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Arch-rivals to resume cricket rivalry
The Indian team not only has the home advantage but also has been bolstered by the return from injury of some of their top performers.
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan resume their much-awaited cricketing rivalry from Tuesday with the hosts going into the first of the three-Test series as favourites, having a full strength squad at their disposal after a long time.
The tour may not have generated the same hype which was associated with India's historic trip to Pakistan last year, but the passion and excitement were expected to grow as the series unfolded over the next few days.
The 'Men in Blue', who had won their first ever Test series in Pakistan last year, not only have the home advantage but also have been bolstered by the return from injury of some of their top performers.
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly will have a problem of plenty, particulary in the bowling department with Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra and Lakshmipathy Balaji all having recovered from injuries.
The batting also looks formidable with Sachin Tendulkar, who had missed a number of domestic matches to rest an injured elbow, joining the team again.
On the other hand, Pakistan are not only short on experience but are also low on confidence after the recent thrashing away in Australia.
The visitors misery has been compounded by the absence of pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar, who pulled out with a hamstring injury, which has considerably weakened the bowling department.
But the Indians were in no mood to take their traditional rivals lightly with Ganguly having warned his team-mates not to be complacent just because the opposition was inexperienced.
The spotlight will be on Tendulkar as he is on the threshold of two important landmarks in his illustrious career.
A Tendulkar century will smash Sunil Gavaskar's long standing record of 34 Test hundreds while another 21 runs will get him a ticket to the elite 10,000 club which only has four members till now.
