India edge into Super Eight phase after Pakistan thriller
India's first three bowlers - Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Uthappa - all hit the stumps while Pakistan's top three all missed in the sudden death decider. India had looked set on victory after seamers Irfan Pathan, RP Singh and Agit Agarkar had left Pakistan struggling to reach the 142 target.
But a late flurish from Misbah ul-Haq (53) and Yasir Arafat (12) left the scores tied with one ball left, only for Sri Sreesanth to run out Misbah at the last.
The result ensures that both sides qualify for the next stage of the Twenty20 World Cup at the expense of Scotland.
Pathan took the key wicket of Younis Khan - who played onto his stumps in a rare wicket-maiden in Twenty20 - while Agarkar dismissed Salman Butt with Mahendrah Singh Dhoni holding onto an outside edge.
Once Pathan had dismissed captain Shoaib Malik in the 17th over, Harbhajan took a deserved wicket - dismissing the danger man Shahid Afridi for just seven.
Yuvraj Singh - who looked very active in the field - managed a superb run-out of Kamran Akmal to leave Pakistan on the brink.
Earlier Singh dismissed pitch hitter Imran Nazir for just seven - clean bowled - but Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal have built a useful platform for Pakistan.
Mohammad Asif had been the hero for Pakistan with four early wickets that helped restrict India to 141 for nine.
Robin Uthappa (50) and Dhoni (33) led the rearguard action for India before both men were dismissed looking to increase the run-rate.
In a blistering spell of fast bowling, Mohammad Asif took four wickets in the opening seven overs - the second best spell in international Twenty20 history - to leave India rocking at 36 for four at one stage.
Asif took the wicket of Gambhir with his third delivery after he held on to the openers mistimed drive for a caught and bowled.
In his next over he forced Virender Sehwag - only just back in the side - to play onto his stumps and matters got worse for Dhoni's men when Asif found a leading from Yuraj Singh, the ball looping up to Shoaib Malik at mid-on for an easy catch.
Dinesh Karthik looked in good nick early on in his innings before he suffered the same fate as Sehwag, playing-on to give Asif his fourth wicket.
That brought Dhoni to the crease and India began a rearguard action before Uthappa finally fell to debutant Sohail Tanvir, edging behind to Akmal.
Spinner Shahid Afridi got in on the action in the 16th over to remove the dangerous Pathan, who had hit a quick fire 20 before being clean bowled.
After the teams had come back out after a rain break, Afridi then took his second wicket with his first ball, clean bowling Harbhajan Singh.
Dhoni decided not to hang around, hitting the ball to all parts of the ground, before he skied one to Yousef Kahn at mid-on to end his innings.
In the end a draw seemed a fair result but India will certainly be the happier of the two sides.
India: Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Sreesanth.
Pakistan: Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Sohail Tanvir, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif.
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