Updated at: 1757 PST, Wednesday, March 30, 2011
MOHALI: India set a modest target of 261 runs for Pakistan in the second semi-final of the World Cup here at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday After India captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni has won the toss and elected to bat first on a flat pitch, India made 260 runs for nine wickets in their 50 overs.India's total would have been considerably less had not Tendulkar been dropped four times on his way to top-scoring with 85 -- an innings that still left him one shy of a hundred international hundreds.Wahab Riaz kept Pakistan in the match with an impressive display of left-arm fast bowling on his way to a career-best five for 46.The 25-year-old's performance was all the more admirable as he would have been omitted had Pakistan recalled veteran fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.But Riaz, who took a wicket in his first over and later struck twice in two balls, was a constant threat as he surpassed his previous best of three for 22 against Bangladesh in Dhaka three years ago Virender Sehwag made a typically brisk start with 21 runs coming off Umar Gul's second over -- the paceman's eight costing 69 in all.However, a bowling change saw Riaz strike fifth ball when he had Sehwag, hitting across the line, lbw for 38 including nine boundaries.Later, on 27, Tendulkar pulled Pakistan captain and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi hard to short mid-wicket only for Misbah-ul-Haq to drop the two-handed catch.And Tendulkar was dropped again, on 45, when he mistimed a drive off Afridi and Younus Khan at mid-off failed to hold on.Tendulkar completed a 67-ball fifty with his eighth boundary, off Afridi, before Riaz struck again.He had Virat Kohli fending to Umar Akmal at backward point and next ball clean bowled Yuvraj Singh, the hero of India's quarter-final win over champions Australia, for nought on the batsman's home ground with a swinging full toss.Dhoni survived the hat-trick after the ball just missed his outside edge.Tendulkar was given a third reprieve by Pakistan on 70 when wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal failed to hold a tough chance off an edged Afridi leg-break.And he was on 81 when a leaping Umar Akmal at short mid-wicket dropped a checked drive against off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez.However, Afridi ended his innings when he took a sharp catch at short extra-cover off a hard-hit drive against Ajmal.When Riaz returned he had Dhoni lbw for 25 to leave India 205 for six before completing his five-wicket haul when Zaheer Khan was caught behind.The winner of this match will face Sri Lanka in Saturday's final in Mumbai.
