Last ball thriller||India V Pakistan 4th ODI,2005

Pakistan completed the fourth highest run chase ever with a nail-biting last ball victory over arch rivals India in the fourth cricket one-day international to throw the six-match series wide open .

Needing three runs from the last over, Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq kept his cool against some mesmerising bowling by Sachin Tendulkar to help his team to overhaul India's 315 for six with a four to the point fence to bring off a remarkable series levelling victory.

The crucial match went down to the wire at the Motera stadium as Pakistan successfully chased a target of over 300 runs in one-dayers for the first time, making Tendulkar's blazing century go in vain.

With the series tantalisingly poised at 2-2, the focus will now shift to Green Park stadium in Kanpur where the two teams square up again on April 15.

Inzamam fittingly remained unbeaten with an invaluable 59-ball 60 and kept his cool till the end even as wickets tumbled at the other end, five of them falling in 15.4 overs.

Pakistan, cruising towards the target comfortably when they were 253 for 3 in the 39th over, suddenly slumped to 265 for 5 in the 40th and then 297 for 7 in the 44th.

But Inzamam, keeping his nerves in tact in the face of this sudden dip in fortune, took Pakistan home in a nail-biting finish.

Tendulkar, in a scene reminiscent of his heroics in the 1993 Hero Cup semifinal against South Africa under lights at the Eden Gardens, was entrusted with bowling the last over with the tourists needing three runs for a win.

He bowled two dot balls to Inzy, conceded two off the third to help Pakistan draw level, prevented the visiting team's skipper from scoring off the next two and then conceded a four to backward point with the entire field up and inside the circle.

Pakistan, whose first three batsmen - Salman Butt (48), Shahid Afridi (40) and Abdul Razzaq (44) - all got into the forties to give the early momentum to the chase, were also benefited by allrounder Shoaib Malik's excellently paced innings of 65 in as many balls.

Malik, who grabbed three wickets in the Indian innings earlier in the day, also put on a very crucial stand of 70 runs in only 10.1 overs with his captain to keep the run-rate at a healthy position in the middle overs.

Earlier, Tendulkar blazed his way back into form to score his fourth ODI hundred against the arch-rivals in 55 matches.

It was his 346th international appearance in the shortened form of the game.

Batting in a style reminiscent of his old days, Tendulkar ripped apart the Pakistan attack to shreds in the company of first Virender Sehwag and then Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

In all he struck 12 fours and 2 sixes and faced 127 balls, in his excellent knock of 123. He had reached his 100 in only 104 balls.

Tendulkar, who went into the match with three successive failures in the series and with a paltry tally of 12 to his credit, struck his first ODI hundred in 16 innings, his last coming against the same opponents during the last five-match series at Rawalpindi.

The master batsman, who will be 32 later this month, put on 65 runs for the first wicket with Virender Sehwag (29 off 32 balls with 4 fours) after home team skipper Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to bat first in the match reduced to 48 overs each following a late start because of damp pitch conditions.

Pakistan began the chase in a brilliant fashion, which helped them ultimately succeed in reaching their highest-ever target while batting second.

Afridi slammed Ashish Nehra for two brilliant sixes and hit five fours in his 23-ball 40 and added 68 for the first wicket in only 52 balls with left-hander Salman Butt who made a measured 48 in 55 balls.

Afridi miscued a straight hit off Lakshmipathy Balaji and was caught at mid off and then Butt was joined by Abdul Razzaq, who made 44 in 60 balls, and the two batsmen carried the score to 107 before the opener fell.

The departure of Butt, who was trapped leg before by left arm Murali Kartik in his very first over when playing his first match in the series, brought together Razzaq and Shoaib Malik, who took three wickets in the Indian innings.

Razzaq and Malik took the score to 183 before the former was sent back by Tendulkar off a full toss.

Then Inzamam and the latter seemed to be taking Pakistan to a comfortable win by adding 70 runs in only 10.1 overs when Malik fell hooking Zaheer Khan to Balaji at long leg to start a mini slump.

From 253 for 3 the score quickly became 265 for 5 with the Indians Suddenly picking up in the field with sharp throws and good catching.

Balaji took two good catches in the deep and Nehra effected two run outs by throwing accurately from the deep.

Pakistan looked in trouble at 295 for 7 in the 44th over when Mohd Sami joined his captain who was batting calmly at the other end.

The latter, with good support from the tailender, took Pakistan to the target much to the disappointment of the huge home team supporters off the last ball.

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