Rahul Dravid hit a patient half-century and paceman Rudra Pratap Singh grabbed four wickets as India trounced Pakistan by five wickets in the fourth one-day match on Thursday.
Dravid scored 59 as India overtook Pakistan’s modest 162-run target with 17,3 overs to spare at Multan stadium, giving the tourists an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
The inconsequential fifth and final match will be played in Karachi on Sunday.
Dravid fortified India with a 85-run third wicket stand with Yuvraj Singh (37) after India lost Sachin Tendulkar (nought) and Gautum Gambhir (21) to paceman Mohammad Sami by the sixth over.
Pakistan did raise some hopes when Yuvraj fell to Naved-ul Hasan and Mohammad Kaif (nought) to Abdul Razzaq in the space of just one run and then Dravid in the 28th over to leg-before off Sami. But it proved too little too late.
With 29 needed for win, Suresh Raina (35 not out) and Mahendra Dhoni (two) achieved the target in the 33rd over to seal yet another comfortable Indian win.
Earlier, left-arm pacemen Singh grabbed 4-40 and Irfan Pathan took 3-26 to bundle Pakistan out for 161 in 41,5 overs after India won the toss and asked the home team to take first strike.
Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq, playing in his home town, top-scored with a painstaking 49 off 63 balls featuring seven boundaries as the home team’s batting failed under seamer-friendly conditions before a capacity crowd.
Pathan started Pakistan’s slide when he sent opener Kamran Akmal (three) back in the seventh over while his new-ball partner Sri Sreesanth made it 27-2 when he had Salman Butt (13) caught behind.
Singh, who came in as first change, removed in-form Shoaib Malik (nine) with his fourth ball and the next ball had Younis Khan leg-before for 0 to leave Pakistan in tatters.
India were then made to wait till the 26th over for their next success as Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf (25) staged a fighting stand of 68 for the fifth wicket.
But just when both looked set to guide the home team to a respectable total, Yousuf edged paceman Ajit Agarkar to wicket-keeper Dhoni.
Singh returned for his second spell to dismiss super-sub Imran Farhat (14) and Abdul Razzaq (1) in one over before Sachin Tendulkar took the prized wicket of Inzamam, trapping him leg-before in the 40th over.
Pathan removed Mohammad Sami (11) and Mohammad Asif (six) to wrap up Pakistan’s innings.
Pakistan won the first match at Peshawar by seven runs under special bad light rules but India hit back, winning the second and third by seven and five wickets respectively. – AFP
