In the pressure cooker-type atmosphere in front of 30,000 fans, the Pakistanis dropped Sachin Tendulkar four times on way to dropping five catches. When the Little Master eventually fell for 85, he had survived lives on 27, 45, 70 and 81. It is bad enough dropping him once and given how the other Indian batsmen struggled against spin and the accuracy of left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz, Pakistan were surely left kicking themselves for letting the tournament's second-highest scorer lead a charmed life for that long.
One drop too many
Obviously they hadn't learnt their lessons from the Ross Taylor carnage in the group stages when he plundered a match-winning ton for New Zealand after wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal spilled him on nought and four.
Misbah-ul-Haq at midwicket was the first to drop Tendulkar, before Younis Khan spilled a regulation chance at cover, both off the bowling of Shahid Afridi. The third chance came when Kamran, who faced calls to be dropped after the New Zealand fiasco, didn't move his hands quickly enough to a thick edge, again off Afridi, and while that was a tough opportunity, a pull to Umar Akmal at mid-on from the offspin of Mohammad Hafeez should have been taken.
Tendulkar probably has never played a more chancy knock in his long and illustrious career. Even before he had any of those lives, he had survived two very tight calls on 23: an lbw decision that was given out by Ian Gould but on review proved to be missing leg, and the next delivery a near-stumping when he just got his back foot down in time after losing his balance reaching outside off.
When he was finally taken at cover by Afridi off the bowling of Ajmal, Pakistan's relief was evident. But by then, the damage had already been done.
The Pakistan batsmen faltered under the pressure of some tight bowling and infinitely superior fielding and despite some late flourish from Misbah, fell 29 runs short.
So, five meetings on, India's record against Pakistan in World Cups still remains intact.
5 times india have beaten pakistan in world cups
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