2nd ODI: Pakistan thrash India to win series 2-0

Mangalore Today/ CNN/IBN

Kolkata, Jan 3: Nasir Jamshed’s century and spirited show by the bowlers powered Pakistan to a 85-run win over India in the second one-dayer at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. With this win Pakistan have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Chasing a target of 251, India were all out for 165 with skipper MS Dhoni being the top scorer and remaining unbeaten on 54. For Pakistan, all the bowlers operated as a unit. Saeed Ajmal finished with 3 for 20 while Umar Gul and Junaid Khan claimed two wickets each. Pakistan kept their record intact at the Eden by winning their fourth ODI in a row.

 

 India got off to an edgy start in their chase, with both the Pakistan pacers Mohammad Irfan and Junaid coming hard at the openers. Gautam Gambhir was the first to go when he tried to drive a Junaid delivery and played on for 11 to leave India at 42 for 1.

Then wickets kept on tumbling with Virat Kohli (6) and Virender Sehwag (31) falling in quick succession. Kohli flicked a wide delivery down the leg side and was taken brilliantly by diving Kamran Akmal. Sehwag was next to follow as he was trapped in front of the stumps off a sharp incoming ball from Umar Gul.

Yuvraj Singh (9) and Suresh Raina also fell cheaply. Yuvraj played an unnecessary pull shot by going after a widish delivery off Gul to give Kamran another catch. Mohammad Hafeez dismissed Raina (18), stumped splendidly by Kamran, to reduce India to 95 for 5.

Dhoni played the waiting game despite the asking rate climbing up and didn’t show urgency to score runs. R Ashwin was sent above Jadeja but didn’t do anything of note. He stumped off Shoaib Malik for 3 which came off 22 balls.

Jadeja was scratchy during his stay at the wicket and was prised out by Saeed Ajaml. The offspinner struck twice more in the over trapping Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashok Dinda lbw. Both of them didn’t open their account.

Dhoni continued with his inexplicable tactics of blocking the balls and taking singles. Only in the end, when the match was out of India’s reach, he blasted a couple of lusty blows to reach his half-century.

Junaid Khan castled the last man Ishant Sharma to bowl India out for 165 in 48 overs as Pakistan registered a thumping 85-run victory over the hosts.

Earlier, Nasir Jamshed’s century and the opening stand guided Pakistan to the score of 250. It was a batting collapse for Pakistan with Jadeja’s three-wicket haul and most importantly the late burst by Sharma (3 for 34) that helped India bundle out the visitors in48.3 overs.

Pakistan were looking good to go for a big score after being put in to bat as openers Hafeez and Jamshed blazed their way to a 141-run partnership. But Jadeja clean bowled Hafeez for 76 to give India their first breakthrough and after that the visitors lost the plot and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

At the start of the Pakistan innings the pitch looked easy for batting and as the game progressed it slowed down bringing the spinners into play. Both Hafeez and Jamshed reached their half-centuries in quick time and hardly gave the Indian bowlers any chance to bounce back.

The second to fall was Azhar Ali (2) when he was run out off a sharp fielding by Dhoni with Jamshed batting on 64. India then picked up two quick wickets by removing Younis Khan (10) and Misbah-ul-Haq (2) to leave Pakistan at 182 for 4 in 36 overs.

However, Jamshed kept his cool and became patient in his approach to reach his second consecutive century, third overall - all against India. But the young left-handed batsman failed to carry on and became Jadeja’s second victim, in the same over Akmal (0) fell to make inroad for the middle order collapse.