First ODI: Pak wins close match

It was a tough and exciting match. Ultimately India lost firstly because of D-L and secondly because India’s batting in the last five overs failed miserably. The Indian fieldng overall was brilliant. Sachin’s uncharacteristic yet productive knock ended prematurely, robbing India of his presence for the final onslaught. He had only himself to blame for a needless reverse sweep. Crtics could argue that relieved at having reached a landmark Sachin momentarily forgot that he had a bigger responsibility of keeping one end up till the end.

Murali Karthik appears to be hopelessly short on confidence and seems terrified to bowl to the Pak batsman. Its best to give him a rest irrespective of whether Bhajji is available or not. In his very first over, Mallik launched him for a straight six followed by a four.

I thought Mohammed Asif deserved the MoM award. He bowled brilliantly on a batting pitch and troubled all the batsman he bowled to in addition the three wickets he picked up.

The after match interviews were interesting. All Pak players appear to be taking English lessons. To start with, many of them seem to thank Allah in English unlike before.

Inzy’s interview was hilarious. When asked about his dismissal he innocently said, “I don’t understand these rules. Last time (referring to his Faisalabad dismissal against England) I didn’t touch the ball and they said I was out! This time I touched the ball and still they say I am out!”

Rameez Raja’s commentary is way too biased. The guy comes across as being so excited or upset depending on the Pak situation. Someone needs to tell him that commentators need to at least appear and sound neutral.