World Test Championship front runners Pakistan suffered a surprise 9 wicket defeat to arch rivals India inside 3 days at Karachi.
Imran won the toss and opted to bat 1st, but Pakistan were blown away in 55 overs for a paltry 134. Profligate strokes were as much a factor as disciplined Indian spin bowling. Ravindra Jadeja has had a good series for India and took 5-38 with his left arm spin, 8-85 in the match.
5 Indian wickets fell for 32 on the 2nd morning, underlying how difficult it was for batsmen on either side to get in. However, Virender Sehwag rose above every other batsman, playing a remarkably assured innings of 174 in 394 mins (23x4 & 2x6) which asserted Indian dominance.
Pakistan lost 3 wkts cheaply in reply to a 1st inns deficit of 178 but briefly counter attacked before lunch on day 3, scoring 158 runs in 35 overs. Inzamam (56) and Imran (85 off 89 balls) shared an exciting 6th wicket stand of 134, with the captain launching 4 big sixes. But Imran's dismissal saw 4 wickets fall quickly for just 12 runs, and the resistance was over. India won at a canter and this talented but sometimes frustrating team will wonder what might have been.
Pakistan are still favourites to make the final, but now have an uncomfortable wait while South Africa and New Zealand complete their final matches.
Pakistan 1st inns 134-10 (54 overs)
Younis Khan 52, Zaheer Abbas 30, RA Jadeja 5-38, BS Bedi 3-31, JJ Bumrah 2-16)
India 1st inns 312-10 (108 overs)
V Sehwag 174, SR Tendulkar 49, Saqlain Mushtaq 4-87, Fazal Mahmoud 3-53, Abdul Qadir 2-62)
Pakistan 2nd inns 260-10 (76.5 overs)
Imran Khan 85, Inzamam-ul-Haq 56, RA Jadeja 3-47, R Ashwin 3-50, Kapil Dev 2-57)
India 2nd inns 83-1 (32.5 overs)
SM Gavaskar 37no, R Dravid 27no
India won by 9 wickets
Man of the match: V Sehwag
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