So India are playing three seamers, with Nehra coming in for the impressive Ashwin. Rumours that Yusuf Pathan would play at eight prove not to be true. That's probably sensible - India should have enough batting as it is.

They're done with all the formalities - the hand-shaking between players are diplomats, all of that. And we're about to start! Tendulkar and Sehwag come marching out to a reception that almost beggars belief.

India 4-0 off 1 over (Sehwag 4 Tendulkar 0)
Sehwag is afflicted by big-match nerves – it takes him until the third ball to hit a four. He stands up on his toes and drives Gul through the covers, a majestic shot. The rest of the over from Umar Gul is pretty good though, and it only goes for four.

India 27-0 off 3 overs (Sehwag 25 Tendulkar 1)
Brilliant from Sehwag! Gul drifts onto Sehwag’s pads – something you can never do, and certainly not with a 7-2 offside field. And same again! That’s poor from Gul, misdirected. And again! The fourth ball of the over is on Sehwag’s hip, flicked again. So he’s scored three boundaries off four balls, without doing anything particularly extravagant. A slower ball from Gul is cut for four, and then a no-ball is overpitched, thrashed through the covers for four! Gul looks nervous, and won’t relish Sehwag getting a free hit. Almost inevitably, the free hit is the best ball of the over, and Sehwag can’t get it away. 21 off the over – first blow Pakistan. Ten more overs of Sehwag (25 off 14) and Pakistan will have real problems.

India 47-0 off 5 overs (Sehwag 38 Tendulkar 8)
This is much better than Gul, but three good deliveries are rather ruined by the fourth ball. It’s basically a middle stump half-volley, and Sehwag flicks it for four. The last ball is quite a wide bouncer, upper-cut by Sehwag for four. This assault is much like that in 2003, when these two last played a World Cup match.

He's going to be out - the ball pitched in line. He was trying to flick another one away. Huge wicket. 48/1

India 57-1 off 7 overs (Tendulkar 15 Gambhir 2)
Gul continues – I bet he wouldn’t if Sehwag was still at the crease. Tendulkar, who hasn’t been becalmed as much as he has been kept off strike, flicks one to fine leg for four. Gul’s line has been shocking so far. A push from Sachin is so well-timed that he gets three. Eight off the over, and Gul’s four overs have now gone for 41.

India 65-1 off 8 overs (Tendulkar 23 Gambhir 2)
Nothing short of majestic. Riaz bowls outside offstump, and Sachin flicks that through wide mid-on – timed so well it goes for four! Later in the over there’s a little width, and Sachin drives imperiously for four more. He’s really upped his scoring rate since Sehwag’s dismissal.

India 73-1 off 10 overs (Tendulkar 23 Gambhir 6)
Down the legside from Riaz, and it goes for four leg byes. Otherwise it’s a good over though, yielding only one other run. Some normalcy has been restored here.

That's missing leg stump according to hawk eye! Huge cheer!
The commentators sounds very surprised.

NOT OUT! Manic over this.

India 79-1 off 12 overs (Tendulkar 26 Gambhir 8)
Afridi is on, and we have a bit of much-needed calm. Just three singles from the over. This game isn’t even one-eighth through yet.

DROPPED CATCH! Misbah drops Tendulkar after a lazy pull.

India 99-1 off 15 overs (Tendulkar 37 Gambhir 17)
A really cute sweep from Tendulkar earns him four off Ajmal. And he gets another four from the final delivery, edged through where the slips would have been – it doesn’t look like he’s picking Ajmal. If you drop Tendulkar, you only have yourself to blame.

India 110-1 off 17 overs (Tendulkar 39 Gambhir 26)
A tad short and wide from Mo Hafeez, who’s on now. Gambhir cuts it really well for four. Eight from the over – Hafeez’s offspin is nowhere near as threatening as Ajmal’s.

WICKET! Gambhir st Akmal b Hafeez 27
Hafeez saw him coming, and the uber reliable Kamran Akmal stumps him with nonchalant ease. 116/2 off 18.5 overs

DROPPED CATCH! Tendulkar again! That was pretty easy for Younis Khan

India 120-2 off 21 overs (Tendulkar 47 Kohli 1)
Just one off the over. Tendulkar certainly hasn’t been fluent here.

India 133-2 off 23 overs (Tendulkar 57 Kohli 4)
Good stuff from Hafeez (4-0-14-1) – that only goes for three. The run rate has slipped below six, but India are still in an excellent position.

India 136-2 off 24 overs (Tendulkar 58 Kohli 6)
Riaz is back on here, and it’s an excellent comeback over, only going for three. Tendulkar misses an expansive drive.

WICKET! Kohli c Akmal (U) b Riaz 9
Soft dismissal - caught at backward point. Looked like a slower ball. That was a torturous innings, nine off 21. 141/3 off 25.2 overs