Perfect Symphony

LAHORE

Each had a tempo of its own and combined mellifluously with the others toproduce a lovely symphony for India here on Monday. Sachin Tendulkar'scomposition was classical, Yuvraj Singh contributed with a fluent piece that wasunmistakably Yuvraj while Mahendra Singh Dhoni lent the percussion touch.

Tendulkar's brilliant reading of the pitch and the situation, and the mannerin which he controlled the start of the innings, Yuvraj's growing maturity thatled him to change gears at will and Dhoni's outright aggression all contributedto India's successful pursuit of victory in the third one-day internationalagainst Pakistan.

The home side had flaunted its batting depth in setting the visiting team a289-run target but India responded in more emphatic style. At different stagesof the chase, Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni played a variety of roles with the batto drum out a fantastic win for a resurgent Team India.

The little big champion may have scored 39 centuries in one-dayinternationals but this innings of 95 was worth its weight in gold, setting aplatform from which India could launch a breathtaking bid to steal victory fromunder Pakistan's noses.

It cannot be forgotten that he bowled 10 overs nearly as economically asIrfan Pathan and Rudra Pratap Singh. What's more, he picked up Inzamam-ul Haq'swicket tempting the Pakistan captain to play a late cut but finding the edge tothe wicket-keeper.

When he was at the crease, his shot selection was impeccable as he focused onseeing off the new ball threat along with Rahul Dravid in a stand of 72 runs.That as many as 70 of his 95 runs came off 17 boundary hits – and he played atotal of 104 balls – is a reflection of the methods he employed, watchful muchof the time but also scoring at a fair clip.

Yuvraj brought the left-hander's elegance to the table and threw in a finedisplay of his maturity in handling situations. Aware that Tendulkar wascramping a bit during the latter stages of his stay, Yuvraj was in a morepunishing mode, driving through covers and past the bowler with panache.

The 105-run partnership that he shared with Tendulkar was so beautifullypaced that the asking rate never went past six and half runs. Tendulkar knewthat this was achievable since Pakistan's best bowlers, Mohammed Asif and UmarGul, did not have too many overs left to bowl at the death.

Talking of batting in the death, Yuvraj settled down to a less frenetic paceof scoring, happily letting Dhoni take centrestage.

When Mohammed Kaif followed Tendulkar in to the pavilion quickly, Pakistansmugly believed that the match had been won and that it would be a matter oftime before the rest of the line-up crumbled under pressure. It had not reckonedwith Yuvraj and Dhoni.

The dapper batsman walked in when India needed 99 runs to win in 15 overs andknocked off as many as 72 of those in an electrifying hour. "I gave myselfeight to 10 balls to play myself in and then start playing my game," Dhonisaid. And when he did start exhibiting his brand of batsmanship, there was nostopping him.

As many as 13 fours flowed from his blade as he creamed the Pakistan bowling,delighting the 5000 fans from India in the packed stadium and causing Inzamam,his team and their fans many heartaches. The 44th over from Rana Naved-ul Hasancost 16 runs and India won with a fair degree of comfort, having 14 deliveriesto spare.

Quite obviously Dhoni built his innings on the cornerstone of self-belief."An asking rate of seven an over was achievable. Yuvi was batting well andthere was Suresh Raina to follow. I knew we could do it," he said after thegame, basking in the warm glow of having taken part in a fine win.

In his short career, Dhoni has already won a few matches for India andcountless fans for himself. He added the Pakistan President General PervezMusharraf to that list. Departing from protocol, he told man of the match Dhoniat the presentation that he had played the architect's role and that he lovedhis hairstyle.