Time to move on

Eden curator Prabir Mukherjee said it would be a hard, even pitch, meaning batsman-friendly, with the wear and tear not taking place before the fourth day. Something the spinners would enjoy exploiting on the final two days of the Test.

Hence the hint from both the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer and India’s John Wright on change in plans fitted right in. What this meant was that off-spinners Harbhajan Singh and Arshad Khan come straight into the frame for the second Test starting here on Wednesday.

Incidentally, this is the same pitch where India played Pakistan in a one-dayer and South Africa in a Test in the last two international fixtures in the city.

‘‘There won’t be any drastic change, but only strategic changes. I don’t want to change the team too much. But yes given the heat and humidity we may have to look at an extra bowler,” said Woolmer.

For India though there is no need yet to look down that road because of a number of part-time options on hand as coach Wright pointed out.

‘‘I don’t know whether we will do that because we have Ganguly, (Virender) Sehwag and (Sachin) Tendulkar, who are capable of taking the responsibility of the fifth bowler,” said Wright.

That the Indian think-tank is still smarting from the miss at Mohali could be seen in the normally staid Wright’s yearning for some ‘‘killer instict’’.

The only major plus for India from the first Test was the form of Virender Sehwag which naturally brought some smile back to Wright’s face.

The contest between the two in-form players Sehwag and Pakistan’s leg-spinner Danish Kaneria believed Wright would be one of the highlights.

Kaneria’s performance was also one of the talking points for Pakistan camp as well forcing even coach Woolmer to wax eloquent.

‘‘He is like a diamond ring definitely on par with Shane Warne and Anil Kumble as one of the best in the world,’’ said Woolmer.