Brave declaration, Pak need to get Sehwag early

If Pakistan dismiss Virender Sehwag early, they will get a shot in the arm, writes former cricketer Zaheer Abbas.Score | Action Replay | Player | Pictures

I know it sounds clichéd, but the fact is that the first hour of play will be crucial on the last day of what has been another enthralling Test match. If Pakistan dismiss Virender Sehwag early, they will get a shot in the arm.

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His wicket will fire them up and they will then go flat out to win the Test and square the series. But if he gets going and starts timing the ball well, anything can happen.

India did well to score some vital runs on the morning of the fourth day. Laxman batted excellently, and he was well supported by Anil Kumble, who will surely bat higher in the next Test that India play. The Pakistanis, who would have expected to lead by 170-180, found themselves leading by 121 when the final Indian wicket fell.

But in came Shahid Afridi to play one of his audacious innings that got his team off to a flying start. He was followed by Younis Khan, who is in tremendous form. His batting has been a revelation on this tour.

I thought Sourav Ganguly could have been a little more aggressive. He tried to defend, but his team still conceded plenty of runs in. He should have tried to get the batsmen out.

I would term Inzamam’s declaration, 382 runs ahead, as a brave one. Had I been captain, I would have batted for two or three more overs, and scored some more runs that would have taken the team to a position from which it could not lose.

Had the wicket been turning square, I would have declared a few overs earlier. The Bangalore wicket is still relatively easy for batting, and not all that spiteful, although we saw Tendulkar getting a lot of turn on the fourth afternoon. I can’t help but get the feeling that the wicket for this Test was prepared to ensure a draw.