Ian Chappell and Marvan Atapattu both praised Pakistan's performance in their impressive and crucial win over India.

By Nick Horsburgh

Going into the latest India vs. Pakistan match, you would have been excused for thinking that the game was pretty much a done deal, with India looking set to book a place in the final.

No-one told Pakistan that plan though, and instead they cruised to victory in 45 overs, easily reaching an imposing total of 308 set by India.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell pointed to Pakistan's good starts in each innings as key to their success.

"The difference between the two sides today was that Pakistan got some wickets when India got away to such a good start."

"When Pakistan got away to a good start, India weren't able to find a way to get some wickets and drag them back."

In terms of Pakistan's much-improved performance, Ian could only marvel at Pakistan's sudden fluctuations in form.

"You never know with Pakistan, they can be in chaos and suddenly play their best cricket."

"Why they do that I've got no idea."

A lot of the credit for Pakistan's superb victory must be given to the stand-in captain Misbah-ul-Haq, whose unbeaten 70, along with Younis Khan's superb unbeaten 123, guided Pakistan to the crucial win.

"I'm not surprised they played well under Misbah because he's a very calm person," said Chappell.

"And he had down the other end another guy who has a very cool head in Younis Khan."

Indeed, Ul-Haq's performance as captain is great news for the Pakistanis, who have struggled to find consistency under current captain Shoaib Malik.

"I must say, Misbah looked like he quite enjoyed the captaincy," commented Chappell.

"Some guys it weighs them down, and I've got the feeling it might weigh Malik down. Misbah looked like what good captains look like; they are buoyed by getting the extra responsibility."

"I think the best thing that's come out of this game, apart from the fact Pakistan have got a win and kept themselves alive, is that they may well have discovered a good captain."

On the Indian side, the lacklustre performance of the team's bowlers was of concern to Chappell, particularly with the team facing back-to-back games.

"I'd be extremely concerned if I was India. They've got a lot of bowlers out of form, in fact, I must say they don't really have a bowler in form."

"I think they've got major concerns. Their batting has been good, but they're going to struggle to win the tournament if they can't get some bowlers into form."

Former Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu praised the careful planning of the Pakistanis, naming that as a major reason behind their impressive display.

"I think they had a plan."

"They had a game plan of getting wickets, attacking upfront, and when it came to batting, getting long partnerships going and being positive as a whole."

It worked for them."

With this recent loss, India need to win against points leaders Sri Lanka tomorrow night to guarantee a berth in the final. Although Sri Lanka have already secured their place in the final, Marvan believes they will still put in their best effort to win the match, although perhaps resting some key bowlers.

"I think Sri Lanka will still look to win. They don't want to tarnish what they have achieved in the tournament," said Marvan.

"At the same time, I don't think they'll show their best bowlers to the Indians."

India will face Sri Lanka in the crucial clash tomorrow night at the National Stadium in Karachi.