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India vs Pakistan, 1st Test at Delhi, , Nov 22 2007 - Ball by Ball Commentary

RESULT
1st Test, Delhi, November 22 - 26, 2007, Pakistan tour of India
231 & 247
(T:203) 276 & 203/4

India won by 6 wickets

Player Of The Match
4/38, 24 & 3/68
anil-kumble
New
IND 2nd Innings
Full commentary

9.58 am local time: Handshakes all around as the players congratulate each other on a hard-fought and thoroughly engrossing Test match. Tendulkar and Laxman walk off to loud cheers from the Feroz Shah Kotla.

India needed just 6.2 overs this morning to score the 32 runs needed for victory. Tendulkar scored 24 of them off only 24 balls.

Stick around, I'll have the presentation ceremony for you in a bit.

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Shoaib Malik: "If you go back to the first day we didn't bat well. Our bowlers put in the effort but we were 100 runs short. Salman Butt was excellent in the second innings and also Yasir Hameed who was playing after a long time. Shoaib bowled really well and if we had a target of 300 the game could have been different. If you want to win a Test you have to score 400 plus and so we'll be looking to do that (in Kolkata)."

Anil Kumble is the Man of the Match for his captaincy, his seven wickets and a useful 24 in the first innings.

Kumble: "This ground has been very special, everything had happened on this ground. I think the boys responded really well and getting Pakitan out under 250 in both innings was creditable. The partnerships between Laxman and Dhoni, Dravid and Jaffer and Sachin and Ganguly were all very crucial. [On his own performance] It was excellent to get into the [bowling] groove right away. Three months is a long break at my age and I'm very happy with my performance."

So that's that. India have won their seventh consecutive Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla (perhaps that's why the Australians don't like playing there) and recorded their second-highest run-chase on home soil.

The cricket caravan moves on from Delhi to Kolkata for the second Test which begins on November 30. It's been an absolute pleasure doing the commentary for this match. Thank you all for your emails. This is George Binoy signing off, cheers all!

61.1
4
Shoaib Akhtar to Tendulkar, FOUR runs

Tendulkar seals the victory by rocking on to the back foot and dispatching a short ball from Shoaib through point with a fearsome cut shot, the fielder at point dived but he had no chance, India win the first Test by six wickets

end of over 615 runs
IND: 199/4CRR: 3.26 
VVS Laxman6 (12b 1x4)
Sachin Tendulkar52 (109b 8x4)
Danish Kaneria 16-2-50-0
Shoaib Akhtar 18-4-54-4

Lots of readers writing in saying that Ganguly should be the Man of the Match for his allround effort. And a fine effort it was too.

60.6
Danish Kaneria to Laxman, no run

flicked off the front foot towards midwicket

60.5
Danish Kaneria to Laxman, no run

defended off the front foot towards silly point

India are four runs away from the series lead.

60.4
1
Danish Kaneria to Tendulkar, 1 run

Tendulkar moves back in his crease and flicks behind square for a single

60.3
Danish Kaneria to Tendulkar, no run

played towards point once again

60.2
Danish Kaneria to Tendulkar, no run

driven off the back foot towards point

60.1
4
Danish Kaneria to Tendulkar, FOUR runs

short ball outside the off stump, Tendulkar rocks on to the back foot and cuts fiercely through covers to bring up his fifty, during a run-chase in the fourth innings of a Test match, excellent innings and he's been extra-aggressive this morning

Kaneria replaces Sami.

end of over 603 runs
IND: 194/4CRR: 3.23 
Sachin Tendulkar47 (105b 7x4)
VVS Laxman6 (10b 1x4)
Shoaib Akhtar 18-4-54-4
Mohammad Sami 15-1-65-0
59.6
1
Shoaib Akhtar to Tendulkar, 1 run

Tendulkar moves towards the off and pulls Shoaib once again to Tanvir at long leg, he keeps the strike

59.5
Shoaib Akhtar to Tendulkar, no run

another very short ball outside off stump, Tendulkar leans out of the way

59.4
1
Shoaib Akhtar to Laxman, 1 run

full ball angling into the right-hander, Laxman flicks off his pads towards square leg where the substitute Abdur Rehman mis-fields

Phil writes it to say his Man of the Match is Anil Kumble.

59.3
Shoaib Akhtar to Laxman, no run

bowled short outside the off stump, Laxman lets it pass

59.2
1
Shoaib Akhtar to Tendulkar, 1 run

Shoaib sends down another short ball, Tendulkar moves towards the off side and pulls towards long-leg where Tanvir does the fielding

59.1
Shoaib Akhtar to Tendulkar, no run

short of a length outside off stump, Tendulkar defends off the back foot towards the off side

India need only 12 more to win.

end of over 594 runs
IND: 191/4CRR: 3.23 
VVS Laxman5 (8b 1x4)
Sachin Tendulkar45 (101b 7x4)
Mohammad Sami 15-1-65-0
Shoaib Akhtar 17-4-51-4
58.6
Sami to Laxman, no run

short of a length on off stump, Laxman gets on to the back foot and defends towards the leg side

58.5
Sami to Laxman, no run

good length delivery outside off stump, it kept low on Laxman who stood on the back foot and pushes the ball towards cover

58.4
Sami to Laxman, no run

there's the fourth short ball off the over, Laxman ducks under this one

58.3
4
Sami to Laxman, FOUR runs

this time Laxman stands tall on the back foot and rolls his wrists superbly while pulling the ball to the long-leg boundary, just one too many short balls from Sami

58.2
Sami to Laxman, no run

another short ball, Laxman is a little late in taking evasive action but he manages to get out of the way

58.1
Sami to Laxman, no run

banged in short over middle and off stump, Laxman ducks under it

end of over 586 runs • 1 wicket
IND: 187/4CRR: 3.22 
Sachin Tendulkar45 (101b 7x4)
VVS Laxman1 (2b)
Shoaib Akhtar 17-4-51-4
Mohammad Sami 14-1-61-0
57.6
Shoaib Akhtar to Tendulkar, no run

good length delivery outside the off stump, Tendulkar moves back and drives towards mid-off