The sigh of relief in the Indian camp when Balaji clean bowled Moin Khan, I am sure, was loud enough to be heard back in India. And why not? After all, they finally clicked when it mattered most and Sourav Ganguly was rightfully proud of his lads who all worked towards removing the tag of chokers that has often been slapped on the Indians in the recent past.

Pakistan, on the contrary, could only add to their reputation of falling victim to nerves.

Regardless of the hows and the whys of the last match, it just did not turn out to be the dream decider everyone was hoping for. That’s a pity, for the series which started with a bang, ended in a whimper. Perhaps the intensity that marked the first three games was a bit too much for the Pakistanis to sustain.

The fourth game was won by India with as many as five overs to spare. The last game ended with three still to be bowled. Worse still, the outcome was beyond doubt at the halfway mark of the Pakistan innings. Only the stand between Moin and Shoaib Malik caused a few worries to the Indians, but otherwise it was all over for Pakistan when they lost Inzamam and Razzaq in quick succession not long after they had lost four in a top-order collapse.

It was quite evident that Ganguly had a much better gameplan than did Inzamam. Even when they lost vital wickets at the top of the order, the Indians were able to score at a brisk pace that lessened the pressure on lower middle-order. This happened in both the games played in Lahore. In contrast, Pakistan got bogged down when they started losing wickets.

Sachin’s catch was skill, judgment, athleticism and nerves in one motion

In the last game, with Shahid Afridi again confined to the dressing-room, Pakistan had none at the top of the order to even attempt hitting over the in-field. That added to the pressure and, with the lack of any visible cricketing strategy, one Pakistan batsman after another kept shooting himself in the foot. How else would one explain the dismissal of Younis Khan, Inzamam, Razzaq, Malik, and even Sami?

Of course, the Indians bowled well and caught even better, but my point is that the batsmen should not have attempted ambitious shots at the wrong time. The game was still not over when Pakistan had lost seven wickets, and Moin Khan was there with Sami.

Just imagine what could have been if anyone from Inzamam, Razzaq or Malik had been giving Moin company.

As I watched the match, I failed to understand the rationale behind those atrocious shots. In the end, Pakistan could only bank on some show of raw nerves on the part of Indian bowlers and fielders.

For a moment or two, the Indians did appear jittery in the field when Moin and Malik pressed the accelerator, but the reintroduction of Irfan Pathan settled the issue.

In the final analysis, it was all about nerves and the Indians were way ahead on that count, keeping their cool when it mattered. And if you ask me a moment to define what this business of holding nerves is all about, I will unhesitatingly point my finger to the catch Tendulkar took of Inzamam in the last game.

Inzamam’s shot selection at that stage of the game betrayed weak nerves, the pressure was clearly telling on his mind.

Tendulkar pulled off an almost impossible catch, inches — perhaps centimetres — off the boundary rope. It was skill, judgment, athleticism and nerves, all in one motion. No wonder, the Indians were worthy winners.