Bangalore, April 4 :     PAKISTAN 291/8 (50 OVERS) INDIA 168 (42.1 OVERS) MAN OF THE MATCH: AZHAR MEHMOOD MAN OF THE SERIES: SOURAV GANGULY Another India versus Pakistan match. And, another Indian defeat. Not only does the script never change, nowadays, even the characters remain the same. After gifting Pakistan dozens of runs, the Indians produced such a limp display ? it would be sacrilegious to call it a challenge ? that there were red faces all around. Among those embarrassed and distraught at the Pepsi Cup final was the Union I&B minister, Pramod Mahajan. ?Why can?t we put up a fight?? he asked The Telegraph. That?s one question that kept doing the Chinnaswamy Stadium rounds throughout the evening. Indeed, why can?t our cricketers even save face? And yes, for Indian cricket, there?s no life without Sachin Tendulkar. Knowing Sachin?s commitment and the fierce pride he wears on his sleeve, he would probably have cried at his Bandra residence. Many others, too, must have shed tears. Frankly, though, it?s all such a waste. Against Pakistan, specially, when we ought to be lifting our game a couple of notches, we invariably keep going in reverse gear. It?s not amusing and the contrast with the hugely motivated Wasim Akram-led side actually is stark. India?s only gain was Sourav Ganguly being adjudged Man of the Series and getting the Fiat Siena. But he was hardly delighted. Speaking exclusively, he said: ?What to say? Wish we?d won... Is there anything to talk about?? Well, no. Chasing 292 wouldn?t have been easy, not when Akram and Shoaib Akhtar are itching to make you sniff the leather. But the equation was made worse by Sadagopan Ramesh, who played loosely as early as the second over. That proved infectious though Sourav and Rahul Dravid did attempt a repair job. But, as it turned out, Sourav himself undid everything. Having taken on Akram and Akhtar head-on ? there was a bit of gamesmanship as well ? he perished in fashion not much different from Ramesh?s. Amay Khurasia, next in, fell to a dubious verdict from K. Parthasarathi; Dravid went leg-before and Robin SIngh committed hara-kiri. Five down for 63 in 15 overs and India were down for the count. Only captain Ajay Jadeja (41 in 51 deliveries, 3x4) resisted when it mattered. In fact, for a while, it seemed the end would be even quicker than at Jaipur (on March 24). Then, the Indians were bundled out in 36.1 overs. After the Akram and Akhtar-inflicted early damage, it?s Azhar Mehmood who stole centrestage, returning career-best figures (five for 38). He doesn?t have Akhtar?s furious pace. Nor does Mehmood have Akram?s variety. But he can keep it on a length and move the ball, too. In the middle overs, that can prove deadly. It did, this evening, though poor shot-selection from the Indians made Mehmood look more menacing than he really was. The Indians, it would appear, are easy picking for just about everybody. And though the bowling lacked teeth, in the middle overs specially, Jadeja chose to be critical of the batting only. As for Akram, he again heaped praise on the team and coach Javed Miandad. Politically correct, everything. Of course, the Indian cricketers weren?t the only villians. Sections of the crowd that almost did an Eden Gardens, brought as much shame. Incidentally, the Chinnaswamy crowd had misbehaved during the India versus Australia Titan Cup match, in October 1996, as well. This evening, there were two hold-ups and all credit to Pakistan for not walking out. They would have been justified in doing so. Cushion of comfort In the Pakistan innings, no one got a hundred ? Inzamam-ul Haq came closest ? but two hefty contributions (Inzamam and Shahid Afridi) and three meaningful knocks down the order (Moin Khan, Mehmood and Akram) gave Pakistan a most comfortable cushion. That Prasad, who opened the bowling, began with a wide proved ominous. Indeed, boundaries came thick and fast and in only two overs, 23 runs were scored. Prasad did make it look like a final and not a washout by getting Saeed Anwar leg-before, but that wasn?t enough. Anwar, incidentally, looked distinctly unhappy, but Srinivas Venkatraghavan had been prompt in upholding the appeal. Not much later Jawagal Srinath produced a beauty which broke-back prodigiously to stun Ijaz Ahmed. In some ways, it was a throwback to Balwinder Sandhu?s dismissal of Gordon Greenidge in the 1983 World Cup. Those dismissals, though weren?t a trendsetter. Rather, Afridi and Inzamam took charge, adding 94 for the third-wicket. The partnership looked good for more but Afridi paid the price for underestimating Sourav. Sourav may not quite have Mudassar Nazar?s ?golden arm?, but he?s definitely a partnership-breaker. Good that Jadeja remembered him early, and Sourav delivered instantly: Afridi got out to ball No.1. However, Afridi played his part well. His game has that hit-or-miss element but, today, he?s a lot more mature. Afridi?s been learning from mistakes and, sooner rather than later, he?ll be even more explosive. His 65 come off 61 deliveries (9x4, 1x6). Sourav, obviously, was pleased but happier still was Robin, who?d been hammered for two boundaries and a six, in succession, by Afridi. Yousuf, expectedly preferred over Imran Nazir, didn?t prosper for long ? he, too, became a Sourav victim ? but Inzamam and Moin regained initiative with a tidy 63-run association for the fifth-wicket. From then on, the pressure was wholly on India. Prasad induced Moin to edge in his fresh spell, but Inzamam, who hit form in Mohali the other evening, continued the excellent work. A century was there for his asking, but Inzamam fell nine short, dismissed in a manner that hasn?t been uncommon throughout his nearly decade-long career. Inzamam?s 91 came in 112 deliveries and included nine boundaries. Jadeja kept shuffling his bowlers ? as many as 17 changes were effected ? but that didn?t upset Pakistan?s momentum. True, more than 40 runs were scored in only two five-over spells (41 between the 16th and 20th and 44 in the last five), but Pakistan?s pace never slackened. Consistency was a key factor and, so, Inzamam?s exit didn?t send Pakistan crashing. Mehmood got 25 in 28 delivereid, while Akram lashed an unbeaten 21 from 17. Sourav may have conceded just eight in the 50th over but, by then, Pakistan already had India by the jugular. The wicket, admittedly, was a belter. Still, the Indians ought to have restricted Pakistan to within 250. That?s one hell of a psychological barrier and by racing past, Pakistan ensured all the climbing would have to be India?s headache. Incidentally, the Pakistan thinktank read the wicket differently: They brought back offie Arshad Khan, dropping quick Shahid Nazir. The Indians fielded just one spinner ?- Anil Kumble. It certainly wasn?t his day.