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| How will the Mohali pitch play this time around?© Getty Images |
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A year on from an epochal Test series across the border, India and Pakistan will commence the latest episode of the most storied rivalry in all of sport. With all apologies to supporters of Celtic-Rangers, Barcelona-Real and Yankees-Red Sox, this is as good as it gets in the competitiveness-and-needle stakes. And while Sourav Ganguly admitted that it was “more than a series and part of a bridge-building process”, such altruistic motives will be far from players’ minds when they step out onto the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium turf at 10am tomorrow morning.The pitch, lovingly tended by Daljit Singh, has a deceptively verdanttinge, prompting thoughts of a fast-bowling Eden. But the curator insists that this is a surface that will have something for everyone, saying: “It will be an absolute belter on the second and third days.”The last Test at Mohali, against New Zealand 17 months ago, was as dreary as any played out in the snore-draw 1950s, but since then, there has been a lessening of the clay content and a switch to Bermuda grass, intended to restore Mohali to its mid-1990s heyday when the pitch was the most sporting in the country. This surface has been watered regularly, and could yet spring a nasty surprise on those expecting a bat-a-thon.Apart from the weather conditions, cool and sunny with spring in the air, a major factor will be the new SG ball, with the leather stretched tighter and the seam even more prominent than before. With Irfan Pathan and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan capable of extravagant swing, both sides will fancy their chancy under overcast skies. Inzamam-ul-Haq, who walked into the press conference with a typically somnolent air, reckoned that it would be a good pitch that would last the whole duration, and help the fast bowlers.
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| Danish Kaneria will hog the limelight in Shoaib Akhtar’s absence© Getty Images |
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However, he was also hopeful that Danish Kaneria, his trump card inShoaib Akhtar’s absence, would have a prominent part to play. “It should take some turn from the second day,” said Inzamam. “And Danish will be dangerous.” History though suggests that Kaneria has an onerous task – Pakistan’s greatest legspinner, Abdul Qadir, managed just six wickets in as many Tests on Indian soil.Pakistan’s full complement of bowlers has fewer wickets than Anil Kumble, and that lack of experience remains a concern. But Inzamam refused to accept that he was leading a weak team into a contest against a foe that inflicted innings defeats at Multan and Rawalpindi last year. “India have more experience, but we are not a weak side,” he said. “We may not be favourites, but my boys are capable of winning this series.”There was also praise for Bob Woolmer, whose tenure has been marked by constant sniping from the Pakistani media. “He has done new things, he’s more friendly with the boys,” said Inzamam. “He works hard with them in the nets. It’s only been five or six months, but if we give him time, he can go a good job.”
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| Tennis elbow or not, Sachin Tendulkar is preparing to do battle© Getty Images |
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Ganguly brushed off the favourites tag, saying that all teams wouldharbour the same nerves before the first Test of such an eagerly anticipated series, but accepted that he was in charge of the more worldly-wise team. “It’s a balanced side that’s been together for quite some time,” he said. “Many of the guys are at the peak of their game. But you must remember that no match is ever played on paper.”Yuvraj Singh, in blistering form on the domestic circuit, has been left out of the 12, as has Ashish Nehra, leaving Laxmipathy Balaji, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to tussle for two spots alongside the likely new-ball pairing of Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan. Pakistan have yet to decide on whether to risk the mercurial talents of Shahid Afridi, or stick to the more prosaic qualities that Asif Kamal brings to the middle order. With Naved still a spring chicken at Test level despite his relatively advanced years, Abdul Razzaq’s allround quality will certainly merit inclusion, especially given his penchant for skidding the ball at pace off the pitch.Ganguly, who walked in with the confident strut of a man secure in his job despite recent indifferent results, reckoned that the rivalry had long since surpassed the Ashes in the popularity stakes. And he admitted that one-day cricket had played a major role in altering the mindsets in both India and Pakistan, after decades of matches where the prime aim was to avoid defeat. “Cricket has changed, with far more decisions over the past few years. It’s played at a much faster pace, and one-day cricket has been responsible for that,” he said. However, he refused to give any weightage to the four ODI defeats that Pakistan have subjected India to since Woolmer took charge of the side. “Tests are a different game,” he said pithily.The Indian team management watched Pakistan’s performances in Australia, with an accent on the Tests where they did so poorly, and will also draw on memories of last year’s series when Pathan andBalaji comprehensively outbowled their Pakistani counterparts. This time round, Harbhajan will provide an additional edge, and despiteInzamam saying that his callow side could cope with the pressure of expectation – “conditions at the ground and the atmosphere are pretty much the same in India and Pakistan” – this could well be a bridge too far and too soon for a team that will undoubtedly miss the shock value, searing pace and maverick presence of a certain Shoaib Akhtar.India (likely) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Zaheer Khan.Pakistan (likely) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Yasir Hameed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Yousuf Youhana, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asim Kamal, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Kamran Akmal, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, 11 Danish Kaneria.