I was confident before the start of the match that India will win the match.

Because, the match was not played on a Friday (which generally favors Pakistan) but on a Saturday (which has in the past favored India in a India Vs. Pakistan encounter being the day of Lord Balaji.  More so because this Saturday was even more Lord Balaji day being in the Tamil month of Purattasi)

But what Lord Balaji would have proposed Lord Bajji disposed.

India lost the match against Pakistan though the target was not that imposing on that pitch.  We cannot boast being No.1 (which we were for few hours during the last month) or No.2 ODI team in the world if we cannot be consistent in our performances.  It takes lot more consistency to be the World No.1 team.

We sure were hampered by the absence of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh but then we still had the world’s best ODI batsman in M S Dhoni and two of the highest ODI run getters in Sachin “dependably fail in crunch matches” Tendulkar and “very dependably slow” Rahul Dravid in our team.

Reason for the loss according to me were (all from Indian perspective):

1. Sachin Tendulkar’s failure

2. Bad bowling performances of R P Singh and Harbhajan Singh.  If you consider this match alone, I can bet and win hands down that I can bowl better off-spin with much more variation than Harbhajan Singh.

3. Dhoni not using Suresh Raina as a bowling option

4. Dravid not scoring enough singles and rotating the strike.  Even though he played the sheet anchor’s role, he should have atleast found gaps more often and scored singles.  He didn’t do that for all his experience.  He also cut short the blooming innings of Gautam Gambir by calling for a single and then sending him back.  It was awful to see such an experienced campaigner as Rahul Dravid time and again hitting the ball straight to the fielders.

5. M S Dhoni’s failure as a batsman

6. Suresh Raina’s unfortunate dismissal.  I thought he had edged the ball before it hit his pad.  Benefit of doubt should have gone to him.  This dismissal once again brings to focus the referral system.  Had there been a referral system he would have probably stayed on with the LBW decision reversed.

7. Yousuf Pathan failing as a batsman.  He seemed cool and collected during the time he was at the crease (which was not long, however). And I thought he was going to murder the bowling soon.  But he ended up giving a catch to the fly slip smartly placed by Yunus Khan exactly expecting an edge from a drive Yousuf Pathan would attempt.

8. Virat Kohli holding out to deep and the bad luck that despite juggling with the ball Umar Gul completing the catch.

9. Not having a clue of getting the wicket of Shoaib Malik (of his 7 odd centuries he has scored two or three against India alone).  Thankfully, we got the other “India doesn’t have a clue how to get his wicket” Yunis Khan’s wicket cheaply.

Looking from Pakistan’s perspective in my opinion they won the match because:

1. Imran Nazir gave them a very good start.

2. Their openers capitalized on the poor bowling of R P Singh and inconsistent bowling of Ishant Sharma.

3. Shoaib Malik and Mohd. Yusuf played brilliantly sucking out singles and twos at will without really looking to score only of boundaries

4. Malik accelerated at the right time using the changed ball

5. Yunus Khan’s brilliant thinking in bringing his fast bowlers back when the ball was changed after the 35th over giving them a chance to use the harder and dry ball.

All in all a forgettable performance by the Indians.  Lets hope they will win their remaining two matches against West Indies and Australia.