The stage is set for the latest edition of cricket’s greatest rivalry. The key for both teams would be to forget the past and concentrate on the present. Internal differences should be forgotten once you cross the boundary-line, and the sole objective should be to give it your best shot. Not doing so amounts to letting down your country.
Both Pakistan and India have deep batting line-ups. Pakistan have a slight issue with the opening slot, although I believe Shoaib Malik will partner Salman Butt. Younis Khan, Inzamam, Mohammed Yousuf and Kamran Akmal will occupy the next four slots, and Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammed Sami, Rana Naveed ul-Hasan and Danish Kaneria the last four in the batting order. That leaves the No.7 slot, which will be a toss-up between Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq. Irrespective of whoever plays, Pakistan will go in with a strong bowling line-up. Malik and Afridi can assist Kaneria in the spin department while Razzaq is a competent quick bowler. Shoaib Akhtar apart, Naveed ul-Hasan will be the bowler to watch out for the Indians, for he is a genuine ‘wicket-taker’. He is expensive sometimes, but what matters more than anything else in Test cricket is the ability to ‘buy’ wickets. The Indian batting is far superior to England’s. Irfan Pathan has been scoring consistently in the lower-order and that’s always a plus. Parthiv Patel impressed me a lot when the Indians were here last. He can make a good opener, for he has the technique to battle quality bowling attacks. The Indians are lucky that they have someone like Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose approach to batting is similar to Afridi’s. He has also been keeping well since his debut.
I know many people will be pondering over whether the Indians should go in with two spinners or just one. As far as I am concerned, the solution to this dilemma exists in the simple principle of thinking positive. Who are India’s prime wicket-takers? You need only one good ball to get a wicket in the game of cricket. Which members of the Indian team tend to bowl more good balls than their colleagues? Both Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh must play.
You need to take twenty wickets to win a Test, and if your main bowlers can’t do the job for you, no one can. Zaheer Khan, who might take the new ball with Irfan Pathan, has just returned to the side, and Agarkar, the other contender, has been in and out of the team. Both these players may not be as confident as Irfan and the two spinners.
The two teams will definitely take the field in a positive frame of mind. I don’t think either Dravid or Inzamam will opt to bowl first on winning the toss. Batting first gives you the opportunity to pressurize your opponent after putting the runs on the board. Both sides have bowlers who can exploit a deteriorating wicket on the third or fourth day, so the emphasis will be to bat first and bowl last, as it always should be. I would like to take this opportunity to wish both teams the best of luck. Cricket-lovers on both sides should remember that winning and losing are part of the game. The last two series between the two teams brought people of both countries together, and I hope that this one does the same.
Play!
