Exactly a year ago today, India played in a match as important as this. That day, at The Wanderers in Johannesburg, the World Cup final was lost in the first few overs as the Indian bowling went to pieces and Ricky Ponting went on the rampage. Tomorrow, as his team undertake an equally challenging task, Sourav Ganguly will know that the bowling is again key to India’s fortunes. It could give the skipper insurmountable problems but, on current form, is far more likely to make the batsmen’s job easier. India’s pace attack has settled into a rhythm, though one found by sheer accident — Zaheer’s physical condition necessitating his coming in first-change with Pathan and Balaji sharing the new ball. And it’s the Baroda boy who’s caught the eye with his inspired, aggressive bursts of speed. Pathan — a late entrant to the series as a replacement for Nehra — holds the key to India’s success tomorrow. And the key to his own success, he told The Indian Express today, was ‘‘controlled aggression’’. This tour, he said, has provided him a challenge that his first trip to Australia did not. ‘‘In Australia the biggest advantage was the bounce in the pitches. I did not have to worry about anything there. Here, though, I have to create my own bounce, so I cannot bowl as I did there.’’ He’s right, for the wickets have broken the hearts of local heroes Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Sami. Faced with slow tracks, they’ve tried to go for excess pace, in the process losing their line and length — and losing their team two matches. Not much sign of controlled aggression. What Pathan and close friend Balaji have done is provide the middle-over bowlers the chance to keep things tight. Controlling the middle-overs is an art, and where India have missed Anil Kumble immensely, on such tracks and against good players of spin bowling like Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana. Yet Murali Kartik has recovered from a poor start and performed creditably on Sunday. The batting has largely taken care of itself, but the mind of senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar is the key factor. Like his teammates, Tendulkar has been a poor performer in one-day finals. So it was interesting to see him train separately. Taking a local bowler aside, the master batsman worked on his trade for an hour. Ignoring calls for autographs, he remained focused on proving doubters wrong. Fellow opener Virender Sehwag too joined him and the two discussed long and hard. The topic of conversation probably revolved round how to maximise scoring in the first 15 overs against the erratic Pakistani fast bowlers who have proved to be a worry for the hosts. One thing is clear, though: this is a team free of apparent tension. The last couple of days has been spent in relaxed socialising. Last night it was dinner and Daler Mehndi at Imran Khan’s Shaukat Khanum Hospital, which most in the team attended despite security concerns as it was an open-air function. Also there, apart from the ubiquitous Mandira Bedi, were Inzamam and Moin Khan. And tonight they enjoyed the hospitality of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhary Pervez Ilahi at the Lahore Fort. The music was slightly different: the classical strains of Ghulam Ali. If his players are on song in similar vein tomorrow, Ganguly will be a happy man. So will we all.
