The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could not have chosen a better time or place to celebrate its Platinum Jubilee. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata glittered with contemporary stars, as well as those of yesteryears, as the elite body of Indian cricket commemorated the occasion by not only feting Test captains from India and Pakistan, but also hosting a one-off one-day fiesta between the arch-rivals. All of India was agog with the bonus of a mouth-watering contest in the midst of the Diwali celebrations, which would augment the revelry of a long luminous weekend, what with Id just round the corner.

The Indians have been starved of the one-day variety, having recently hosted the Australians in a four-Test contest that really opened chasms of despair with the collective disappointment of their batting. With the two-Test series against South Africa a week away, the Indians took the one opportunity to make most of the change in mindset that the one-day version necessitates. That the Indians fared poorly against Pakistan in limited-overs tournaments prior to the Australia series did play a part in the crowds not turning up in throngs for the run-fest that ensued. That India ended up eventually on the losing side was a matter of angst, but even that appeared to be overwhelmed by the grandiose of the occasion.

What a run-fest it was! Sourav Ganguly, declared fit for the game, was more than pleased after his team made a glorious comeback with the bat. Sachin Tendulkar's glittering innings was shortlived, but Virender Sehwag and V.V.S. Laxman made the perfect consolidation in a-run-a-ball eighty-two run partnership. V.V.S. Laxman's fluent innings of forty-three, with his trademark flicks, overshadowed a more scratching innings of fifty-three by Virender Sehwag. Nonetheless, the value of that innings was revealed by the fact that after Shahid Afridi dealt a double blow on the dreaded 111 , the Indians appeared to be decelerating after coasting towards a challenging target.
 

The reason behind India setting a formidable total of 293 goes largely to the blazing partnership between the skipper and particularly to Yuvraj Singh, who came together after Dravid's dismissal to a fine catch by Afridi in the deep. The Pakistani bowlers took considerable stick as India scored way beyond a hundred in the last fifteen overs, the runs pouring in fours and sixes. Sourav Ganguly missed his half-century by a mere two runs, but his innings featured confident stroke-play. Yuvraj Singh, who had had a torrid time in the Test series, found his bearings in the one-day version at an opportune time for India. One of the best finishers in the shorter version of the game, Yuvraj batted in a carefree manner and sent the bowlers packing with some shots that were downright arrogant. The boundaries came alomost at will. His knock of seventy-eight provided the perfect impetus to the Indian innings, and erased memories of some of his ordinary, self-doubting outings in recent times.

Salman Butt with the man of the match award.

Zaheer Khan's early blow to dismiss Younis Khan cheered the crowd, but Pakistan began the counterattack through two of their promising youngsters, Salman Butt and Shoaib Mallik. The Indians were given a taste of the battle that lay ahead, as the duo middled the ball to perfection, driving through the covers with unabashed demeanour. Mallik's departure for a brilliant sixty-one made only a slight dent to the proceedings as Pakistan crossed the 150-mark well before the thirty-over mark as the Indians found the dew and the opposition's self-assured batting hot to handle.

The door opened a little ajar as Salman Butt found it too much to continue with a runner and persistent cramps, to retire hurt when he was in the sixties. But the Pakistan skipper stood firm as an oak and notched a fine seventy-five that did not even allow India even a slight peek. The Indian bowling appeared more and more pedestrian. If India did not seem like a team with a colossal 292 behind them, Pakistan never looked like a team climbing uphill to overhaul the gigantic target in front of an intimidating, partisan crowd. Butt, Pakistan's young find returned to the fray at the fall of the fifth wicket to steer the team to victory. He showed his mettle to resume the battle and maintained the momentum, in the process notching up a fine maiden century that was witnessed by the likes of Zaheer Abbas, Hanif Mohammad and Imran Khan, legends all of them. In the end, Pakistan comfortably coasted to a splendid win with an over to spare.

The South Africans might well be fancying their chances in the forthcoming Test series after watching this game. Admittedly, Test cricket requires a temperament unlike the one needed in the one-day form, but an innings of conviction with a flurry of runs to take the team home is a confidence-booster akin no other. It will be a niggling worry for Ganguly that the batting and bowling are not clicking in coordination. Winning is a combination of factors and India have lost the key at the moment. The vital all-rounder remains elusive and the batting-heavy approach of the skipper is like clipping the claws of the bowling attack and rendering it weak. But, there was entertainment aplenty and runs galore, making a worthy day time spent among the shimmering stars, including a couple from Pakistan who glittered and sparkled.