Dubai, Sept. 14 -- There are matches that get over once the winning runs are hit, and there are contests that linger long after the last ball. India's seven-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai tonight fell into the latter category, not because of the result, which was emphatic, but because of what happened afterwards. Or rather, what didn't.
There were no handshakes. No smiles, no pats on the back, not even the polite nods that usually follow a hard-fought game. Instead, both sets of players peeled away towards their dressing rooms as if the evening's work was unfinished business.
On the field, India were streets ahead. Abhishek Sharma's charge at Shaheen Afridi off the very first ball set the tone for a chase that was never in doubt. Even ...