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Looking Ahead: Pakistan in India 2004-05: 2nd
Test at Kolkata |
Preview by Venkat
Ananth
After enthralling the
cricket lovers of Mohali with a gruelling tussle
between bat and ball, the India-Pakistan cricket
circus now turns eastwards and makes its next
stop at Kolkata, the self-accepted headquarters
of Indian Cricket. The game at Mohali had all
the ingredients of yet another saga in the
chapter of India Vs Pakistan encounters - a
virtual domination by India for four days, a
dramatic turn around by Pakistan on the last
day, an untimely intervention by the rain-gods
and indeed some emotional patch-ups for people
from both sides of the "boundary". But, as any
expert would say, its history. With the focus
clearly on getting the edge over each other, the
two teams get back in action at Kolkata for the
second test. Cricketfundas.com gives its readers
an exclusive analytical preview ahead of the 2nd
Test at Kolkata.
Pitch:
After getting some temporary relief from the
media, the pitch at the Eden Gardens has again
come under the microscope. The pitch has
presented several of its colours as of now, but
will unveil its true colour only on match day.
There are speculations of a green-top going
around, but it will be left to see what kind of
wicket the curator gives, keeping in mind the
patchy weather conditions in the East of India.
In all likelihood, the wicket should be a good
one for batting, with something in it for the
bowlers initially on day one. The Eden Gardens
wicket traditionally assists the spinners from
late Day 3 into Day 4 and it will be interesting
to see if it holds up that way. There are high
chances that the captain winning the toss might
just have a bat and pile on the runs and put the
pressure on the opposition in the second
innings.
India:
After gaining the upper hand at Mohali, the
Indians must be disappointed to have thrown the
game away, but as John Wright said "The draw at
Mohali has only increased the hunger to win".
Throwing some light on these words, one feels
that the Indians will be prepared to put the
negatives of Mohali behind and stride into the
field with the match as a new game. The Indian
batting looks in great form and this by itself
sends ominous signals to the Pakistanis. Gautam
Gambhir and Virender Sehwag's century opening
stand set the platform for the following
batsmen, and since then they have not looked
back. The Test at Kolkata gives Sachin Tendulkar
yet another opportunity to knock the door of yet
another milestone - the 35th Hundred and the
10,000 run mark. Saurav Ganguly's form must be a
rare worry for the Indian team management and it
will be left to see if his home-ground becomes a
venue for the turn around in his run-making
drought so far. VVS Laxman's grind to form also
has given an extra boost to the batting unit.
One man who will for sure be under pressure to
prove his batting abilities will be Dinesh
Kaarthick. One hopes that the young Indian
stumper draws some inspiration from his opposite
number Kamran Akmal and make the wicketkeeper's
spot his own for the days to come. The Indian
bowling looks in good shape, even though they
failed to grab those 4 Pakistani lower order
wickets at Mohali. Lakshmipathy Balaji's return
to form is a good sign for the future and if
reports are to be believed, Balaji and Irfan
Pathan will be taking the field as India's two
recognized pacemen, with Zaheer Khan the
unfortunate victim of sacrifice. The Pakistanis
will also get first sight of Harbhajan Singh, as
he makes his way into the side after
successfully passing the ICC Bowling Committee
test in Australia. Anil Kumble's good bowling
form should also help India in this test, as it
could become spinner-friendly after three and a
half days of wear and tear. Instead of looking
at Mohali as a dampener, the Indians must take
heart form the fact that they won 12 out of 15
sessions, and if they continue to do so,
Pakistan may just fall short of victory. The
hunger is evident within the Indians, but is it
the right time to go for the kill? One hopes
that Ganguly & Co feel so.
Pakistan:
The Pakistanis went into the Mohali Test as the
clear underdogs, but they preferred to fight
rather than fright. It will be left to see how
much of an inspiration they will draw from the
second inning turnaround at Mohali. Pakistan go
into the game high on confidence, but as one
sees it, they still prefer being termed as the
underdogs. The Pakistani team management has
already pressed the panic button as far as the
top order by naming Shahid Afridi as a
replacement for Salman Butt. One has to wait and
see if Shahid Afridi proves his priceless
limited overs abilities to rescue the top-order
from a meek surrender at the hands of the Indian
bowlers yet again. The middle-order for Pakistan
looks very stable with Youhana, Inzamam and Asim
Kamal all in flowing form. The lower-middle
order with all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and keeper
Kamran Akmal, the heroes from Mohali, will also
bolster the Pakistani batting. Unexpectedly, the
Pakistani bowling looks really weak and easy for
the Indian batsmen to pick. Although, one can't
stop praising them for effort and commitment,
there is an evident lack of depth and
penetration seen in this attack, barring the
leggie Danish Kaneria, from whom one can always
expect a 105%. It will be a real test for the
young and inexperienced bowlers from Pakistan
against the might of the Indian batting and will
be interesting to see if they can live up to the
challenge. The Pakistanis fought till their last
breath and came through a tough battle. The
Kolkata test will really be a tester for the
youngsters as it will suggest us if they do
really have the capacity to be consistent in
their performance.
The Eden Gardens in the past few years has been
like a fortress for the Indians. But if they
scratch their memory a bit, it was Pakistan in
1999 who just broke through the walls of the
Indians at the very ground. So yet again, an
interesting battle awaits the two Asian giants
and it will be left to see who wins it in the
end, and make the series interesting taking it
to a decider at Bangalore.
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