The sprint gone wrong

Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane were carving up everything that was served up outside off stump. In the fourth over, Rahane began with a vigorous slash off Morne Morkel for four. He employed a much subtler version of the shot in the next delivery, merely patting it behind point. But the ball gained in speed as it went towards the boundary, and Piyush Chawla, running at the ball from third man, didn't appear like he stood a chance. But before jokes on a Chawla's podgy build could be unleashed, he made a furious surge at the end and dived full stretch to halt the ball. He attempted something similar in the ninth over to stop Steven Smith's pull from reaching the fence, but could only land clumsily on his stomach.

Rahane is said to be the fastest to do the 100-metre dash in the Indian team. There was glimpse of that ability as he pushed Watson for a number of quick singles as if to break the monotony of boundaries. In the seventh over, Rahane drilled one to deep cover, and after completing the first run quickly, set off for the second. Watson, after taking a couple of steps, sent him back. By then Shakib Al Hasan had fired in a flat, accurate throw that signaled Rahane's end.

Karun Nair was struggling to get his timing right for the most part of his 10-ball stay at the crease. In the penultimate ball of the 18th over, bowled at 149 kph by Umesh Yadav, Nair shimmied outside off to shovel the ball between his left leg and the off stump for a boundary. He tried something more orthodox the very next delivery, a full-blooded drive through the covers, but could only edge it to the keeper. Umesh let out an angry roar, an occurrence as rare as Nair's freakish shot earlier.

Yusuf Pathan was late on a pull off James Faulkner, and it flew high towards square leg, for a while looking like it would find a fielder. Suddenly from out of nowhere, Deepak Hooda and Brainder Sran converged for the catch. Hooda leaped up high to his right to catch the ball, but as he came down his head collided into Sran's shoulder, and they both came crashing down. Hooda was dazed by the impact and the physio was required to check on him.