RAWALPINDI, 13 April 2004 — India and Pakistan go into the golden jubilee Test here at the Pindi Cricket Stadium today with contrasting attitudes just a day before the start of the final Test.

While the Indians showed decisiveness in naming their eleven, Pakistan still dithered on the combination they would play in the crucial Test which both hope to win to seal the series. The Indians had won in Multan, while Pakistan leveled the series with a win in Lahore.

With India captain Saurav Ganguly joining the team after being declared fit following a back strain he sustained in the final One-Day match in Lahore, the make up of the Indian team had to change.

As expected opener Aakash Chopra made way for Ganguly with the Indians opting for in-form Yuvraj Singh. The other change they made was to induct Ashish Nehra in place of Ajit Agarkar, who failed to impress with the ball in Lahore.

In stark contrast, the Pakistanis have still to decide whom to leave out from the 17 named to the squad. They did pare the list down to 16 yesterday when captain Inzamam ul-Haq said that fast bowler Abdul Rauf will not play.

With the fast bowling department already affected by injuries to Umar Gul and Shabbir Ahmed, Pakistan were still uncertain on the final makeup of their attack, led by “Rawalpindi Express” Shoaib Akhtar.

But the other two spots in the final eleven is still a toss up. Akhtar’s frontline partner Mohammad Sami is struggling to be fit following a stomach bug and he was not at the nets on Sunday after being given a day off by the team management to recover.

With the team management leaning toward playing Fazle Akbar, one of the three medium fast bowlers vying for the spot vacated by Gul, the likelihood of either Rana Naved ul-Hassan or Rao Iftikhar being kept on as cover for Sami is bright. The reason for Pakistan not naming their team could also be pressure tactics to keep the Indian team guessing on whom they would pick or what sort of attack they would be going into the Test.

They did reap rewards by bringing on Gul in the last minute, and Rahul Dravid, the captain in the Lahore Test, said it was an “inspired selection.” Gul went on to make all the difference in the Test with a first day spell that broke the Indian batting.

In the ongoing mind games, in which Pakistan coach Javed Miandad excels, Pakistan is again playing the waiting game. With Sami’s fitness still in doubt, there is every chance that either Rana or Iftikhar could play.

In that event, Rana’s chances are brighter as he is also handy with the bat. This could help him getting the nod ahead of Iftikhar, as both hope to make their debut here. While, the bowling seems to be in a state of confusion, the Pakistan batting automatically selects itself.

Even here Inzamam was circumspect. “All are doing fine at the nets. The win in Lahore has boosted our confidence and we will be hoping to perform well,” he said when asked about the team and its frame of mind.

“The return of Ganguly to India’s side will make a difference. But we have the bowling and the wicket is green and should help us, at least in the morning session,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

When asked whether the toss would be crucial, he said: “Yes, winning the toss will help, but it will not be crucial. We have to play well, and we are trying hard to do well here.”

But Ganguly did emphasize that the toss could be crucial as did coach John Wright if the state of the wicket is as it is now. Wright said: “ As the wicket is now it would surely help the fast bowlers and the toss could be crucial is deciding the outcome of the match.”

Ganguly concurred. “The toss could be decisive and the wicket if it is as green as it is today could have some life in the first session. But after that it would play easy. It all remains to be seen how much moisture is there in the wicket.

In a press conference earlier, Ganguly said it was tough call to drop Chopra and break a settled opening pair. “Yes it is hard on Chopra, but it is difficult to keep a batsman (Yuvraj) out who has scored a 100 in the previous Test,” he said.

He added: “It’s a one-off decision. Chopra will be back. But now for this Test, either Yuvraj or I will open. We have yet to make a decision on who will partner Sehwag.” Ganguly, while saying that winning the Test and the series would be great, added that the team will focus on the game, do the right things — bat well and bowl with discipline — and take it session by session. When asked whether India would lose the chokers tag after failing to win the series after coming close on many occasions recently, Ganguly said: “I look forward to setting the record right and hope that it will come in this series.”

Former Pakistan Captain Waqar Retires

Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younus retired from cricket today, ending a 15-year career in which he took 373 Test wickets.

Waqar, 32, was sacked as captain and dropped from the team after last year’s World Cup in which Pakistan failed to qualify for the second stage of the tournament.

“I announce my retirement from all sorts of cricket,” Waqar told a news conference yesterday. “I could’ve played cricket for another year, but I’ve lost the hunger.

So, I decided with my wife and family that it was time to call it quits.”

Waqar, who also took 416 wickets in 262 One-Day Internationals, was last year offered a benefit match against South Africa by the Pakistan Cricket Board but he declined saying he wanted to make an international comeback.