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Looking Ahead: Pakistan Tour of India 2004-05 |
A Preview for the
India-Pakistan Series by Karthik Narayan
“Nobody ever knows what lies ahead in the
future. Nobody has ever been able to predict the
future – it always remains a mystery.” Going by
the shock and awe that has surrounded the
upcoming first full fledged tour of Pakistan to
India in 6 years, it seems that a near perfect
plan has been laid out for a tough yet enticing
and enduringly inspiring series of Tests and One
Dayers.
Cricket grounds are going to be lit up with
great hostile bowling spells by cherry-in-hand
bloomers and counter attacks by brave and gutsy
Knights with “Armageddon” to play for. In
reality, even though it is dubbed as “Friendship
Series – part 2”, this shall verily be the
battle for Asian Supremacy, and tactful
diplomacy!
Let us examine what are the strengths and
weaknesses of both the teams just ahead of the
Series which starts in a few days from now.
India:
Being the host surely helps in these
circumstances where every ball alters the course
of the game. But that does not mean that half
the battle is won. Indian and Pakistani grounds
are similar and conditions are almost the same.
For India, the batting department looks very
good; starting with the attacking Sehwag, the
docile yet decent performer in Gambhir shall do
well on the Mohali pitch, even though initially
the pitch shall favor the seamers. Dravid is
ever the “Run Fortress of India”, though he is a
little short of typical rock solid shots and
runs. Tendulkar’s fitness has evoked more
concerns and emails than George Bush getting
re-elected as US president or even more blogs
than the tsunami that struck south India.
However, if he is 100% fit, there is no doubt
about the Little Master performing well. One
would consider the fact that Mohammad Kaif was a
bit unlucky as Yuvraj was picked ahead of him,
but the presence of Yuvraj in the Final XI for
the 1st Test seems to be illusive. Ganguly comes
with patchy performances in the last one year
and a “great” knock against the Bangladeshis in
a Duleep trophy encounter. Laxman has been a
little struggling for form and if he is on his
knees, he shall very well make amends for lost
time and runs. If he can make things flow for a
while, he shall rock Pakistan’s bowling
department.
On the wicket keeper’s front, (rather I
should say “back” of the batsman) Dinesh Karthik
has shown promise in his limited opportunities.
Much remains to be seen of his batting – perhaps
the right time to thaw out with time in the
middle.
The bowling again has much more experience
than that of Pakistan’s – with Irfan Pathan and
Zaheer Khan in fine flow and with wickets under
their belts in the Duleep Trophy. India may
stick with their prime bowlers of Kumble and
Harbhajan for the first test, and these two need
no introduction. They shall be the main Pillars
of the Indian bowling attack.
Pakistan:
Pakistan have leaned on Inzamam and Youhana
in the last one year, but don’t dismiss Salman
Butt as a pushover. He has made some splendid
strokes and runs against those Awesome Aussies
in their own backyard, and he has also shown
India a taste of his medicine. If he clicks
along with the youngsters such as Taufiq Umar,
Asim Kamal and Yasir Hameed, India could find
themselves in some trouble. There are no big
names barring the captain and the two “Y”s, but
promising future stars are here to shine!
Kamran Akmal has been very good behind the
stumps since his Debut, and his batting shall
weigh higher than that of the Indian Keeper,
Karthik. But his keeping against the spinners
shall come into scrutiny, with uneven bounce
playing the crucial factor. Abdul Razzaq and
Shaoib Malik are the all rounders that India
does not have and they shall very well make the
balance of the Pakistani side. Both are capable
of being match winners and both have performed
well against India. Malik’s bowling action has
been questioned – one hopes the youngster comes
out of the trauma in high spirits and successful
cricket.
Much has already been talked and said about
Shoaib Akhtar – Pakistan shall sorely miss this
speedster, but then there are the other bowlers
who shall be good enough. If one goes by
experience, Pakistan has few bowlers, but Naved,
Sami, Kaneria, Arshad Khan all have their own
blend and variety and are dangerous in their own
right. All they have to do is apply themselves
and all that jazz about experience shall be
thrown out of the window.
Overall, India seems stronger on paper but it
still seems to be seen how good they can convert
Paper-work to reality.
This series shall be awe inspiring for many
new comers to perform well and an India Pakistan
encounter shall evoke more passion. The passion
for the glory and gory shall be seen on the
cricket field in the next 2 months. Every ball
shall be seen on a new perspective and there
shall be more see saws as ever. It is going to
be a treat for everyone, the groundsmen, the
umpires, the players, coaches, physios, the
minds and souls of millions of people all around
the world, and those who have managed to
scramble and gather in their seats in the
grounds
Watch out for all the action right here on
Cricketfundas.com! It’s going to be a mammoth
Series of manifestations of the mind-boggling
game of India versus Pakistan. As each team
fights for the Marigold, Cricketfundas will make
sure that it's fans love and enjoy every moment
of the exciting series. Here’s
wishing both the arch rivals the very best for a
fit and fighting series of mind over matter.
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