The Hindu : Sport : It will be a test of mind and skill

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Thursday, Nov 22, 2007
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It will be a test of mind and skill

S. Dinakar

Kumble to make his debut as Test skipper; Gul ruled out

— Photo: S. Subramanium

SWING EFFECT: Shoaib Akhtar, seen with Mohammad Yousuf at the practice session on Wednesday, would be the key to get an early breakthrough for Pakistan.

New Delhi: The psychological games have begun. Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Ahktar thundered in with a miniature tiger dug into one of the stumps during practice on Wednesday.

The three-Test Indian Oil Series, beginning at the Ferozeshah Kotla on Thursday, will be as much about mind as skill. India starts as the favourite but complacency could be fatal. Pakistan, however, suffered a setback when paceman Umar Gul was ruled out of the Test due to a back injury.

Anil Kumble’s first Test as skipper arrives at a venue where he had achieved a ‘Perfect 10’ in 1999 against the same opponent. He deserves every bit of the captaincy honour.

Critical decision

If the skipper’s words are any indication, India has made a critical decision on the composition of its eleven. Yuvraj Singh is running hot in the ODIs, but will have to wait longer before securing a place in the Test line-up.

It would have been unfair to leave either Sourav Ganguly or V.V.S. Laxman out at the very beginning of the series. Ganguly, in particular, had been impressive in South Africa and England. Wicketkeeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni appears to have recovered well from an ankle injury and Harbhajan Singh is the preferred spinner to partner Kumble.

Left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan’s footmarks should assist Harbhajan. And if Munaf Patel is able to put his injury worries behind him, he could be a handful with his off-stump line, movement and bounce. Young Delhi paceman Ishant Sharma has also been drafted into the squad.

Bare surface

Predictably, the surface for the match is largely bare. But then, winter has begun and there is bound to be appreciable movement for the pacemen in the first 90 odd minutes due to the morning moisture.

The teams will also be aware that the ball tends to keep low at the Kotla as the contest progresses. Spinners could be a definite factor from the fourth day. India is likely to bat if it wins the toss. If the host negotiates the first session safely then it has the opportunity to dictate the course of the Test.

Pakistan’s decision on winning the spin of the coin is not so obvious. Pace is the side’s strength and denting India seriously early on and building on the momentum might represent its best chance here. This is also a high-risk choice in the event of the Pakistani pacemen not striking in the initial phase and the visitor will weigh its options.

Reverse swing

Perhaps, Pakistan might not be badly off even if it chooses to bat. Greater air speed and reverse swing give the Pakistani pacemen certain inherent advantages over their India counterparts in the sub-continental conditions. This suggests that Akhtar & Co. might be a threat even in the latter stages of the day and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria could also be a factor.

Despite Gul’s absence, the Pakistani pace attack could still be humming. Mohammad Sami has speed and experience while Sohail Tanvir, with his quick-arm action, left-armer’s angle and deceptive pace, was particularly impressive in the ODIs.

Kamran Akmal’s ability with the willow should clinch his place as a wicketkeeper-batsman ahead of the young Sarfraz Ahamed. Akmal’s glovework, however, needs to improve. Pakistan could miss Inzamam-ul-Haq’s solidity and flair in the middle-order.

The teams (from):

India: A. Kumble (captain), D. Karthik, W. Jaffer, R. Dravid, S. Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, S. Ganguly, M.S. Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, M. Patel, Y. Singh, M. Kartik and I. Sharma,

Pakistan: S. Malik (captain), S. Butt, Y. Hameed, Y. Khan, M. Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, K. Akmal, S. Tanvir, S. Akhtar, D. Kaneria, M. Sami, A. Rahman, S. Ahamed, F. Iqbal.

Umpires: S. Taufel & Billy Doctrove. Third umpire: S. Shastri. Match referee: R. Madugalle.

Match starts at 9.30 a.m.

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