through covers. Nobody moved I reckon, except the ball
0.3 -
Naveed to Rohit, no run, back of a length delivery this time, Sharma stands tall and punch-defends with an open blade
0.2 -
Naveed to Rohit, no run, takes a step forward and across and greets this length ball with a bat-hoisting
0.1 -
Naveed to Rohit, no run, lovely curl outside off, the wide line means that Sharma could shoulder arms
Rohit and Dhawan are at the crease. Rohit is on strike. Naveed will open the attack