ICC Cricket World Cup: Tendulkar's chancy knock powers India to 260-9

Sachin Tendulkar's chancy 85 powered India to 260-9 against a Pakistan side which seemed overwhelmed by the hype built around Wednesday's World Cup semi-final and the 'cricket diplomacy' surrounding it.

Sitting in the VIP box, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani watched on as Tendulkar enjoyed a series of let-offs.

Playing in his sixth World Cup, Tendulkar had an lbw decision overturned on appeal, was dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq, Younus Khan and Umar Akmal, while stumper Kamran Akmal also missed a half-chance.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi, also the hapless bowler on three of those four occasions, could only hold his head in dismay as his team mates squandered opportunity after opportunity to cut short Tendulkar's 115-ball stay that had 11 fours in it.

On a belter of a wicket at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had little hesitation in opting to bat first and he must have felt vindicated when Virender Sehwag (38) tore into the Pakistani attack.

The right-hander smashed five fours to milk 21 runs off Umar Gul's second over, thus blunting Pakistan's pace spearhead but India could not make the most of the flying start.

Wahab Riaz (5-46) trapped the opener leg before in the sixth over to end the 48-run opening stand and soon the boundary flow dried up.

The 68-run second wicket partnership between Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir (27) consolidated India's position but it was not without toil.

Mohammad Hafeez ended the blossoming partnership by removing Gambhir and Riaz returned to claim Virat Kohli (9) and the in-form Yuvraj Singh with successive deliveries to reduce the co-hosts, cruising merrily at 116-1 at one stage, to 141-4.

Suresh Raina's (36 not out) middle order cameo took India past the 250-mark.

India could have been in a bigger hole but Misbah dropped Tendulkar at mid-wicket, Younus grassed one at cover and Umar Akmal showed the same sloppiness, spilling one at mid-wicket.

Earlier in his innings, Tendulkar used a review to successfully overturn an lbw decision that had gone against him.

Just when it seemed nothing can stop the 37-year-old prolific run-getter from scoring his 100th international century, Afridi caught the Indian off Saeed Ajmal's bowling, keeping his pre-match promise to deny Tendulkar the milestone.

Live India vs Pakistan: Raina makes most of slog overs

Suresh Raina lashes out against Pakistan after Wahab Riaz reduced Indian batting order to smithereens on a batsmen friendly pitch at Mohali.

Though he began on a slow note, Raina has shifted gears quickly and looks to take on the opposition as India opt for the batting powerplay in the final five overs of the innings.

Harbhajan too struck a few boundaries to get the Indian fans at the stadium cheering again, but was stumped eventually on the bowling of Saeed Ajmal.

India v Pakistan: Locking horns in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

The world is abuzz with the much-anticipated Semi-Final of the ICC Cricket Cup 2011 between arch rivals, India and Pakistan on 30th March, at Mohali- only a few hours away from now. It will be second Semi-Final of the tournament; the first was played between Sri Lanka and New Zealand on 29th March at Colombo, where the Lankan Lions confirmed their place in the Final, which is to be played on 2nd of April at Mumbai, India.

Both countries have faced each other four times in the World Cups, ever since it commenced in 1975, with India winning all four. We will analyze the previous four games and the performances of their past teams.

1992 Benson and Hedges World Cup

The match was played on 4th March at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney. India scored 216 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 49 overs. Sachin Tendulkar top scored with 54 runs in a partnership with Ajay Jadeja contributing 46 runs.

Mushtaq Ahmed was the star wicket taker with 3 wickets; Aaqib Javed took 2 as Wasim Haider claimed a wicket.

Pakistan was bowled out at 173 runs in 48.1 overs, Aamer Sohail was the highest scorer with 62 runs and Javed Miandad scored 40 runs.

Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and Javagal Srinath had 2 victims each, as Sachin Tendulkar and Venkatapathy Raju claimed a wicket each.

India won the match by 43 runs.

1996 Wills World Cup

The Quarter-Final was played at Bangalore on 9th March, with India scoring a memorable 287 runs when they had lost 8 wickets in the allotted 50 overs. Navjot Sidhu was the star batsman with 93 runs and Jadeja came out with 45 runs.

Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed held 2 wickets each as three bowlers claimed a wicket each.

The entire Pakistan team went back to the pavilion once they scored 248 runs in 49 overs. Aamer Sohail was the chief scorer with 55 runs and Saeed Anwar scored 48 runs.

Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble each grabbed three wickets, as the remaining two bowlers got a wicket each.

India won the match by 39 runs.

1999 ICC Cricket World Cup

Both teams qualified for the Super Sixes stage and the match was played at Manchester, England on 8th June.

India posted 227 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 50 overs, Rahuul Dravid was the highest scorer with 61 runs and Mohammad Azharuddin scored 59 runs.

Wasim Akram and Azhar Mahmood took 2 wickets each as two bowlers claimed a wicket each.

Pakistan was bowled out at 45.3 overs; Inzamam-ul-Haq was the top scorer with 41 runs with Saeed Anwar sharing a partnership of 36 runs.

Prasad wrecked the Pakistan batting and sent back five batsmen, Srinath took three as Kumble had two wickets.

India won the match by 47 runs.

2003 ICC Cricket World Cup

The event took place on 1st March at Super Sport Park, Centurion. Pakistan posted on board 273 runs as they lost 7 wickets in 50 overs. Saeed Anwar came out with an elegant century and scored 101 runs with Younis Khan scoring 32 runs.

Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra claimed 2 wickets each as two bowlers shared a wicket each.

India chased the target in 45.4 overs; Tendulkar was unlucky to miss the century by two runs, and Yuvraj Singh remained unbeaten at 50 runs.

Waqar Younis took 2 wickets as two bowlers claimed a wicket each.

India won the match by 6 wickets.

India has an edge over Pakistan by a clean sweep of 4-0 in the World Cup matches so far. They are appearing for the fifth time in the big event, with both teams hoping to win the match. India will try to make it 5-0, as Pakistan aims to do its best to reduce the deficit by one game.

ICC Cricket World Cup - India vs Pakistan: Celebrities, commoners post last minute online messages

If it's the talk of the town, could social networking sites be far behind? Celebrities and commoners alike posted last minute online messages of excitement, tension and good luck on the India-Pakistan semifinal in Mohali Wednesday. ( Click here for full coverage of India Pakistan semifinal )

An excited Sania Mirza, Indian tennis player, tweeted early Wednesday: "Okkkk...here we gooo...good luck Team India..more than a billion wishes are with you...give it ur all..(sic)".

Film personality Pritish Nandy similarly tweeted: "Pakistan's bowlers vs India's batsmen: that's the real battle today".

Actor Rahul Bose tweeted that he was on his way to Mohali to watch the match. Kunal Kapoor, another Bollywood actor, tweeted that the tension was "unbearable".

The hype over the match reached a crescendo Wednesday as a lot of cricket buffs took leave from work to watch the match. They did not forget to post their online updates, of course.

Abhinav Singh, an advertising professional, said: "This is one match I just couldn't have missed. So I applied for casual leave and thankfully my boss was understanding enough to grant me the day off! I have called over a few friends to my place so that we can watch the match together and root for India."

Sara Mishra, a student, posted on Facebook: "The big day is here! Good luck Team India! I am sure you will bowl them over".

Author Chetan Bhagat also rooted for the home team on Twitter, saying: "Alright men in blue, d-day today! Cream pak, so they finally realise why partition was a bad idea (sic)."

To all the maddening hype around, Bhagat said: "I know the match is getting overhyped, but it's ok. We get few such moments of national unity. We are one today."

ICC Cricket World Cup - India vs Pakistan World Cup semi-final: Ajmal scalps Sachin Tendulkar

Saeed Ajmal had Sachin Tendulkar caught by Shahid Afridi in the covers to place India at 187/5 in 37 overs in their World Cup semifinal clash at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.

Wahab Riaz dismissed Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh off successive balls to place India at 141/4 in 25.3 overs in their World Cup semifinal clash at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Wednesday..( Click here for full coverage of India- Pakistan World Cup semifinal )

Riaz first had Virat caught by Umar Akmal at backward point and on the next delivery, clean bowled the in-from Yuvraj with a superb reverse swinging yorker.

Pakistani fielders dropped Sachin Tendulkar earlier and he made them pay by hitting his 95th ODI half-century in their World Cup semifinal clash at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.

Tendulkar was first dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq at mid-wicket when he was on 27 and a few overs later Younis Khan dropped a simple catch at mid-off when Tendulkar was at 45. The unlucky bowler at both times was Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi.

India lost their second wicket when Mohammad Hafeez had Gautam Gambhir stumped by Kamran Akmal.

Sachin Tendulkar and Gambhir brought up the Indian 100 in the 16th over.

The tense buildup to what has been billed as "the mother of all World Cup matches" came to a spine-tingling climax on Wednesday when Sachin Tendulkar strode out to bat for India with Virender Sehwag.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Pakistan named an unchanged team from the lineup who beat West Indies in the quarter-finals while India brought in paceman Ashish Nehra for off-spinner Ravichandran Aswhin.

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who will retire after the World Cup, was left out of the Pakistan XI.

The winner of the clash will meet Sri Lanka in Saturday's final in Mumbai.

Hundreds of people moved into their seats as soon as the gates opened, four hours before the blockbuster semifinal between archrivals India and Pakistan was due to begin. The match was sold out last week, but incredibly there were still a few ticket-holders missing as the match began due to intensive security checks at all entrances.

The 28,000 tickets for the match were the most sought-after on the subcontinent. Tendulkar, seeking his 100th international century, and Sehwag were greeted by a tumultuous roar as they walked out onto the pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.
Watching them was a host of Bollywood superstars, dignitaries and high-ranking politicians - including the Prime Ministers of both countries in what is being seen as a possible first step toward improved diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.

Indian premier Manmohan Singh and Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Gilani were warmly cheered by the crowd as they walked onto the pitch following the national anthems. Singh shook hands with the Pakistan players before Gilani, while the roles were reversed as the pair met the India team.

India on 238/6 after 47 overs against Pakistan in World Cup semi-final

India made 200 for five from 40 of their allotted 50 overs against Pakistan in the semi-final of the cricket World Cup here today.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was batting on 22 and left-hander Suresh Raina on 8.

The other opener Virender Sehwag was the first Indian batsman to fall, trapped leg before wicket by Wahab Riaz in the sixth over after he had made 38 in a total of 48.

Tendulkar and left-hander Gautam Gambhir (27) added 68 runs for the second wicket before the latter left, stumped by Kamran Akmal off Mohammed Hafeez. His 27 came off 32 balls and included two fours.

Virat Kohli (9) and left-hander Yuvraj Singh (0) fell of successive deliveries to Wahab Riaz in the 26th over.

Tendulkar, who got as many as four chances today, finally left when Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi held on to a catch at short extra-cover off Saeed Ajmal. The little master, who was looking for his 100th century, was denied that distinction by the Pakistanis today. He made 85 off 115 balls with 11 shots to the fence.

Sehwag had got India off to a blazing start, literally from the word go. He drove Umar Gul's third delivery through covers for four. In Gul's second over, he hit him to the fence five times. The first was an uppish shot towards mid-wicket and the second was hit off his pads through the same region.

Sehwag despatched the fourth ball of the over past square leg and cut the next one through point before punching the sixth ball, a no-ball, through extra cover. Pakistan gave away 21 runs in all that over.

Sehwag lifted Abdul Razzaq over his head for another four in the next over, before Tendulkar, who was content to let his partner retain most of the strike, came up with an exquisite drive through extra cover.

Sehwag had not quite finished with Gul, taking two more fours off him in the next over. He whipped one ball through mid-wickt and lashed a wider delivery over point. At the end of the first five overs, India were on 47 for no loss and Pakistan appeared headed for a leather hunt.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi brought in Wahab Riaz into the attack and he struck in his very first over, trapping plumb in front of the wicket with his fifth delivery. India asked for a review of the decision, but the third umpire upheld the original decision. The batsman had attempted a flick off the back foot but was beaten by the ball that was a bit short of a length.

Sehwag's 38 came off 25 balls and included nine fours. India were 48 for one in 5.5 overs at that stage.

Gul was happy that Sehwag was no longer on the scene, but his troubles were not quite over. Tendulkar glanced one that strayed down the leg side to the fine-leg boundary for four.

In the next over, the little master clipped a short one from Riaz to the mid-on fence and then came up with a text-book square drive, going down on one knee, for another four.

Tendulkar and Gambhir also kept gathering the runs in singles and twos and took the side to 73 for one in the first ten overs.

In the next over, Tendulkar moved forward and offered a defensive stroke to Saeed Ajmal, missed and umpire Ian Gould adjudged him leg before as the crowd watched in disbelief. Tendulkar had to do some quick thinking about asking for a review, India having already lost the previous review when Sehwag was given out. Tendulkar took his chance and the replays showed the ball would have likely missed the leg stump by a slight margin. The umpire reversed his decision as the crowd heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Afridi, Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, conceded just three in his first over as the match slowly seemed to be acquiring an intense quality. In Ajmal's next over, Gambhir finally got his first for.

Tendulkar had a charmed life as Misbah failed to take a catch after the batsman pulled Afridi towards mid-wicket. He was on 27 at that stage.

In Ajmal's next, Tendulkar swept him fine for four and then edged him to the fence through the vacant slips. At the end of 15 overs, India were 99 for one. A single by Gambhir off Afridi brought up the 100 of the Indian innings.

At the other end, Gambhir cut Mohammed Hafeez for another four. Tendulkar moved into the 40s with a four off Afridi, over the bowler's head.

The Indian batsmen were clearly under pressure and the next over saw Gambhir making his departure, stumped by Kamram Akmal after being beaten by the turn of a delivery from Hafeez. Gambhir had faced 32 balls for his 27 that included two fours. India were 116 for two in 18.5 overs.

At the other end, Tendulkar got another life, on 47, off Afridi, the offending fielder being Younis Khan, who had stretched his hand to stop the drive but dropped the ball, as the bowler gaped in disbelief. India were 119 for two after 20 overs.

India's scoring rate had come down a bit, though Tendulkar did try to keep one end going. He hit Afridi over extra cover to reach his half-century and then came up with a beautiful late cut through the vacant slips for another boundary. Hafeez, however, managed to keep Virat Kohli under check. At the half-way mark, India were 141 for two.

Riaz claimed Kohli off the second ball of his next over, caught by Umar Akmal at backward point after the batsman offered a weak shot to one that bent in and edged the ball. Kohli made only nine in a total of 141 in 25.2 overs.

There was a buzz around the stadium as Yuvraj Singh, man of the match in four of India's previous outings in the tournament and the hero of its quarter-final win against defending champions Australia, walked in. He was beaten by the first ball he faced and had his stumps knocked back. India were now 141 for four in 25.3 overs, and Riaz was in line for a hat-trick.

Dhoni, the next man in, denied him the hat-trick and edged the next delivery to the third man boundary for four to take some of the pressure off. The Indian skipper signalled his intent to not get cowed down by steering Hafeez to the third man boundary. Tendulkar then glanced Riaz in the next over to the fine-leg boundary for another four.

In the next over, Afridi was left holding his head as Tendulkar was dropped again, this time by Kamran, though it was a difficult chance, by any standard, after the batsman edged a defensive push. The batsman then square drove Afridi over the off-side field for one more four as India reached 168 for four after 30 overs.

Earlier, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. India dropped spinner R Ashwin and brought in pace bowler Ashish Nehra on the expectation that the pitch would offer more for the seamers and in the knowledge that the Pakistani batsmen are good players of spin bowling.

Pakistan, however, made no change from the eleven that defeated the West Indies in their quarter-final match.

The winner of today's match will meet Sri Lanka in the final on April 2. The Sri Lankans beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first semi-final in Colombo yesterday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani were amongst those present at the stadium to watch the high-voltage encounter.

Dr Singh and Mr Gilani shook hands with the players of both teams before the start of the match.

Others present in the stadium included Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and several other celebrities, including politicians, industrialists and actors.

The teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal.

India Vs Pakistan (IND VS PAK) 2nd Semi Final Live Watch

Match Preview

ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 2nd Semi final match will face India Vs Pakistan.This Match Is BIG BIG AND More BIG Match For All Cricket Lover Whole world wide.Pakistan and India Game Means A world Cup Final Match
Play Between : India Vs Pakistan (IND VS PAK)
Date Of Play :  30 March 2011
Start Time : 14.30 (Local Time) (GMT 09.00)
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, India

Match Type : Day /Night

Captain : MS Dhoni vs Sahid Afridi

ICC Cricket World Cup Ind vs Pak: Tendulkar lucky with UDRS, Sehwag not so

India had mixed luck when they went in for Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) referrals very early in their World Cup semifinal against Pakistan at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here Wednesday.

When opener Virender Sehwag was adjudged leg before to medium-pacer Riaz Wahab by Australian umpire Simon Taufel, the explosive batsman straightaway went up for a review without even consulting his partner Sachin Tendulkar at the other end. The referral went waste as TV umpire Billy Bowden upheld the decision as the ball had pitched in line with the stumps and was hitting the middle stump.

At 75/1, the other umpire, England's Ian Gould, ruled Tendulkar lbw to offspinner Saeed Ajmal. After discussing with Gautam Gambhir, Tendulkar successfully challenged the decision and the review showed the ball was going down the legside, missing the stump.

Tendulkar survived another vociferous appeal in the next ball, this time wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal whipping off the bails with the batsman lunging forward. Tendulkar's luck continued when he was dropped twice off skipper Shahid Afridi by the two senior most cricketers in the side, first by Misbah-Ul-Haq at short midwicket when he was on 27 and then by Younis Khan at short extracover when he was on 45.

Before the semifinal, India have gone in for eleven referrals and they could get only two decisions reversed.

Pakistan have questioned 19 umpiring decisions and only five were overturned. Afridi himself went in for seven leg before reviews, but only two were upheld. The Pakistanis got three other decisions in their favour.

Gould's record has been impressive as none of his six decisions were changed whereas Taufel had one of his seven decisions overruled by the TV umpire.

Ind vs Pak: Riaz puts Pak on top, India 6 down

Saeed Ajmal had Sachin Tendulkar caught by Shahid Afridi in the covers to place India at 187/5 in 37 overs in their World Cup semifinal clash at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.

India vs Pakistan Scorecard | Match in Pics | In Pics: Indian fans in Mohali

Special Coverage: India Pakistan Semi Final

Tendulkar was dropped four times before Afridi grabbed the catch. Tendulkar scored 85 runs off 115 balls with the help of 11 fours.

Wahab Riaz dismissed Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh off successive balls to place India at 141/4 in 25.3 overs.

Riaz first had Virat caught by Umar Akmal at backward point and on the next delivery, clean bowled the in-from Yuvraj with a superb reverse swinging yorker.

Tendulkar made Pakistan pay by hitting his 95th ODI half-century.

Tendulkar was first dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq at mid-wicket when he was on 27 and a few overs later Younis Khan dropped a simple catch at mid-off when Tendulkar was at 45. The unlucky bowler at both times was Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi.

India lost their second wicket when Mohammad Hafeez had Gautam Gambhir stumped by Kamran Akmal.

Sachin Tendulkar and Gambhir brought up the Indian 100 in the 16th over.

Tendulkar took India to 73/1 in 10 overs after the dismissal of Virender Sehwag.

Tendulkar survived two close calls in Saeed Ajmal's second over. On the fourth delivery, the ball hit Tendulkar on the pads, the Pakistani players appealed and umpire Ian Gould raised his finger. Tendulkar opted for the review and the replays showed that the ball was going down the leg side. The decision was overturned.

On the next delivery, Tendulkar missed the doosra while playing a front foot shot and Kamran Akmal took off the bails in a flash. Square leg umpire Simon Taufel went for the third umpire and the replays showed that Tendulkar had brought his right foot down in the crease just in time.

Wahab Riaz trapped Sehwag plumb in front of the wicket after India got off to a fiery start.

Sehwag hit 9 fours in his 25-ball 38 and his onslaught started when he hit five fours off Umar Gul's second over as India got off to a flying start.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat as India made one change to the side that beat Australia in the quarterfinals, bringing in pacer Ashish Nehra in place of spinner R Ashwin.

Pakistan have made no change to the team that beat the West Indies in the quarterfinals, deciding against including mercurial pacer Shoaib Akhtar despite widespread speculation before the match.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (c), Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal+, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal.

Umpires: Simon Taufel and Ian Gould (both on-field), Billy Bowden (third umpire), Rod Tucker (fourth umpire). Ranjan Madugalle (match referee).

Ind vs Pak: Bihar MLAs get half-day session

Ahead of the World Cup semi-final clash between India and Pakistan at Mohali, the speaker of the Bihar assembly has announced that the Wednesday's session will start at 9.00am and end at 1.00pm.

Earlier, some legislators had sought an early adjournment of the House on Wednesday to allow them to watch the match.

Cutting across party lines, several MLAs made the unprecedented demand requesting to limit the proceedings of the day during the ongoing Budget session. They were mounting pressure on the speaker to adjourn the assembly during the match period.

The House session continues till around 5 pm everyday which means the MLAs would have to miss most of the first innings of the all-important match.

Batting for an early adjournment of the House on the day, JD(U) MLA Ajay Pratap said, "India-Pakistan matches are always exciting and interesting. We are asking for a half day so that we too can enjoy the match."

However, the state government was not amused at the idea of the House functioning for half a day. Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi said MLAs who were keen to watch the match had the option of staying away from the assembly.

"Those who want to watch the match can stay absent. As it is, all legislators are never in attendance for the session," Modi argued.

ICC Cricket World Cup - Ind vs Pak -- Highlights

- Indian fans go silent in Mohali. Dhoni caught LBW off a Wahab delivery. MSD went for the review. But Simon Taufel's decision stood.

- Headlines Today's Rahul Kanwal tweeted - Rock of Gibraltar falls. Pakistan finally take a catch. With respect, Sachin didn't deserve to get 100 after being dropped 6 times.

- Tendulkar departs after scoring 85 in 115 balls. Afridi took the catch off Hafeez.

- Tendulkar dropped for the fourth time. This time by Umar off Hafeez at 81. India 182/4 after 35 overs.

- Headlines Today's Karthikeya  Sharma says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has left for the Raj Bhawan for a break while Yousuf Raza Gilani has returned to Taj hotel. Both the PMs are expected to be back after 5.30 pm.

- Rahul Kanwal tweeted - Pakistani fans rediscover their voices. Time for Indians to go silent. Punjab puttar got a strong ovation, but occasion got to him.

- Rahul Kanwal tweeted - Pakistani politicians in Mohali fast losing hope. Saying India running away with match. Mushahid Hussain unhappy with missed chances.

- Rahul Kanwal tweeted - Bumped into the Foreign Secretary. Seems happy with the way things are going so far. Says PMs sitting together and talking all through.

- Koel Purie tweeted - Help! We can't crumble now. No, no, no.

- Hundreds of fans unable to get tickets have found giant screens outside the stadium and are enjoying the match over mugs of beer.

- Nothing scandalous or juicy yet..other than a few mad women wearing juicy track pants in this heat! Sachin pilot here and looking quite thrilled with the game! Hopefully next update will be more interesting!, says a TV journalist.

- Oops! Local boy Yuvraj comes and goes for a duck. Wahab dislodges his stumps.

- Headlines Today's Gaurav Sawant on Twitter - Careful Sachin! God comes to God's rescue for the third time. Tension mounting. Not a match for the faint hearted.

- Vivek Oberoi on Twitter: Heart attack! .. dropped again. Thank you Pakistan. Win Mohali.

- Sachin brings up his 95th ODI fifty off a four from Afridi. 

- See what I mean when I say Sachin is God? Back from the dead, twice. Jesus, only once. - Somebody on Twitter.

- Now Younis drops Sachin off Afridi again. Is it the little master's day today?

- Headlines Today's Rahul Kanwal tweeted - Sachin is playing like a cat with nine lives. Stadium now bursting at the seams. No space to place a toe.

- Municipal Corporation of Delhi declares half day after India won the toss. It is not official, but no action will be taken if anybody wants to go home to see the match.

- Twists of fate. India has never defeated Pakistan in Mohali and Pakistan has never defeated India in World Cup encounters.

- Misbah drops Sachin on a sitter off Afridi. Sachin was on 28.

- This World Cup's highest wicket taker and Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi comes into the attack.

- Sachin gets another life. Third umpire rules not out in stumping. 

- Close call for Sachin. Crowd celebrates as umpire review denies LBW call off Ajmal.

- Advani wishes Dhoni and his team and expresses hope that India will meet Sri Lanka in final.

- Headlines Today's Gaurav Sawant tweeted - SMS chatter: Pak wins toss. Elects to BET first.

- No lunch meet between PM Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza Gilani. Premiers skip lunch.

- The 50 comes up for India in the 7th over as Gambhir joins Sachin in the middle.

- Mail Today's Ajit Vijaykumar says Sehwag out leg before to Wahab Riaz after an explosive start. He smashed 38 off 25 balls, with nine hits to the fence. India 48 for 1 after 5.5 overs.

- Headlines Today's Saurabh Shukla says on and off field the great Indo-Pak bonhomie. Hope this stays as the two PMs cheer Sehwag's fours.

- We just landed in Chandigarh, security is crazy and excitement pulsating! They have added many flights in the middle of the night to bring people back so will come back late night after winning, says a Headlines Today journalist.

- Headlines Today's Saurabh Shukla says showmen diplomacy. Both PMs demonstrate great camaraderie in the middle of the field. Good body language.

- Umar Gul goes expensive in 3rd over. Concedes five fours to Sehwag and a no ball.

- Rahul Bose, Sunil Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Anil Thadani, Ritesh Sidhwani, Vivek Oberoi, Gautam Singhania and Subodh Gupta at stadium to watch match, says designer Manav Gangwani.

- Daler Mehndi, Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Abhishek Bachchan, Siddharth Mallya, Vijay Mallya, Arbaaz Khan and Fardeen Khan at stadium to watch match, says designer Manav Gangwani.

- Players of both teams wearing red ribbons on their shirt as a show of support for people suffering with AIDS.

- Sachin, Sehwag start against Pakistan. Umar Gul opens bowling.

- National anthems over. Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Aamir Khan sing along with Team India and spectators.

- Here's more for the cricket lovers. A specially minted coin was used during the toss that will be auctioned by the ICC post the match.

- Mail Today's Ajit Vijaykumar says India bring in Ashish Nehra for R Ashwin, after looking at the grass on the track. A big gamble? No Shoaib Akhtar.

- India win toss and elect to bat against Pakistan.

- Mail Today's Ajit Vijaykumar says PCA Stadium at Mohali almost full. No surprises there. Still, 28,000 aren't that many, considering the match.

- According to team sources, Ashish Nehra may replace Munaf Patel in the playing 11.

- Pak pacer Shoaib Akhtar will not play against India, the team management decides owing to his fitness concerns.

- Mail Today's Ajit Vijaykumar says Why is there so much grass, even if it is dead? Hopefully, toss won't be a factor.

- Mail Today's Ajit Vijaykumar says Teams have arrived. All eyes on Akhtar. Will he play on a track that has a fair amount of grass?

- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for Mohali along with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi from Delhi.

- Indian and Pakistani teams leave for the stadium from their hotels.

- Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raja Gilani has reached Chandigarh.

- Sourav Ganguly, Sanjay Manjrekar, Rameez Raja entering via gate no 1. Arun Jaitley arrives with family.

- Mail Today's Ajit Vijaykumar says ICC playing conditions state that in case of a no-result even on the reserve day, Pakistan will go through to final as they topped their group and India had come in second in Group B.

- Right now there are more cops than fans. Building up fast. Everyone is cursing PM's presence.

- Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raza says even if Pakistan lose today, they will go back as heroes. Shahid Afridi needs to perform well with the bat.

- MTV India tweeted - With both Veena Malik & Poonam Pandey at the India-Pakistan match, there are going to be lots of legs before wickets.

- Mail Today's Ajit Vijaykumar says from Mohali - Clear sky after heavy rain last night. Strangely, wicket has a fair amount of grass.

- Minister of State for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot to receive Pak delegation headed by PM Yusuf Raza Gilani at Chandigarh airport.

- With the satta bazaar heating up, Delhi Police sources say the betting stakes could be as high as Rs 500-600 crore for this match.

- A host of Airbuses, Bombardiers and Hawkers are expected top hover over the Mohali awaiting landing permission.

- With at least six special flights operated by commercial airlines and about 50 private aircrafts expected to land during the day, Chandigarh airport might even match the busiest airports like Delhi and Mumbai by Wednesday afternoon.

- All roads other than those leading to Mohali are empty. Roads to the stadium are clogged as India take on Pakistan in the World Cup semi-final clash at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday, March 30, 2011.

- Taj hotel under 3tier security blanket as Pakistan PM Yusuf Raza Gilani and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are expected to check in here only. Pak team already staying here.

- Mukesh and Anil Ambani, Sharad Pawar, Vijay Mallya, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Anil Agarwal and the Hindujas are said to be watching the match.

- Heavy rains and thunderstorm had lashed Mohali on Tuesday night on the eve of the blockbuster World Cup semifinal clash.

- The ICC revokes the media ban for Mohali's match. The move comes after the intervention of the Information and Broadcasting ministry.

- Sources say Indian coach Gary Kirsten has ensured that the Men in Blue don't get to read the morning newspapers and neither do they watch the 24x7 coverage of the upcoming encounter on news channels.

India vs Pakistan live: Sachin Tendulkar misses ton

Shahid Afridi dismissed master blaster Sachin Tendulkar to reduce India 187/5. Sachin Tendulkar scored 85 runs.

India vs Pakistan: Live commentary
Earlier, Wahab Riaz provided double blow to India by dismissing Kohli and Yuvraj (0) in one over.

After fiery start, India lost opener Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

Wahab Riaz provided first breakthrough to Pakistan when he dismissed dangerous Sehwag. Sehwag scored 38 runs of 25 deliveries.
India received second jolt when Mohammad Hafeez got rid off Gambhir for 27 runs.

Earlier, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the crucial toss and elected to bat first against Pakistan in the second semifinal of Cricket World Cup 2011.

Dhoni has made one change in the side. Spinner R Ashwin paved the way for pacer Ashish Nehra. Dhoni feels that Pakistan side is good against spinners.
On the other hand, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi said that toss will not affect the result of tie. He said that there are no changes in the Pakistan side. The same team, which played against West Indies will play today.
Afridi said that this is biggest encounter of his career.
Teams:
Ind: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra
Pak: Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal

ICC CWC LIVE: 2nd SF, IND vs PAK

India Innings

37th Over: Tendulkar departs. Afridi holds on to a catch off Ajmal and Tendulkar falls for a well-made 85. The pressure is right back on India. Raina joins Dhoni.

35th Over: Tendulkar DROPPED for the fourth time, now off Hafeez. Afridi cannot believe it. Will it be costly for Pakistan? India are 182 for four

32nd Over: Gul back into the attack for his second spell. Tendulkar and Dhoni looking to build the Indian innings. Crucial phase of play in the match.

26th Over: Riaz gets Kohli. And Yuvraj. On a hat-trick. This is sensational stuff from Pakistan. An out-of-form MS Dhoni walks in to join a solid Sachin Tendulkar. India are 145 for four

22nd Over: Fifty for Tendulkar. The 95th of his ODI career and the second on the trot. And what a way to bring it up too. An exquisitely timed boundary.

Himanshu reckons India are lucky to have Sachin Tendulkar at the crease. It's getting slow and  low gradually. The dual bounce means chasing anything over 250 would worry Pakistan.

20th Over: Tendulkar DROPPED for the second time and again off Afridi. The Little Master has already survived an LBW appeal and a stumping chance.

18th Over: Mohammad Hafeez breaks through for Pakistan. Gautam Gambhir departs but India are on solid ground in Mohali. Tendulkar on the verge of yet another fifty. India are 116 for two

16th Over: 100 up for India. Tendulkar and Gambhir going strong after a Sehwag blitzkrieg. Pakistan have somehow managed to tighten the noose, just a bit. A great contest shaping up.

Did YOU KNOW?

Sachin Tendulkar is now the leading run-getter in India-Pakistan ODIs.

Our correspondent Himanshu Shekhar says, "Watching Saeed Ajmal bowl one wonders if  dropping R Ashwin was the right move. India would hope that Dhoni got it  right. Meanwhile, Sachin has survived two massive appeals and looks like  in for the long haul."

11th Over: Ajmal continues. Tendulkar gets a lifeline thanks to the UDRS. Gould has to take his decision back. Nothing for Ajmal. The umpire shakes his head, does not like the mistake he made. Another appeal. Stumped, is he? Third umpire rules in favour of Tendulkar and Mohali erupts. India are 76 for one

6th Over: Wahab Riaz into the attack and strikes Sehwag on the pads. REVIEW! And it goes in Pakistan's favour. India are one down. Gautam Gambhir walks into the middle.

4th Over: Razzak runs in. No respite for Pakistan. A boundary for Sehwag and a delightful cover-drive from Sachin Tendulkar.

3rd Over: Sehwag on the rampage, blasts Gul all around the park. Four boundaries. And a free hit too. Gul gets away with it.

1st Over: Sehwag drives Umar Gul through covers and India are away. What a start.

The Toss

India won the all-important toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal at Mohali.

It was a great sight to see the Prime Ministers of both India and Pakistan, Dr Manmohan Singh and Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, shake hands with the team members and pass on words of encouragement.

Even the PMs seemed a bit carried away by the sense of occasion!

CaptainSpeak (MS Dhoni): "I think it is vital and better for us to put runs on the board so we could put pressure on the opposition. I also don't know if I can say its the biggest game of my life but its certainly really huge!"

CaptainSpeak (Shahid Afridi): "I think we would have batted first as well but there is not much concern as I see a decent spread of grass that could come in handy for our spinners.

Pitch Report: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly says the track is full of runs and a score of 300 is chaseable. There is a little bit of grass on the pitch that could keep the wicket intact. Fast bowlers will extract mileage in the evening as the weather will come into play.

Our correspondent in Mohali, Himanshu Shekhar says it is a nice and sunny day as Mohali anticipates a cracker of a game. Covers are on the pitch but one expects it to be a typical one with good bounce and carry that would help seamers.

As the atmosphere builds up with thousands of fans thronging at different gates, the cops seem unable to take control. The entry points are difficult to negotiate and it appears to be as difficult and nightmarish as it feels when crossing the border illegally.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani arrived in Chandigarh today to witness the high octane cricket World Cup Indo-Pak semi-final encounter along with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.
Gilani, who landed in a Pakistan Air Force aircraft on his first visit to India, was accompanied by his wife Fauzia and was received at the defence airport  by Union Minister of State for Communication Sachin Pilot and Pakistan High Commissioner in India Shahid Malik among others.

TEAMS

India: V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar, G Gambhir, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c), SK Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, MM Patel, A Nehra
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi (c), Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal
MATCH PREVIEW

There will be no David or Goliath in the match. The past encounters between the teams suggest that reputation and experience will count for nothing and that every player will be under tremendous pressure with uncompromising and unforgiving fans on both sides. A good performance here can make one part of the folklore while a failure will be as good as sending somebody to the gallows. Never before was a player so conscious of the sword of Damocles.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni understands the magnitude of the occasion and speaks like a sage.

“There is hype, there is hysteria but we are not getting involved in it and that’s what is important. One thing you know about the hype is that thinking about it won’t help your performance and what doesn’t help your performance should be kept out. We have been preparing well, let us see how it goes,” Dhoni said during a press conference on the eve of the match.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 21 wickets, admitted that the Indians are the favourites going into the match. But despite that he believes he has got a great team which is capable of taking anyone to the cleaners.

“We have played above expectations so far. We've been through a tough time for the last seven or eight months but now we are playing like a unit. India are the favourites but we are pretty confident about our game. This World Cup matters a lot to us and we will try our best to rekindle the interest in the game back home,” the spinning all-rounder said.

India’s record against Pakistan is very impressive in the tournament: they have never lost to their arch-rivals. However when it comes to overall head-to-head, Pakistan by far has been the best side, winning 69 out of 119 matches.

Many cricket pundits believe the match is actually between India’s batting and Pakistan’s bowling. The pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association has always been partial to batsmen and the curator Daljit Singh has given no sign as yet that it would be any different this time.

As far as team composition is concerned, India are likely to field the same team that knocked the Australians out while Pakistan are unsure whether to go in with injury-prone Shoaib Akhtar.

Both teams have been great rivals over the years. Nothing is going to change on Wednesday, no matter how much people talk about cricket being a medium to thaw the relationship between the star-crossed neighbours. You can count me upon that!

India and Pakistan - World Cup 2011

Approaching milestones

- Virender Sehwag (998) needs two runs to complete his 1000 runs against Pakistan in ODIs.

-  Mahendra Singh Dhoni (976) requires 24 runs to complete his 1000 runs against Pakistan in ODIs.

-  In case of a hundred, Sachin (99) would become the first batsman to complete 100 international centuries.

-  Sachin, in case of a century, would become the first to register six hundreds in India-Pakistan ODIs.  At present, he shares the record with Salman Butt.  Both have registered five hundreds each.

-  Sachin and Brian Lara share a record for most hundreds (5) against Pakistan in ODIs.  In case of his 100th international hundred, he would become the first to post six hundreds against Pakistan.

-  Sachin (6873), in case of 127 runs, would become the first to aggregate 7000 runs at home.

-   Kamran Akmal (2905) needs 95 runs to complete his 3000 runs in ODIs.

-   Misbah-ul-Haq (1949) requires 51 runs to complete his 2,000 runs in ODIs.

- Afridi is all set to establish two important bowling records.  With just one wicket, he would take his tally to 22 and to overtake Waqar Younis' tally of 21 at 17.47 runs apiece in eight games in the Mandela Trophy in South Africa in 1994-95 - the previous Pakistan record for most wickets in a competition.

- Afridi, with only two wickets, would set a bowling record for most wickets by a captain in a competition/series.  Greg Chappell had captured 22 wickets at 17.04 runs apiece in fourteen matches in the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup in Australia in 1980-81.

-   Dhoni (5933) requires 67 runs to complete his 6,000 runs in ODIs.

-   Gambhir (3949) needs 51 runs to complete his 4,000 runs in ODIs.

-   Virat Kohli (1910) needs 90 runs to complete his 2,000 runs in ODIs.

India vs Pakistan in ODIs/World Cup
ODIs

India have won 46 and lost 69 out of 119 contested against Pakistan (NR 4).  Pakistan's winning % of 60.00 is far better than India (40.00)

India have lost both the games against Pakistan at Mohali - by 7 wickets in the Pepsi Cup on April 1, 1999 and by four wickets on November 8, 2007.

World Cup

India enjoy 100% winning record against Pakistan at the World Cup, having won all four.

Overall - World Cup

India have won 37 and lost 26 out of 65 contested - winning % 58.59 (NR 1 and Tied 1)

Pakistan's success % is slightly better than India at the World Cup - Won 36 and lost 25 out of 63 played (NR 2) 59.01.

ICC Cricket World Cup Ind vs Pak: Special prayers offered in Dhoni's city

Special prayers were offered and rituals performed in the hometown of Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday morning, ahead of the India-Pakistan clash in the World Cup semifinal.

"Special prayers were performed in the morning for India's victory. Goddess Durga has blessed Dhoni and we believe that India will win the World Cup under his captainship," said Manoj Panda, priest of Deori temple in Tamar near Ranchi.

Dhoni's fans also went to Deori temple, which the cricketer often visits.

"We arrived here for the special prayers. India will reach the final by defeating Pakistan," said Sandeep, a fan of Dhoni.

Pujas were also performed in other temples of Jharkhand for the Indian team's success.

Ind vs Pak: Kohli, Yuvraj, Tendulkar fall, India five down

Wahab Riaz dismissed Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh off successive balls to place India at 141/4 in 25.3 overs in their World Cup semifinal clash at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.
Scorecard | Match in Pics | In Pics: Indian fans in Mohali
Special Coverage: India Pakistan Semi Final
Riaz first had Virat caught by Umar Akmal at backward point and on the next delivery, clean bowled the in-from Yuvraj with a superb reverse swinging yorker.
Pakistani fielders dropped Sachin Tendulkar twice and he made them pay by hitting his 95th ODI half-century.
Tendulkar was first dropped by Misbah-ul-Haq at mid-wicket when he was on 27 and a few overs later Younis Khan dropped a simple catch at mid-off when Tendulkar was at 45. The unlucky bowler at both times was Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi.
India lost their second wicket when Mohammad Hafeez had Gautam Gambhir stumped by Kamran Akmal.
Sachin Tendulkar and Gambhir brought up the Indian 100 in the 16th over.
Tendulkar took India to 73/1 in 10 overs after the dismissal of Virender Sehwag.
Tendulkar survived two close calls in Saeed Ajmal's second over. On the fourth delivery, the ball hit Tendulkar on the pads, the Pakistani players appealed and umpire Ian Gould raised his finger. Tendulkar opted for the review and the replays showed that the ball was going down the leg side. The decision was overturned.
On the next delivery, Tendulkar missed the doosra while playing a front foot shot and Kamran Akmal took off the bails in a flash. Square leg umpire Simon Taufel went for the third umpire and the replays showed that Tendulkar had brought his right foot down in the crease just in time.
Wahab Riaz trapped Sehwag plumb in front of the wicket after India got off to a fiery start.
Sehwag hit 9 fours in his 25-ball 38 and his onslaught started when he hit five fours off Umar Gul's second over as India got off to a flying start.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat as India made one change to the side that beat Australia in the quarterfinals, bringing in pacer Ashish Nehra in place of spinner R Ashwin.
Pakistan have made no change to the team that beat the West Indies in the quarterfinals, deciding against including mercurial pacer Shoaib Akhtar despite widespread speculation before the match.
Teams:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (c), Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal+, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal.
Umpires: Simon Taufel and Ian Gould (both on-field), Billy Bowden (third umpire), Rod Tucker (fourth umpire). Ranjan Madugalle (match referee).

Cricket World Cup - Yuvraj v Afridi – India vs Pakistan

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi-final: India v Pakistan
Venue: Mohali Date: Wednesday, 30 March (1000 BST)
Coverage: Highlights on BBC Two (see listings), Red Button & online at 2200 GMT (UK only); live Test Match Special commentary (BBC 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW and online); text commentary online and mobiles; live on Sky Sports

Afridi and Yuvraj have played to their true potential during the World Cup

By Sam Sheringham

Wednesday's titanic semi-final between India and Pakistan could hinge on the contest between two great entertainers who have reinvented themselves as ruthlessly efficient performers at this World Cup.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh have often been derided as "Hollywood" cricketers, capable of turning on the style when conditions suit them, but just as likely to go missing when their teams need them most.

However, by curbing some of their natural instincts and performing with a new maturity, the duo have taken their games to new heights.

SHAHID AFRIDI

Shahid 'Boom Boom' Afridi earned his nickname for smashing the ball out of the ground with a ferocity and regularity the game had rarely seen.

These days the big scores are few and far between, but the Pakistan captain's capacity to make an explosive impact on games make his moniker as fitting as ever.

Now it is the show-stopping quality of Afridi's bowling that is clearing the bars.

Highlights - Pakistan power past West Indies

In seven matches at the 2011 Cricket World Cup, he has taken 21 wickets at a staggering average of 10.71.

Having only taken four or more wickets on five occasions 312 one-day internationals, he has achieved the feat four times in seven matches at the tournament.

His ability to intersperse conventional leg-spinners with googlies, top-spinners and quicker deliveries on the slow, low, wickets of the subcontinent have rendered him nigh-on unplayable and been the single biggest factor in Pakistan's run to the semi-finals.

Afridi's combination with paceman Umar Gul, who has 14 wickets, has helped the side overcome the shortcomings of an inconsistent batting line-up to beat Sri Lanka, Australia and the West Indies en route to the last four.

With his constant flow of wickets, Afridi has largely led by example, but his leadership has also caught the eye for the way he has galvanised a notoriously fractious squad and imbued them with more energy and efficiency in the field.

"Everybody is standing behind him at the World Cup," said Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq.

"I think there are always differences in opinion but we always talk to the captain about what he thinks. He's really good at that.

"He listens to the players, especially the senior players and the coaches, we just decide everything with a good co-ordination, and that's why everything is going well and the team is performing well. It's a big thing actually."

Originally selected for Pakistan in 1996 as a leg-spinning all-rounder, Afridi shot to fame at the tender age of 16 with the fastest one-day hundred off 37 balls in his first international innings.

A compulsive slogger, he has hit the highest-number of sixes in the history of one-day cricket and three of the seven fastest centuries.

But while his batting has always been inconsistent and is showing signs of terminal decline - he has just one fifty in his last 21 innings and a tournament average of 10.83 - as a bowler he is undoubtedly at the peak of his powers.

Having declared in 2009 that he was a bowler first and a batsman second, he has become an undisputed master of his craft, as anyone who witnessed his devastating bursts against Kenya, Sri Lanka, Canada and the West Indies would testify.

The one worry for Pakistan would be Afridi's record against India, whose batsmen are notorious for their mastery of spin bowling.

In 63 matches against their arch-rivals, he has 38 wickets at a decidedly ordinary average of 55.50.

YUVRAJ SINGH

England fans will remember Yuvraj Singh as the man who gave Stuart Broad an unforgettable lesson in just how tough international cricket can be.

In launching the fresh-faced seamer for six sixes in an over at the 2007 World Twenty20, India's middle order mauler showed his immense talent for taking attacks apart.

Indeed, Yuvraj has long been recognised as one of the most exciting and destructive performers in the game, as a tally of 216 sixes in international cricket and a Twenty20 strike-rate in excess of 150 would confirm.

India too strong despite Ponting ton

As with many players of his ilk, Yuvraj's undoing has tended to be the absence of a Plan B in bowler-friendly conditions, and a run of low scores saw him dropped from the India side for the first time last year.

Perhaps it was the wake-up call he needed because something has come over Yuvraj at this World Cup and India are reaping the rewards.

In curbing his instinct to go after every ball, he has converted himself into India's "Mr Dependable", judging the pace of a run chase to see him team to victory in a manner that has drawn comparisons with Michael Bevan, Australia's former master finisher.

Although free-scoring openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have been grabbing the headlines, Yuvraj has played an influential role in four of Indies five victories at the tournament.

In the group games against Ireland and the Netherlands, he entered the fray with India wobbling and steered them over the line with measured fifties, while against the Windies he lifted an otherwise indifferent batting display with an imperious 113.

my responsibility is to bat till the end whether we are batting first or chasing a target

Yuvraj Singh

But the left-hander's finest hour came in the quarter-final against Australia after India had been reduced to 187-5 chasing 261 on a slow Ahmedabad track.

Aided by Suresh Raina in a partnership of 74, Yuvraj struck a match-winning unbeaten 57, sealing India's place in the last four by cracking a Brett Lee yorker through the covers for four.

"Finishing a game gives me a lot of confidence going into the next match," said Yuvraj, who has also taken 11 wickets with his left-arm spin.

"I'm just happy about how I am hitting the ball, my responsibility is to bat till the end whether we are batting first or chasing a target."

Overall, Yuvraj has struck 341 runs in six matches, with one hundred and four fifties at a staggering average of 113.66.

And with Wednesday's showdown taking place at Yuvraj's home ground of Mohali, few would bet against another influential display from India's man of the moment.

ICC Cricket World Cup ad rates soar before India vs Pakistan match

Tickets for the India vs Pakistan World Cup semifinal match in Mohali are not the only thing being sold at an inflated rate.
Media agencies say broadcaster ESPN Star is demanding between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 18 lakh per 10 seconds. It's a huge jump from the Rs 3.5 lakh for 10 seconds it charged at the league level. While some doubt whether ESPN Star will get what it wants, others are certain advertisers will pay up.
"India-England match was about 12 to 13 ...and it's India-Pakistan, it's semifinal, it's knock out...so between 15 and 20, if it is a good contest, is a safe bet," said MEC India MD T Gangadhar about the Television Rating Points.

So far, the tournament has delivered. The six India league matches did average ratings of 9.51, while non-India matches averaged close to 1.5 TRPs.

Broadcast sponsor Vodafone says response to live match coverage on mobiles has been 5 times higher than what the IPL garnered last year. Ground sponsor LG has received 50,000 applications for its cheer-leading squad. But will these guys buy more air-time?

"As an advertising platform the world cup rating for me would be, 5 or 5 and a half on 10, but as a sponsorship platform it is far more valuable to us," said LG India CMO LK Gupta.

"We could promote things differently if India gets into the finals and ride on the sentiment that Indians will have. After all, more than 50 million Indians were watching the India-England match. I am sure that the number will be higher when we go along. Unlikely though that we will buy more air time," said Vodafone Brand Communication VP Anuradha Agarwal.

The 42 league matches reached over 175 million households in the country, which is 48 per cent more than the previous world cup, and 30 per cent higher than IPL-3.

Media planners say available inventory for the finals will be sold only after the two finalists are penciled in. And if India is one of them, spot rates will go through the roof.

Pakistan vs India: Live updates

MOHALI: It’s here. The most anticipated clash of World Cup 2011, where Pakistan take on the India in the second semi-final at Mohali.

First over

Umar Gul opens the bowling for Pakistan with Virender Sehwag on the batting end.

The stadium is packed to full capacity.

After the national anthems, the prime ministers of both countries go down to the pitch and meet with the players.

Nationals anthems of both countries play while the stadium stands in silence.

Teams make their way down to the pitch.

Toss: India has won the toss and has elected to bat.

Twitter trends for the match: #Mohali #cwc2011 #Pakistan #India #indiasvpak #semifianl

Ashish Nehra has replaced Ravichandran Ashwin in the linup for India.

Pakistan has not made any changes in their team.

Pakistan:

Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal

India:

V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar, G Gambhir, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, SK Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, MM Patel, A Nehra

Yesterday, Sri Lanka beat New Zealand and will face the winner of today’s match on April 2, 2011.

The cricket fever is running high on both sides of the border. With the premiers on both countries attending the showdown, security arrangements at Mohali have been tightened.

Pakistan has never beaten India in a World Cup match. Hearts are beating fast to see if this will be changed today.

Shahid Afridi’s men should use “music therapy” to calm their nerves before Pakistan face India in Wednesday’s high-pressure World Cup semi-final, former captain Javed Miandad suggests, Reuters reported.

ICC Cricket World Cup: On or off shoot, B-Town celebs catch India-Pakistan match

Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Arjun Rampal and Hrithik Roshan are not leaving anything to chance to catch the India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal either at home, at a get together or in a restaurant. Those who are busy shooting plan to catch the action in their vanity vans.

Some actors like Shah Rukh Khan have planned get-togethers, while a host of actors like Aamir Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Rahul Bose and Preity Zinta, among others, are in Mohali to watch the clash live, said a source.

Shah Rukh has invited Karan Johar, Arjun Rampal, Hrithik Roshan and Chunkey Pandey at his Bandra house Mannat, and actress Priyanka Chopra might join them after wrapping up her shooting for the "Agneepath" remake.

Popular singer Shaan will host his friends Babul Supriyo and music composer Pritam Chakraborty at his place to cheer for India.

The frenzy is such that actors like Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi, who are currently in Macau for the shooting of "Double Dhamaal", have planned to watch the showdown at an eating joint.

"In Macau for the shoot of Double Dhamaal -IND-PAK match-the enitre unit is going to raid an Indian restaurant to watch the match-GD Luck INDIA," Riteish posted on Twitter.

Meanwhile, actors Sophie Choudry and Genelia D'Souza are cribbing about being stuck in shooting during the much-awaited semifinal.

"All my friends are either at the match or watching it in a big gang...But I'm stuck shooting!! Gonna sneak into my van whnever I can! Go Indiaia!" tweeted Sophie.

Genelia, who was hoping to get half a day off from the shooting of a film she hasn't named, posted: "So I don't think I'm going 2get a half day, still hoping my director has a change of heart else I'll hav 2 catch it during breaks in my van."

Many like Neil Nitin Mukesh and actress Anushka Sharma have decided to slouch on their couches at home for the match.

"I am really excited about India-Pakistan match. I am watching it with my brother at my home. Everything is on hold for the match. I hope we will win," said Anushka.

One wonders what the Bachchan clan is up to, as Abhishek had recently commented: "I am not going to watch the match. In my house, we are very superstitious. Whenever we watch television, we lose, so I will be sitting, waiting for my friends to call me and update me on the scores."

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ICC Cricket World cup 2011 the biggest cricket event of this year will start from 19th February 2011 – 2nd April 2011. This time ICC world cup 2011 is jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (no Pakistan). ICC Sold its rights of broadcasting for 2011 Cricket World Cup for around US$ 2 Billion to ESPN Star Sports. It would be broadcasting all around the world in about 220 countries. ESPN Star Sports to stream World Cup live on website.
For the first time, the Cricket World Cup will be broadcast in High Definition (HD) format. Live matches will also be shown by 3G mobile streaming for the first time.

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Country/ICC World CUP Broadcaster(s)

Afghanistan : Ariana Television Network: Lemar TV
Australia : Nine Network, Fox Sports
Pan-Africa : South African Broadcasting Corporation
Bangladesh : Bangladesh Television
Singapore : Star Cricket
West Indies : Caribbean Media Corporation
Canada : Asian Television Network
Europe (Except UK & Ireland) : Eurosport2
China : ESPN Star Sports
India : ESPN Star Sports, Star Cricket, DD National mostly India matches
Jamaica : Television Jamaica
Middle East : Arab Radio and Television Network
Nepal : ESPN Star Sports
Fiji : Fiji TV
New Zealand : Sky Sport
Pacific Islands : Sky Pacific
Pakistan : GEO Super, Pakistan Television Corporation
South Africa : Supersport, Sabc3 Sport
Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
United Kingdom : Sky Sports HD, Zee Caf
Ireland: Sky Sports HD, Zee Caf
USA : Willow Cricket, DirecTV, Dish Network