The first two days of the Faisalabad Test have been characterized by the conspicuous absence of a fundamental aspect of the game — Planning.
Watching Shahid Afridi’s annihilation of the bowlers was like watching a replay of the first Test at Lahore. I failed to spot any kind of planning by the visiting side. The bowlers kept spraying the ball on both sides of the wickets, and Afridi could not help but express his gratitude with a succession of blazing strokes in all directions. As I had stated during the first Test, you cannot be on top in a Test match all the time. You need to occasionally go on the defensive, bowl on one side of the stumps, dry up the runs and frustrate the batsmen into throwing their wickets away. But the Indians didn’t do that.
However, they did start the game on a positive note by picking five bowlers. It was the right thing to do on a wicket that to me looks even better for batting than the Lahore track. The debutant R.P. Singh was impressive against a formidable batting line-up, and Zaheer Khan also did pretty well. I know several people aren’t too happy with my criticism of the over-reliance on laptops and computers in the modern game. My view is that we are dealing with a sport that involves human beings and different situations. Logically, if the role played by the laptop is as significant as it is made out to be, then every bowling side that uses one should get ten wickets off ten consecutive balls!
Cricket entails precise planning, which includes a comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and conditions. You can’t bowl on a wicket in the same manner as you did the previous day. Nothing is permanent in this game, and you need to work out your tactics well before the match gets underway. The coach should ideally keep an eye on the proceedings and immediately send a message if he notices anything. That is what I used to do.
Unfortunately, both sides don’t quite seem to think so. If India were clueless while bowling to Afridi, the Pakistani camp missed a trick by not including off-spinner Arshad Khan. He should have played instead of Mohammed Asif, who doesn’t possess the experience to bowl on a flat track. The best tactic for a bowling side on such a strip is to bowl a spinner from one end through the innings. The wicket might well deteriorate as the match progresses, and the slow men will stand a better chance of extracting something from it. Pakistan presently have only one regular spinner in their ranks, and that could go against them. Afridi and Malik, competent slow bowlers both, will definitely be used, but they will find it difficult to dislodge the seasoned Indian batsmen. But then, stranger things have happened in cricket! India have got off to a good start, but they will be under pressure until they avoid the follow-on.
Pakistan have put the runs on the board, and it is now India’s turn to deliver a fitting reply. The visitors will feel safe and secure if they bat out the third day.
