India set to pounce on injured Pak pride

It’s turning out to be a big yawn actually, and it’s probably a good time to recall what coach Geoff Lawson...

It’s turning out to be a big yawn actually, and it’s probably a good time to recall what coach Geoff Lawson had to say about this India-Pakistan contest as it began. Perhaps he would now like to alter that sentence a bit — his team may be playing a series bigger than The Ashes, but Pakistan are pretty much under the debris of ashes.

Seldom has any skipper looked so helpless on the eve of a Test match. Not in a position to walk into the ground and give command by himself, Shoaib Malik is still trying to raise an army “pyar aur mohabbat se”, even when voices around the team have chastised his soft approach in captaincy.

This visiting side is almost waiting to be lynched at the Eden, and its chances of a serious series-levelling effort here can be gauged from the fact that one first XI player, fast bowling all-rounder Yasir Arafat, is expected via Dubai just hours before the toss of coin. Standing against a robust Team India, they can manage to make a few scratches if a couple of individuals play to their reputation, and be reminded of their track record here. One of them — Younis Khan, who turned 30 today will be the stand-in skipper as well tomorrow.

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The home side, on the other hand, is ready to make a decisive assault by retaining the winning combination. Zaheer Khan has been brilliant, even on these deadpan wickets, while Sourav Ganguly’s new ball antics can again be utilised for the morning one hour of cross-breeze.

With the spinners’ role expected to increase with each passing day, batting first is the best available option. Anil Kumble is quick to seize the initiative and is likely to play on the minds of the Pakistan bats, who struggled to negotiate him and Harbhajan on a docile Kotla wicket.

This time, Team India is leaving little scope for Pakistan to squeeze out of tight situations.

Dinesh Kaarthick will be eager to latch on to the chances on offer at short-leg or silly-point, but his responsibilities at the start of the innings have attained a whole new meaning. Kaarthick has failed in two innings in the last Test, but was the best bat in the England series. His gradual downslide in the shorter format, and Yuvraj Singh’s outstanding form has carried its lingering effects. He has to make the best of this opportunity.

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There’s little to indicate that VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid might be prevented from continuing their respective love affairs at the Eden. Sachin Tendulkar has looked in great touch, and it’s all up to Ganguly, at number 5, to convert his good starts into three-figures.

Pakistan, with their limited resources, seem set again to go in with four specialist bowlers, but with a two-two balance in pace and spin. Sohail Tanvir, the left-armer who made his debut in the last Test, is now strangely the senior-most new ball bowler as his partner Arafat will make his Test beginning in this prestigious ground.

Handicapped by the lack of long spells in the first Test, Danish Kaneria will have little to complain here about his line and rhythm; the leg-spinner is expected to share the bulk of the workload along with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman.

The Pakistan team has also inducted Faisal Iqbal as worthy replacement for Malik in the middle-order and Misbah-ul-Haq is expected to play despite probably less than fully fit. Mohammad Sami will watch from the sidelines while Umar Gul can see the match from the confines of his home, having flown back following recurrence of back pain.

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Mohammed Sami has been told to be on the standby if Arafat doesn’t fly in on time. Shoaib Akhtar, meanwhile, also remains on standby. The doctors have ruled him fit but Akhtar developed a fever again and remains doubtful himself. The Pakistan think-tank, however, believes even a couple of fast spells by him will help.