Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Gwalior, Jan 25: After the Pakistanis yesterday, it was the India A top-order’s turn to crash down in a heap this afternoon. However, with hardly any time to press for a result, Pakistan agreed to draw their three-day tie with 10 mandatory overs to go and their rivals at 111 for five in their second innings. Maybe, with Salim Malik (122) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (96) having saved their reputations with a 149-run sixth wicket stand today in a second innings total 272, the Pakistanis felt there was nothing much left for them in this warm-up affair. Still, the visitors managed to score a big point as Waqar Younis had VVS Laxman (11) edging to keeper Moin Khan, to create a fresh debate on the senior team’s opening options.
Both Akram and Waqar also had Ramesh in tons of trouble even as the left-hander picked up a very nervous half-century. After Ramesh fell to Mushtaq, Amay Khurasia and Debang Gandhi followed, with wickets falling in regular intervals and the Pakistanis bowlers got in some valuable practice beforethe stalemate was finalised.
Looking ahead, even as the match was fading out, Pakistan manager Shahryar Khan came up to the press box to stress that his boys have been having a great time here off the field. However, out in the middle, it has been a slightly different story. They have nothing much to lean on before the first Test on January 28, except for some bright individual performances. Their batting has been a distinct let-down, except for Inzamam and Yousuf Youhanna. Starting with Saeed Anwar’s four runs in two innings, the problem runs down to Moin Khan. Malik did manage a century today but looked terribly patchy and was dropped four times on his way. And it was not as if the India A bowling was all that devastating except for a fruitful post-lunch spell yesterday from medium pacers Dodda Ganesh and Laxmi Rattan Shukla.
Even the bowling department has not given coach Javed Miandad much reasons to be very confident about before the match-up against Azhar’s men. Akram has been tremendously effectivein short spells, but the other spearhead Waqar Younis essentally a rhythm bowler is yet to get it right and the third pacer here, Shoaib Akhtar, worked up a fair bit of pace but nothing more. The India A batsmen were quite comfortable against off-spinner Saqlain and leggie Mushtaq and there is no reason to fear anything different from the senior team.
SCOREBOARD
Pakistan (first innings): 334-6 decl
India A (first innings): 276
Pakistan (second innings): (overnight 107-5) Saeed Anwar c Karim b Ganesh 4, Wajahatullah Wasti b Shukla 0, Moin Khan c Laxman b Ganesh 2, Yousuf Youhanna c Karim b Shukla 0, Inzamam-ul-Haq b Shukla 96, Mushtaq Ahmed c Karim b Shukla 8, Salim Malik c Gandhi b Ganesh 122, Wasim Akram c Kotak b Sanghvi 6, Saqlain b Harbhajan 14, Waqar Younis lbw Ganesh 0, Shoaib Akhtar not out 2; Extras (nb13, lb5): 18. Total (all out, 83 overs): 272
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-6, 3-8, 4-8, 5-23, 6-171, 7-198, 8-258, 9-258
Bowling: Ganesh 25-7-78-4, Shukla 19-8-38-4, Harbhajan 21-4-72-1,Sanghvi 18-3-79-1.
India A (second innings): Sandgopan Ramesh c sub (Qureshi) b Mushtaq 56, V V S Laxman c Moin b Waqar 11, Debang Gandhi c Moin b Akram 4, Amay Khurasia c Moin b Akhtar 9, Jacob Martin not out 20, Sitangshu Kotak lbw Saqlain 1, Saba Karim not out 0; Extras (b1, lb1, nb8): 10. Total (5 wkts, 30 overs): 111
Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-50, 3-70, 4-96, 5-103
Bowling: Waqar 8-0-40-1, Akhtar 6-1-19-1, Akram 5-1-16-1, Mushtaq 7-0-26-1, Saqlain 4-1-8-1.
