The match is now a mind game

10

India are back to square one. Now the question is whether India is going to win or draw the match? In my opinion there can be no draw as India will either win or lose the match. India dominated the match only in the first hour on the first day. Pakistan scored a respectable total in the first innings after being 39/6. After that it has been Pakistan all the way. There is lot of talk about the wicket getting placid and turning into a batting paradise. But does that mean that the Indian bowlers are capable of getting wickets only in favourable conditions? How is it that a youngster like Mohammad Asif is able to get a lot of of bounce and movement on the second day but later the Indians fail to do so? Even Sourav Ganguly after starring in a 100-run partnership is able....

Indians did not apply themselves properly

6

The second day belonged to Pakistan as clearly they were the better team. They did not allow India to take the lead and then in the second innings their batsmen applied themselves intelligently. In the morning Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh batted very well. Today the attitude of Ganguly was very good as he played the faster bowler with a lot of confidence aginst whome normally he is not very comfortable. After playing a very good knock he got out to a very ordinary ball. Ganguly and Yuvraj should have continued their partnership for a little longer but after their deapture Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan, too, played brilliantly. The way Pathan is batting he may soon become a frontline batsman or atleast a good all-rounder. One thing that Rahul Dravid failed to do in the first innings could now prove very costly. He let Pakistan slip....

A dream spell by Pathan

10

After two boring Tests at lahore and Faisalabad, the Karachi match was a revelation. The wicket was suited for the fast bowlers. India won a crucial toss and Rahul Dravid did the right thing to ask Pakistan to bat. Irfan Pathan bowled a dream first over and no one could have dreamt that he would take a hat-trick. All the three deliveries that he bolwed were wicket taking deliveries. The wicket of Salman Butt gave Pathan a lot of confidence as the ball was the best of the three on which he got the wickets. Younis Khan is not the best player of balls that have lateral movement and it was proved today as he got out to a seaming ball. Mohammad Yousuf, too, got an unplayable ball to give Pathan his first hat-trick. Moving the ball off the seam and swinging it late have been Pathan's....

Pakistan prepared a lousy track

10

Today must have been the most boring day of cricket that I have ever seen. Except at the end of Pakistan's innings when the wickets fell in a heap, it was all very boring. The records made in such matches have no value. All the batsmen enjoyed their saty and with so many centuries being scored the match had to end in a draw. Even though the runs scored will go into the record books but even the batsmen don't value such scores. The wickets were pathetic. Having played for India for a long time and captained the team for a short duration, I can say that the wickets cannot be prepared without the consent of the home captain. Without accusing the Pakistani skipper, I can say that they must definately had a say in the types of tracks that were prepared. The Pakistani team management must....

Both the teams lack strike bowlers

10

After the third day when Mahendra Singh Dhoni played that brilliant knock every body now knew that it will end in a draw. Both Dhoni and Pathan played very well to bring out India from a dangerous position. India don't have the bowlers who can bowl out Pakistan quickly and with the pitch playing beautifully the hosts will just have some nice batting practice. Like wise the Indians should have some bowling practice. I believe that both Pathan and Harbhajan Singh should try and bowl a little better if they are to find a place in the team for the next match. They should find what is wrong with them and try and pick up some wickets and gain confidence. The Indian batting lineup is also very strong and it was proved today as we took the first innings lead. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan played....

I still believe in miracles

10

For a change it was a very interesting day of cricket although India looked in trouble when four wickets fell in a clutter after the lunch break. At the end it was a good day for India. Frankly speaking, we should congratulate Rahul Dravid for his back-to-back centuries against Pakistan. He also took the responsibility of opening the batting and along with Laxman played a great innings. Opening the batting is never easy and he did that job to perfection. Both Dravid and Laxman played a brilliant knock. But after they got out India lost the momentum and two more wickets fell cheaply. After the fall of Sachin Tendulkar it seemed as though India were in deep trouble, as after that India had only a semi-recognised batting pair in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan. I say semi-recognised because Pathan is still in process of becoming an all-rounder. ....

Chappell's gamble seems to have failed

0

At end of the second day India looks in a pretty decent position. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have been batting with a positive approach and they should continue in the same manner on the third day also. The Indians should not go on the back foot or become defensive as they are chasing a huge total. When a team does not score runs then there is a possibility of losing wickets, as you need just one good ball to get out. The partnership between and Dravid and Laxman and the next partnership with Sachin Tendulkar is going to be very crucial if India has to save the match. The second and the third wicket partnership are going to be very crucial as Pakistan is in a strong position and they cannot lose the match, only India can if they lose quick wickets tomorrow. If Rahul Dravid and....

Ganguly deserves a better treatment

9

Today was a day when every thing that could go wrong went wrong for Team India. Right from the team selection to some of the decisions taken on the pitch everything defied logic. How can the team management drop an experienced player like Sourav Ganguly without giving him a reasonable chance to prove himself? Why pick Ganguly for such an important and competitive series when he is to be dropped from the playing XI in the middle of the tour? The policy makes a mockery of the whole issue. Ganguly deserves a decent exit and not the kind of treatment that he has been getting at the hands of the team management. He has served the team as a player and a captain for a long time and should be given a better farewell. The idea to include five bowlers is a good and a positive move....

Dropping Ganguly will be ridiculous

0

Everybody has been saying so many things about the Faisalabad Test. But I will talk about the team composition first. There have been rumours that Ganguly might be dropped to accomodate a fifth bowler. I would say, how can you drop Ganguly? If it happens, it will be the most unfortunate thing to happen. It's very unfair to now drop Ganguly after having picked him for the last Test match and without giving him a chance, saying that the opening slot is not the place for him. It will be very unfair on him if they actually drop him. And if do this, it will be the most ridiculous thing. I will not agree on that point even though I am with the guys and I am for the team going with five bowlers. The point is if he would have played and failed....

Veeru can break any record

0

It was a great batting performance by the Indians. It was a really wonderful showing. Especially Sehwag. When this guy gets going, he is simply superb. Sehwag's game today showed the enormous confidence that this man has. I am sure I can't play like Sehwag. But the most important thing that I want to highlight is the amazing concentration that this guy has despite so many breaks during the day. It's something fantastic. The one quality that I like about Sehwag is that such an attacking batsman that he is, he will always be able to play long innings. Big hundreds. And that is a terrific quality. Because I know, I have been an attacking batsman and even I can get carried away after scoring, say, 50 runs. Even the most attacking batsman can get carried away after scoring about say 50 runs. But here is....

Veeru is very special

10

What a dull and boring day it was for cricket fans as well as the players. One thing I can assure you is that I would not have liked to be in Virender Sehwag's shoes today. Being an opening batsman I know how frustrating it is to go up and down, inside and outside the pavilion, because you don't know when you are going to bat and the worse thing is that the umpires may suddenly come and say that you must be in ready in 20 minutes as the play is going to start. So it's very frustrating, as you have to be mentally prepared to be on the field on a short notice. Suspense is one thing that kills a player, so I wouldn't want to be in Sehwag's shoes. I think Virender Sehwag is a great cricketer. I have been a great fan of him.....

Indians can still level it off

8

The second day's play went reasonably as expected from the Pakistan's point of view. The only thing I did not expect was the rate of scoring. That's where I think the Indian bowlers could have done better. Granted, the wicket was pretty placid, but yet, I think, the Indians just let the Pakistanis do their job at will. If at all, there could be two chances now for the match. It's either going to be a draw, that is, I mean, the Indians too play some nice cricket and stay in the game. The second chance is the Pakistanis will try to make a match out of it, in which case the Indians could also be coming to a close draw. But then, if the last two hours of play could have been saved on Saturday, a draw would have been inevitable. Now, at this score....

Ordinary cricket from 'great' Indians

10

It was a very ordinary performance by the Indians at Lahore today. There are two reasons. Firstly, the wicket was not very helpful for the bowlers, and obviously, it looked like an ideal batting wicket. It was a very slow wicket. The ball was not doing anything, it was not moving at all. The second thing is our bowlers also didn't do very well today. Yes, sometimes wickets do give a little bit of impetus to the bowlers to do well. But today, it was a very very ordinary bowling attack. Irfan Pathan initially moved the ball, but after that he looked very very ordinary. Ajit Agarkar, right from the word go, was very ordinary and he did not look a Test bowler at all. Today, Anil Kumble was totally out of colour. I thought he bowled too many short balls. Usually, Kumble....

Pak wickets can help Indians too

6

The India-Pakistan cricket series is going to be an exciting one - everybody is talking about it and we all know that. A lot has been said about strategies, a lot has been said about Pakistani wickets. People talk a lot about wickets. What I personally believe is that at the end of the day there is more hype over the wicket rather than the actual wicket itself, which is the truth. Having played little bit of cricket for India, and captained India for a short while, I always believe that till the wicket are absolutely prepared and players start playing on it, nobody knows what the wickets hold - even the curator with consistency say, with a little bit of open faith, that the wickets will be staid or bouncy or something like that But definitely, I presume that these wickets will be suiting the Pakistani....

Sehwag is the key for India

10

The India-Pakistan series promises a lot of excitement and there is a lot at stake for both the teams. The key to a match in this series, I believe, is a good start. And the real key for India, I believe, would be Virender Sehwag. Whoever gets to a good start will be on a stronger wicket to win matches. For India, the real key would be Sehwag. If you remember, when we went to Pakistan and Australia, when India did well it was because of Sehwag's batting. Having been the opener, once he has initially blunt the opposition attack, half the battle is won. But Sehwag is out of form for sometime. If he clicks, India will definitely click. Coming to the playing XI, it is tough decision to make as to where does Ganguly fit in. I don't think Chappell is going....