Having led by two matches in the five match series only to be pegged back to all square, India went into the fifth ODI, in Kanpur, knowing that there was still everything still to be played for against Pakistan.
This was also the 100th ODI between the two sides, and it would prove to be a milestone game for two players.
India won the toss and chose to bat, but soon found themselves in deep trouble at 26/3.
Rahul Dravid then dug India out of the hole, with 86 off 115 balls, including eight fours. In the process, he passed 8,000 ODI runs. Support came from Mohammad Kaif, who hit 78 with nine fours, helping Dravid add 135. Dravid then added 54 with Dinesh Mongia, before Dravid departed off the penultimate ball, having hit eight fours. Mongia was 33 not out at the end as India reached 249/6.
The match, though, belonged to Pakistan opener Shahid Afridi, who chose this day to launch a solo onslaught on the Indian bowlers.
He scored 102 off just 46 balls, the fastest century ever scored against India in ODI cricket and the second fastest of all time at that point. His innings contained 9 sixes and 10 fours, making him the first batsman to score 200 sixes in ODIs.
At the other end, Salman Butt was content to pay a secondary role, with 21. After Afridi’s departure, Shoaib Malik (41), Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan all kept the scoreboard ticking along, each scoring 24.
Pakistan cantered to the winning line with five wickets and more than seven overs in hand.
Thanks to Afridi’s heroics, Pakistan had won by five wickets. From trailing in the series, they now led it.
Naming Afridi Player of the Match was one of the easiest decisions the adjudicators had to make in their careers.