Cricket fans invade Pakistan to cheer Team India
Cricket fans invade Pakistan to cheer Team India
Agence France-Presse Lahore, Pakistan
Sourav Ganguly's Indians will find full-throated support from the stands when they attempt to salvage the one-day series against Pakistan in a do-or-die clash here on Sunday.
Some 4,500 Indian fans, who have traveled by road, rail and air, will be at hand to witness the last two day-night games at the Gaddafi stadium here over the next four days.
Ganguly's men, who trail 1-2 in the five-match series, must win Sunday's fourth match under lights to prevent Wednesday's last game from being a formality.
India will also play three Test matches on their first full tour of Pakistan since 1989, but fans from across the border can't wait for Sunday's match to begin at 2:00 pm (0900 GMT).
"We have not come here to see India lose," said Delhi college student Rima Verma, who flew into this eastern city on Thursday with a group of friends to watch the matches.
However it's not all cricket for many.
"Cricket is secondary, I am here to make friends in Pakistan and enjoy their traditional hospitality," said Satwinder Singh, a motor car spare parts dealer from Delhi's historic Chandni Chowk area.
"But you can be rest assured we will all be at the Gaddafi stadium on Sunday and will not hide our support for Sachin Tendulkar and company."
In Peshawar, on Friday, Pakistan's Yasir Hameed and Abdul Razzaq combined to lead Pakistan to a four-wicket win over India in the third one-day international.
Hameed scored 98 as Pakistan overtook India's 244-8 with 16 deliveries to spare and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Pakistan, who were themselves struggling at 173-6 in the 35th, prospered through an unbroken stand of 74 for the seventh-wicket between Abdul Razzaq and Moin Khan.
Razzaq followed his 2-44 in India's innings to remain unbeaten on 53 off 52 balls. Moin made 22 not out.
Lanky seamer Shabbir Ahmed set up the win when he removed three top batsmen, including Sachin Tendulkar, in a hostile opening burst after Pakistan elected to bowl first on a rare seaming wicket.
The win gave Pakistan the psychological edge going into the remaining two games to be played under lights at Lahore's Gaddafi stadium on Sunday and Wednesday.
Bowlers finally had something to smile about on the greenish wicket, unlike the perfect batting strips laid out for the first two matches that produced more than 300 runs in each innings.
India slipped from 37-3 to 140-6 before Yuvraj Singh cracked a defiant 65 off 76 balls late in the innings to boost the total.
Ramesh Powar (14) and tailenders Irfan Pathan (16) and Laxmipathy Balaji (21 not out) aided the recovery which saw India put on 104 valuable runs for the last three wickets.
The Indians, without four injured frontline bowlers in Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra, were well served by young seamer Pathan who finished with 3-58.
Pathan made the early breakthroughs when he bowled opener Shahid Afridi and had Yousuf Youhana caught in the slips to reduce Pakistan to 29-2 in the seventh over.
Younis Khan was unlucky to be run out backing too far at the non-striker's end and Shoaib Malik was snapped up with the slips off Zaheer Khan.
Hameed and captain Inzamam-ul Haq added 91 for the fifth wicket to make it 156-4 by the 32nd over when India bounced back by removing both batsmen in the space of 17 runs.
Inzamam was unlucky to be given out leg-before by Pakistani umpire Nadeem Ghauri when a googly from Tendulkar hit the batsman on the front foot.