India would have been in the driver’s seat at the Ferozeshah Kotla had their lower-order batsmen displayed the kind of application that Mohammad Sami did earlier in the game. Pakistan were in a perilous position when he joined Misbah-ul-Haq on the first day. Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik would have surely started their mental preparations to open the Indian innings on the first afternoon when the eighth Pakistani wicket fell at 142. But Sami frustrated them with his stonewalling, and Misbah made the most of it until he was run out in bizarre fashion.
What Misbah did for Pakistan, VVS Laxman did for India, with his penchant for coming good in a crisis. The least he deserved after Kumble’s dismissal early on the third day, was some support. But Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel did not quite give it. They ought to have kept their wickets intact and let Laxman get the runs. There was no need to get on with it, as a lot of time was left in the game.
Test cricket is all about application. This is turning out to be a low-scoring game, which means that scoring one run in the first innings amounts to having to score one run less in the second, for all practical purposes. India could have done with a few extra runs in the first innings. Batting on the fourth and fifth days isn’t going to be easy. Danish Kaneria bowled excellently in the first innings, and he will look to add to his tally of wickets in the second. The odd ball will keep low, and therein lies the risk-factor for the Indian batsmen.
This is not to say that there are devils in the pitch. Laxman and Misbah have already demonstrated that the wicket will not pose too many problems as long as the batsmen play on merit. It isn’t a typical limited-overs wicket either. The ball is not coming on to the bat, which calls for a more patient approach from the batsmen, as also softer hands and lesser bat-speed. Batters generally have a higher bat-speed in One-Day Internationals, where they often push at the ball. But that ploy won’t work here. They will have to concentrate on spending a lot of time at the crease, and wait for the bad balls.
The match is evenly poised. Pakistan are leading by 167, and they have five wickets in hand. Should they go past 225, their bowlers will fancy their chances of taking their team to a famous win on this Kotla wicket.
