The curtains have risen on one of the most significant series of all-time. Players of both teams are excited, as are the people of both nations. Fans are going crazy to buy tickets, and no matter how big the stadia are, they will never be big enough to accommodate the number of people who want to see their heroes perform. Provinces here in Pakistan have announced local holidays on match-days to enable cricket lovers to savor the action.
I believe that it is not going to be an easy series at all and no team as such can be termed the favorites. Saurav Ganguly has already announced his team’s intentions to achieve a “whitewash”, while his opposite number Inzamam has stated that his side is “pretty confident” and “happy to be the underdogs”.
The pressure on the players will of course be phenomenal. I remember getting cramps on my international debut against India at Sharjah in 1989-90, due to which I could bowl only four overs. The pressure was enormous, as was the heat. In those days, there used to be a lot of verbal “heat” on the field as well. ICC referees were not around, and players could give vent to their feelings without being unduly bothered by fines. Today, things are different, and the players will need to be aggressive and at the same time, careful.
Pakistan have a fairly young side that is energetic and willing to put in a lot of hard work. Their batting line-up is relatively inexperienced when compared to India’s, but the lower middle-order looks strong in the form of Moin Khan, Abdur Razzaq and Shoaib Malik. Shoaib Akhtar, who heads the bowling, has to deliver and guide youngsters like Mohammed Sami and Shabbir Ahmed. In the last Test series against India in 1989-90, the young guys like Wasim Akram, Aaqib Javed and myself had the privilege of being encouraged by the great Imran Khan, who was like a father figure.
Though he was at the end of his career, he continued to lead by example, giving it everything he had with both bat and ball. Shoaib needs to play a similar role with the ball.
The Indians have just finished a successful tour of Australia and they are a good unit, but they are missing some key players like Kumble, Harbhajan and Agarkar. Pakistan would do well to capitalize on their absence.
India’s mainstay will of course be the man who made his Test debut in the same match as I did, at Karachi in 1989-90. At that stage, we just couldn’t believe that a 16 year-old was playing Test cricket. Never did we imagine that he would go on to have such a long and illustrious career. I vividly remember the final Test of that series at Sialkot, which was played on a real greentop. India were in a shaky position in their second innings when I hit the 16 year-old on his nose. But he did not take a backward step, and went on to play a magnificent innings that saved the match for his team. That day, the world realized how good he was.
It should be a fascinating contest between two teams who want to win. Two men in my opinion will make all the difference — Shoaib Akhtar and Sachin Tendulkar.
