Pakistan have got a stranglehold on the third and final Test match at Karachi. It will need a Herculean effort from the Indians to see that the rubber is saved. They can take heart from the way the pitch has eased out and the ball is coming nicely on to the bat and there’s not yet much turn to bother top quality batsmen.
India needed to break the Younis Khan-Mohammad Yousuf partnership early if they were to entertain any hopes of being competitive in the game, but that was not to be as the duo batted with supreme confidence, bordering on arrogance at times. Unlike the young openers, who got a bit carried away after getting their fifties and threw their wickets away, the duo carried on, making sure that the Indian bowlers did not get a look-in. They may have looked a bit slower than the usual pace at which they have scored in this series, but it was sensible stuff. By going in un-separated at lunch, they had given their team loads of confidence.
India did not seem to have the variety in their bowling to make the batsmen ponder a bit and the sameness of the attack and the similarity of the angles made it that much easier for the batsmen. Yes, Zaheer did try going round the wicket, but he does not have the incoming delivery to make use of that angle and trap the batsman who does not want to play a shot. The one bowler who looked competitive and hungry for wickets was Anil Kumble. He had little help from the wicket but was always at the batsmen and made them work for their runs. Realizing that there was not much spin to be got from this pitch, he cleverly mixed his deliveries and used the flipper more than other deliveries. He did get taken for some runs the moment he was a bit short or a bit wide off the stumps, but he also got both Younis and Yousuf trapped in front when he was on target.
The Pakistanis have cleverly played him in front of their pads so that there’s no danger of being out leg before and on the flat pitches with little bounce, he hasn’t been able to get his man caught by the forward short-leg fielder. Pakistan’s batting was given the push it wanted after Shahid Afridi came in and in his usual way, he took off vertically and upset the rhythm of the bowlers, and also managed to get under Kumble’s skin. With both Younis and Yousuf out in quick succession, there was an opportunity for the Indians to restrict the Pakistanis to a manageable total, but Afridi took it away and in the process also gave young Faisal Iqbal the confidence to deal with the Indian bowlers.
Faisal Iqbal knew that whatever he did here he would be on the bench as soon as Inzamam gets fit, so it was a no-win situation for him. But he showed tremendous temperament as he played himself in and then began to open out, eventually getting his first Test century in the final over of the day. It’s never easy for players whose relatives have played with distinction for the country, for not only are the expectations that much greater but there’s also the knowledge that chances will be lesser than others as the selectors don’t want to be accused of being under the pressure of picking a guy with a famous last name.
Shoaib Mohammad, the son of Hanif Mohammad never was made to feel part of the team in spite of scoring a double ton in Tests and being a top fielder to boot. Pakistan may want to get a few more runs before they declare because the Indian batting is top-class, and this is a wonderful chance for the Indians to show that their reputation is well deserved.
