These two matches had exposed a fault line in the mighty Indian batting machine, which prevented them from capitalising on the excellent start provided by the top order. But Robin Peterson got the better of him and struck 16 runs off the first four balls to seal a thrilling win. Skipper Dhoni handed the ball to Ashish Nehra, who was his first choice bowler at the death. When the last over started, they needed 13 runs. South Africa scripted a well planned chase, with good knocks by Hashim Amla (61), Jacques Kallis (69) and AB deVilliers (52). However, the Indian batting came apart after this and the side was dismissed for 296 in the 49th over. India started well and had reached 267/1 in the 39th over, thanks to another brilliant century (111) by Tendulkar, who was ably supported by Sehwag (73) and Gambhir (69). In a match that went down to the wire, the Springboks emerged victors by a margin of three wickets, with two balls remaining. Graeme Swann could manage only a single, thus resulting in a tie.Īfter a couple of easy wins against Ireland and the Netherlands, India took on South Africa at Nagpur. But Zaheer, who had leaked runs in his first spell, struck with the old ball and claimed three quick wickets, including the prized scalp of skipper Andrew Strauss, who had amassed 158 off 145 balls.Įngland, however, hung on gamely and when the last over started they needed 14 runs, which came down to two off the final ball. Though this appeared to be a formidale total, England looked all set to overtake it with ease, when they reached 280 losing only two wickets at the close of 42 overs. Batting first, the hosts put up a total of 338, helped by the brilliance of Tendulkar, who scored 120 and half-centuries from Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj. India won the first match against Bangladesh with ease but found themselves in a spot in the next game against England. The West Indies and New Zealand did not look like going the full way, but no one could afford to take them lightly. And Pakistan continued to be the mercurial side, always capable of causing an upset. Sri Lanka, who had won the championship during the last occasion it was played in the subcontinent, was a formidable side in familiar conditions.Įngland had a new look side, which looked eager to remove the stain of not having won the Cup despite figuring in the finals thrice. South Africa might have earned the unenviable reputation of being chokers ever since the 1999 semifinals, but they possessed the strongest side on paper. Australia, under Ricky Ponting, had won the title on three occasions from 1999 and were still the leading contenders, though their form had dropped a notch or two in the run up to the tournament. However, it was not that India started as favourites.
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