Match Report on First Test Match at Chennai

Test 1 Day 1




Team selection betrays the state of mind. It tells the avid cricket fan
how the team management is thinking. A test match is as much a battle of
wits and nerves as it is a clash of talent and ability. The Pakistan team
selected for this test has four front line bowlers and an all rounder in
Shahid Afridi. Our best captain, Imran Khan, always went into a test match
with 5 specialist bowlers. His thinking was very simply, aggressive. The
reason behind that was that according to his method, offense was the best
defense. He thought that if the wicket is favoring the bowling, with 5
bowlers, the 6th batsman will not matter. On the other hand, if it is a
good batting track then your specialist world class 5 should do their job.
I agree. Pakistan should have gone into this test with 5 bowlers and thus
I felt that Mushtaq should have played instead of Shahid. On the batting
side of it, Shahid is being made into an opener. He is not technically a
front line batsman. He is very talented and exciting but not technically
correct. In a one day game with field restrictions in the early overs,
sending Shahid early at times makes sense but not in test cricket. I would
have played 5 specialist batsman with Saeed, Ijaz, Inzi, Malik and Youhana
in that order. Moin follows with Akram and the bowlers. With the 4 bowlers
in the side, the game plan of the opposition changes. They try and play
out your best bowlers with caution and then with weak links on, get some
runs. This does not give your best bowlers rest and thus reduces the
chances of them getting wickets. So the Pakistan selection betrayed
defensive thinking. The Indians matched it though and the matter was at
parity. India played 4 specialist bowlers in Srinath, Prasad, Kumble and
Raju. The Indians do not have an off spinner so we will have to wait and
see how the wicket reacts to the off spin of Saqlain. Pakistan have a left arm
spinner in Nadeem and a fastish leg spinner in Shahid. India has a left
arm spinner in Raju and a fastish leg spinner in Kumble. Advantage India.
Wasim and Waqar are better than the due of Srinath and Prasad, obviously,
but will have to cut their pace down and concentrate on accuracy and
reverse swing on a grassless track. Saqlain topples the bowling in favor
of Pakistan. In the batting department India has the advantage both in
being on the home field as well as having batsman like Tendulkar, Dravid
and Azhar in form.


Pakistan won the toss and predictably decided to bat. A no-brainer on a
wicket that has a history of being slow and conducive to spin in the
latter stages of the game. A new wicket (first day of the test) does
however have some moisture and early morning dew. So the Pakistani openers
needed to be vigilant and confident. They were tentative. A couple of
dropped catches by Azhar early should have given Pakistan some resolve but
things changed quickly. Srinath bowled with his usual accuracy and nip. He
got Shahid early while exposing his weakness as an opener, outside the
off stump, in the longer version of the game. Saeed after settling down threw his wicket away by not offering a shot to a straightish delivery. I say straightish as there was some doubt in the decision but when you do not offer a shot the umpires get trigger happy. Let me say this though, in the years that I
have seen Umpire Dunne he is pretty incompetent. So some dubious decisions
will go both ways. Ramaswamy on the other end, is a good umpire. Pakistan
did not recover from these early losses and Inzi played nonchalantly at a
Kumble full toss to be caught and bowled. Kumble did get some turn and
bounce early which will suit Shahid but he is not a very good leg spinner
so he will not be able to exploit the wicket as Mushi would have. Ijaz
offered no shot to a Kumble flipper and Pakistan were crumbling. Ijaz's
technique has always been in question especially against pace but he is a
consistent enough batsman to warrant a place in the side. Miandad (coach)
needs to force feed him to do the basics right. Do not shuffle across the
crease, do not deliberately pad up to straight balls, run well between
wickets and also do not pre-plan shots. When Malik was bowled by Srinath
off a beauty, Moin was left to his usual rescue efforts. An emerging
bright spot in the Pakistan batting line up is the composure and technique
of Yousuf Youhana. He is a good prospect and needs to be nurtured properly
in the middle order. His fifty was well deserved and an omen of better
things to come. Moin scored a gritty 60 and the captain chipped in with 38
as Pakistan got 238. A modest total on a wicket that will turn later on
but will produce some runs for those who can graft their
innings and play responsible shots. The story of the day was the initial
burst of the consistent Srinath and the 6 wicket haul of Kumble. First
round to India.


The day end score of 48 without loss off 8 overs is typical of the
Pakistan fast bowlers on placid tracks. They are aggressive wicket takers
and attack at all times. When the ball becomes older they will be tough to
handle and with the morning dew, the pre-lunch session tomorrow would
dictate the day and the test match. India seems to be in the driver's
seat.


The young Ramesh and Laxman have made a good start and they need to build
on that. If the Indians get a 100+ start then the match may slip out of
Pakistan's reach. However a couple of wickets early can swing it back into
the balance. If Pakistan can restrict India to less than 350 then this
will be considered a low scoring game. All low scoring Pakistan India
games are nail biters. Though India dismissed Pakistan for a low score,
the very fact that they might have to bat last is still a tough prospect
on this wicket. It is imperative for them to get a sizable lead. So though
the first round has gone to India, the pressure is still on them.



Test 1 Day 2


After Miandad hit that amazing and unbelievable 6 on the last ball in
Sharjah, one and all eagerly awaited his next game at the same
ground. He was out for nought. An Indian commentator, I believe his name
was Dr. Notty (I am not sure of the spellings, please excuse me), said,
"Cricket is a great leveler". At the start of last year, Tendulkar
played a fantastic knock of 155 (191) at Chennai against Australia. I
believe it was the same game in which he belted Shane Warne in a one
sided battle. Today at Chennai, Tendulkar was caught at gully off
Saqlain for 0. Cricket is a great leveler indeed.


The morning session was, as advertised, extremely important. Akram
started from one end with Saqlain taking care of the other. Saqlain's
inclusion to the attack this early was very surprising indeed but
Wasim's logic was probably to have one good fast bowler on at all times.
A problem that arises from the fact that there aren't five specialist
bowlers in the side otherwise Wasim and Waqar would have bowled in
tandem. Wasim is a thinking bowler as Omar Kureishi would put it. He can
beat you with pace but why bother, it is not as interesting. He goes over
the wicket, around the wicket, in-cutter, out-swinger, bowl with a lean
towards mid-wicket, bowl with a lean towards cover, short pitch when you
least expect it, slower one, yorker...you name it, he has it. A placid
wicket with no help to fast bowlers. Big deal! He struck early twice. Removing
both the young openers with balls that nipped back into them, trapping
them in front. Move over Lillee. Then the Tendulkar dismissal and the game
was even. Why Tendulkar tried to heave the third ball he faced is anyone's guess. I
normally do not question the great ones. They have their own mindset. If
it had come off, he would have been branded a genius. Now that it did not,
it was an irresponsible shot. Both reactions are over-reactions. Saqlain's
genius is not in the off-spin but in the deceptive straight one that he
sends down. What is it called now? The magic ball? It is not really a
floater or an arm ball. I will not reveal the way to read it but I will
give you a hint. It is not in the way he sends his straight one but it is
the way he sends down his off spinner. Confused? Join the club. Most
batsmen are too. The wicket is responsive to spin. It has the kick that
makes spinners difficult to handle. Dravid had his work cut out. Saqlain
had him in all sorts of trouble. Waqar came on as Wasim rested but was
expensive initially. But he settled down and started troubling Azhar.
Surprisingly, his out-swinger was working. That is when an in-swinging
bowler is lethal. But as always happens in cricket, when one bowler is
bothering you, you tend to take chances against the one at the other end.
Saqlain got Azhar at silly and things were getting difficult for India
with their last specialist pair of Ganguly and Dravid at the crease
tottering at 103 for 4. Dravid survived Saqlain. To his credit he played
him well after the initial jitters. Both batsmen played well and got their
singles and twos mixed in with an occasional boundary. But Saqlain finally got to
Dravid after he completed a well deserved fifty. The magic ball again.
Dravid let a straight one hit the pad thinking it would spin. Mongia never
got comfortable and left early. Ganguly started to look good and clobbered
a couple of sixes off Saqlain. Joshi was giving him good support. I
wrote Raju instead if Joshi in yesterday's piece. Man, am I still living
in the past.


India was getting close to the Pakistan total with 3 wickets in hand. What
is that Rudy Tomjonavich always taught me? "Never underestimate the heart
of a champion". Shahid Afridi is a champion at heart. What he lacks in
technique, he brings in courage and effort. I was told that Mushi was left
out because he had an injury. It was not officially reported that way but
if that was the case, then I guess it makes some sense to play Shahid
since we did not have any other leg spinner. I still contend, Imran would
have played a specialist bowler in Shoaib Akhter or Azher Mahmood. In a
seemingly harmless delivery, Shahid had Ganguly caught at slip. He mopped
up the tail in quick succession and India were all out for 254. A lead of
only 16. Saqlain 5 wickets, Shahid 3 and Wasim 2. Waqar did not do too
much but he seldom has a game where he does not do much in both innings.
But then Tendulkar does not either. Whatever India has to chase in the
second innings will be difficult. The key, DUH, will be Tendulkar's
wicket.


The Shwaam sees a Tendulkar vs Waqar battle in the near future. Pakistan
lost Saeed early again. Another LBW but this time to Prasad. Important
wicket indeed. They were at 34 for 1 at the close with the match pretty
much in the balance. I still contend that Shahid should not open the
innings in test matches. He might just hit a swashbuckling half century
tomorrow and cement his place in the side. What do I know?


So there was this test match played in Bangalore about 12 years ago.
Pakistan won the toss and batted. They got skittled out for 116. India did
not take advantage of that and got bowled out for 145. A slender lead.
Hmmm ... Interesting. Who cares about Shiv Sena and Bal Thakarey. This is
cricket the way it is supposed to be played.


Test 1 Day 3


He did not get a swashbuckling fifty. Instead, Shahid Khan Afridi got a
belligerent hundred. I still think he should not open the innings. Darn,
it sounds so lame now. Shahid's philosophy of batting is simple and
uncomplicated. If he gets a bad ball, whatever the state of the game, he
will go after it with a vengeance. He is a strong man with a very free
shoulder movement when he hits the ball. He likes to hit the ball
straight. That is why he succeeds most of the time. His strengths are
spinners and medium pacers who like to pitch the ball up. His weaknesses
are the pace bowlers bowling short of a good length outside the off
stump. India bowled to Shahid's strengths. Erratic bowling by the medium
pacers, and the spinners kept it up. One thing about Shahid that reminds
me of Ian Botham is that he always follows through his shot. Even if he
has picked the wrong delivery to hit, he will put his body into it. The
result is that the ball is propelled at least beyond the infield. Thus
cover drives over cover, edges flying over the slips or heaves landing
beyond mid wicket are common. These are not miscues but on the contrary
are adjustments when the length or line of the ball is not as perceived
when it was delivered. In his second one day international Shahid
created a world record by scoring the fastest century. In his second
test he has scored a test hundred under tremendous pressure. He had a 5
wicket haul in his first test against Australia. Is it safe to assume
that this guy is blessed? My brother met him once at a local store in
Islamabad. I asked Ahmed what was his impression of Shahid. He said,
"One word, humble". I think it is safe to assume that God likes
humility.


The day began with Ijaz playing a hesitant shot to be caught and bowled
off Kumble. The decision took a lot of time as umpire Dunne wasn't able
to judge whether the ball had been caught cleanly and asked the third
umpire. The Indians had broken through early and should have attacked. I
remember Imran in the commentary booth during that quarter final of the
world cup against India. In the early part of the innings Waqar was
bowling with a slip and Imran mentioned that he would have had more
slips to put pressure on the batsman. Just then Sidhu edged one for four
past the vacant slip area. A good opening partnership was the catalyst
of India's big total and thus their win. Imran however attacked at all
times. In the 1992 world cup in a crucial game against Australia while
defending an average total he had three slips for Boon. Aaqib got him
caught at third slip by Mushtaq. Today, Shahid edged a couple early on
off Srinath but there weren't enough slips to catch them. Inzamam was
dropped by Ganguly at slip. Pakistan capitalized on these lapses. Inzi
looked solid against the spin of Kumble and pace of Srinath after that
drop. Shahid was remarkably restrained though he took full advantage of
the loose ones. They took Pakistan beyond 100 and things were looking
good. The wicket created an occasional problem here and there but by and
large did not seem nasty. In fact, my brother watching the game in
Pakistan mentioned that the wicket did not look menacing on the 2nd day
either and the wickets fell under the pressure of the crowd and bad
shots. The ball did spin he said but never unplayable. It remains to be
seen if the wicket will break on the 4th or 5th day.


Azhar brought on Tendulkar before lunch. The 5th bowler was being
missed. I have noticed that great players have a tendency to have just
that little bit of edge that gives them the advantage in all aspects of
the game. It seems they can take the level of expertise they have in one
aspect and translate it to another even though they might not be
talented or natural in it. Just like the difference in the industry that
separates good managers from great managers. A good manager manages well
in his/her field of expertise but the great one will translate those
same qualities to get results in a field alien to him/her. Tendulkar is
one such player. He came on to bowl and with his friendly slow looping
medium/leg break got Inzi caught close in. The decision was however a
doubtful one by Dunne and a despondent Inzi went back slowly to the
pavilion. I wouldn't make it an issue though since I feel Dunne will be
incompetent indiscriminately. Pakistan were 139 for 3 and Yousuf came in
to take them to lunch without further loss. Both continued well after
lunch. Yousuf started to get his groove before trying to sweep a
Tendulkar delivery that pitched in the rough and came back to knock his
stumps. So Kumble and Joshi, the front line bowlers, are bowling on the
same wicket but Tendulkar gets the wickets. Go figure. Malik came in and
started rotating the strike regularly. His prowess against spin is well
documented so the fact that Prasad got to bowl just one over till after
tea is inexplicable. Shahid was on his merry way to a hundred with some
clean controlled hitting mixed in with caution. He lofted sixes off
Kumble and Joshi with ease. Needed a runner as he got tired and had
cramps but carried on. The experience of Malik clearly guiding him not
to throw his wicket away. The tea was taken with Pakistan placed at a
very comfortable position. Pakistan reached 274/4 after tea and the
match seemed to be slipping away from India when all hell broke loose.
Prasad was finally brought on but Joshi was the one who got the break
through. Malik cut at a spinning delivery and Dravid caught a blinder at
slip. Moin came in and left caught behind off a Prasad leg cutter and
the rot was on. Shahid lost his concentration and played across a
delivery to be bowled. His 141 though had put Pakistan in a comfortable
enough position to afford this collapse. Or did it? In the space of 11
runs, Pakistan lost 6 wickets! Prasad didn't give any runs to get his 5.
Unbelievable! He ended with 6/33 and completed one of the most dramatic
fight backs. India needed 271 to win with two days and change to spare.
That change was what India wanted to negotiate safely. Wasim and Waqar
came out with all guns blazing accurately. Waqar was on. He got Ramesh
fishing at a ball leaving him slightly to be caught by Inzi at slip and
then got Laxman via sheer pace plumb in front. So India's two best
batsmen were at the crease against a fiery W attack. Dravid with his
rock solid defense and Tendulkar with class negotiated the bowling
before play was prematurely ended owing to bad light. India were 40/2 at
the close with match in the balance yet again.


Shades of Bangalore? After India's slender lead in the first innings 12
years ago, Pakistan batted well and got a good total. The original
little master played a gem of an innings but fell short of his hundred
and India fell short of victory. Has the wicket eased up or did Shahid
bat brilliantly? Will the pressure of playing in front of 40,000
screaming fans get to the Indian batsmen? Will the little master play
like the original little master and get the job done this time? Will the
Indians exorcise the demons of Bangalore? Answers, tomorrow.


Test 1 Day 4


I do not have the words to describe this day. I will try. But my
suggestion would be to get a tape of this game as soon as possible and
watch it instead of reading this summary. There are some players who
have the magic touch. You can tell at first sight who those players are.
The first time I saw Sachin Tendulkar bat was at a side match at
Rawalpindi. Saeed Anwar had hammered a 150 in that game to cement a call
in the Pakistani test team. As I had played with Rashid and Saeed in a
camp, I was sitting with them chatting about the test sides and their
prospects. I think it was tea-time and a break in the game. Just a few
yards away from the Indian dressing room the Indian batsmen were
knocking the ball around to get ready for their turn. I saw a kid with
curly hair walk out with Gavasker pads on. He was twitchy, restless and
adjusting his gear. When he took his stance and started to stroke the
ball around, everyone stopped chatting and started watching him
practice. It was a Mark McGuire BP like moment. I knew like most people
at the ground that this guy would be great one day. That day arrived a
few years ago. Just like Sachin, there were other players in this game
who have the magic touch. The one I want to point to though is the guy
who has emerged in a short while from the raw under 19 system of
Pakistan. He has become the leading bowler of his trait in the world in
a short time. There are no doubters of this in the world. Everyone
unanimously agrees. This is surprising because people debate between
Lara and Tendulkar, Wasim-Waqar and Ambrose, Warne and Mushtaq. But when
it comes to off spin people say with one voice that Saqlain Mushtaq is
the best. The feisty young man bowls the magic ball. The ball that should turn
in to the right handed batsman the way Saqlain delivers it. Instead, it goes away. He
has the knack of pulling off miracles. His magic was such that it over
powered Sachin's class. Very barely though. As Moin would say, "Very
well done Saqi!"


So the day started at India 40/2 with the need to consolidate. Wasim came out bowling as if he had a point to
prove. Saqlain started from one side like he did in the first innings on
the second day. Wasim was possessed. The normally sure and castle-like
defense of Dravid and Tendulkar were under serious fire. Wasim was
nipping them back and slanting them away with no apparent change of
action. But that is what he always does. I guess till he breaks Kapil's
record there will always be a debate whether he is the best fast bowler
ever. After he breaks that record, I don't think many people will debate
this point. We'll have to wait and see. But just to prove his point,
Wasim Akram did to Dravid what I saw Sarfraz do to Kim Hughes many years
ago. I am not sure which game this was. Maybe it was the one in which he
destroyed Australia with a spell of 7 wickets for one run in Melbourne.
Or maybe it was a different test but the same series. Sarfraz bowled a
combination of in-swingers and out-swingers with such accuracy that Kim
was wrapped in front before he knew what hit him. I have seen Imran do
the same to players. There is a term for it in urdu cricket terminology.
"Pakka Karna". You soften the batsman up with one type of delivery and
once he is used to that one you bowl the one that will turn him the
opposite way. In a Faisalabad test in the 80s Imran bowled three leg
cutters to Haynes and then bowled an in-swinger from the same spot. The
result was an LBW. Wasim brought the ball back into Dravid a couple of
times. Then the one that pitches on leg for a right handed batsman and
then leaves him to turn him inside out. It took the off bail away and
with it India's hopes of a solid start to the day. Azhar did not look at
ease against Wasim but like the first innings Saqlain got him at the
other end. Yet again a batsman was LBW playing half-forward without
offering a shot. This trend is inexplicable. I guess the pressures of
incessant appeals and a huge crowd make you numb. Speaking of incessant
appealing. It is easy to rattle an average umpire with loud appeals.
Dunne was yet again off the mark. However, if the only quality an umpire
should have is consistency then Dunne gets full points. He was
consistently incompetent. This time Ganguly was his victim. A bat,
shin-pad (silly), ground catch by Moin off Saqlain. He consulted the leg
umpire again but did not go for the third umpire. Maybe he should have.
India were 82/5.


Ok so Gavasker single handedly kept the game alive in Bangalore 12 years
ago. He did not get much support but carried on. The fantastic catch by
Rizwanuzzaman diving across from silly point to almost silly mid on. Not
out. The whole team appealing with guys from fine leg running to the
umpire. Wickets crumbling around him. Nothing fazed him. He would take
his floppy off to adjust that weird cap sort of a helmet on his head.
Plant his left foot first in the crease and let the right one just glide
in to place while hitting his bat on the ground. The perfect balance in
his stance. Tendulkar is like him in many ways. He is different in a lot
of ways too. He does not gradually change the complexion of the game. He
does it instantly and authoritatively. Today, he could have started
blasting at 82/5 and got out. Nobody would have blamed him. The top
order had just folded. How much can one man do? Tendulkar reached deep
down inside to find the Gavasker in him. He was patient. He was
determined. He was resolute. Picking the bad balls to hit, he came out
after lunch to carry the torch that the original little master had given
to him. I was chatting with my brother at the end of the 3rd day's play.
He mentioned some thing interesting. He mentioned that Pakistan
obviously needs quick wickets but they need to stop the flow of runs and
make India earn every single run. Pakistan made India do that till tea.
Possibly the best session of the test from lunch to tea saw no wickets
fall at all. Tendulkar amassed his runs on one end as Mongia just
resolutely defended. The Saqlain-Tendulkar battle was on. One trying to
get the better of the other. Tendulkar remembered the first inning
dismissal and was cautious. He would still take care of the bad ball
though. A drive through covers or a cut against the spin through point.
The runs were slow but steady. At times Saqlain would get the better of
him. After tea the Gavasker in Tendulkar made way for the
belligerence that defines Sachin. Tendulkar tried to heave Saqlain. The
ball got a bottom edge and went to the keeper. Moin dropped it and did
not even collect it cleanly to run Tendulkar out. What doesn't kill you
makes you stronger! To rub salt into Saqlain's wounds Sachin hit four
fours in that over. In fact the miss happened after the first two fours.
Pakistan would have thought at that time that the chance to win the
match was gone. India was in the driver's seat.


A common sight during the game had been the "huddling up" of the
Pakistanis around their captain at times when things were not going
their way. It showed solidarity for their captain and reinvigorated
them. They must have been very geared up to come out after tea and get a
break through. The Indians probably got the same magic potion from
Sachin. Mongia caught fire as he thumped Saqlain all over. It prompted
Wasim to take the new ball. Waqar's absence from the lunch-tea session
was conspicuous. He had only bowled a few overs in the morning. Why he
was kept out of the attack after a brilliant burst yesterday? I don't
know. But when he was brought back this time with the new ball things
did not go his way. Both Mongia and Tendulkar smashed the new ball off
both Ws. Mongia had reached his fifty with a six off Saqlain. 60 odd
runs by the two batsmen had come in 10 odd overs! The match was firmly
in India's grasp. Remember during the 1992 world cup, India played a
great game against Australia. In the final overs, after Azharuddin had
done the job, More (the Indian keeper) hit two Miandad-like flicks off
the stumps off Steve Waugh. The game was firmly in India's grasp. All
that was needed was for More to get singles and win the game for India.
He tried a third consecutive of those walk-across-to-the-off-stump-flick-past-short fine leg shots. He was
bowled. Why he tried that again when it was not needed? No one knows.
Mongia had the ghost of More hovering over him as he tried an
old-fashioned slog off Wasim Akram. Waqar grabbed the skier. 50 odd runs
left with 4 wickets in hand. By now, Tendulkar was suffering from back
spasms and trying to play through pain. His instinct was to hit out. He
connected. A stream of boundaries by him with a six by Joshi off Saqlain
and there were only 16 runs left with 4 wickets in hand. Game over.
Great win for India. Right? Pakistan had a chance to put the game away
after tea on the 3rd day. They choked. India returned the favor after
tea today. Tendulkar after hitting two consecutive fours tried a third
one off Saqlain and got caught by Wasim miscuing an inside out lofted
cover drive. Out for 136 off 273 balls. Did the spasms just make the
pain unbearable or was this divine intervention? Who knows? Tendulkar
had played a great knock like Sunil did years ago but had left the job
unfinished like him as well. Sunil's quote after the game is a keeper.
"Never leave for others what you can do yourself". Directed more towards
Mongia than Sachin but words to live by. Wasim trapped Kumble leg before
with a ball that was straight and fast. Joshi succumbed to the pressure
with an indecisive shot after jumping down the wicket. Caught and bowled
Saqlain. Last pair in and 15 more to go. An off spinner bowling at the
last pair. Srinath a decent hitter like Roger Binny. Things could not be
more eerie. The ball hit a pad or bat on the way to the stumps. Bowled!!
The crowd stunned and silent. The Pakistanis hugging each other and
celebrating. The Indians must be sick of this sight. They had to witness
it yet again. Pakistan win by 12 runs.


Saqlain got ten wickets in the game. Shahid had a great 141. Both could
make excellent cases for a man of the match award. Sachin got it. I will
not debate it. He is a great player but even great players need support
at some stage. Gavasker never got it in Bangalore. Sachin did not get it
today. Wasim Akram has a great story to tell. He pulled off a win in the
country where his problems started in 1996. The huddles, the mid field
conferences, the discussions with Miandad and the spirit of the team all
suggest that the cohesion lacking in the team is back. The resolve
should be to keep it. Let the Pakistan Cricket Board just say that Wasim
is the captain till he retires. Period. End of story. Miandad brings to
the team as a coach the attitude to be the best and stay that way. He
works the players hard. He works on their mistakes. He makes strategies
to highlight Pakistan's strengths and the opposition's weaknesses. In
short, he brings the desire of a street fighter. His work with Shahid
obviously has paid off. The work needs to carry on. There is a Pakistani
commentator who has over the years annoyed the hell out of me. His name
is Iftikhar Ahmed. He never shows any cricket acumen but rather tries to
use flowery English to get away with it. He uses cliches, obvious
statements and generalizations that make me want to smash his head open.
Some people like his way though. There is one sentence that he has used
umpteen times, which annoys me the most. "The game of cricket has won".
Maybe today it has.


The Indians did not exorcise the demons of Bangalore today. The stigma
of not being a good fourth inning team still brands them. But maybe this
game was meant to exorcise different and more haunting demons. After
winning the game and huddling up in field hockey fashion to scream,
"Nara-e-Takbeer Allah-o-Akbar" the Pakistanis went for a victory lap.
They got a sustained standing ovation. Unbelievable! The 65,000 in that
ground made a statement. It was a good one. We can have a civilized
rivalry. The Indians also deserve credit for making a wicket that was
result oriented. It is so easy to succumb to the mentality of making
wickets to ensure no-loss for the home team. The Pakistanis will talk
about this game forever. After a year of turmoil, in every sense of the
word, this will bring them hope for the current test series, the three
nation series and the coming world cup. They will be fired up to perform
well in the second test to do what Imran's team did in 1987. To do what
no other team has done since. Win a test series in India. The Indians
have a bitter taste in their mouths right now. They will dream of a dish
that is sweet. They will think of a meal that is best served cold.
Revenge! On to Delhi.