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Ganguly's absence won't matter
Whoever replaces him in the XI could not have asked for a better stage, writes Zaheer Abbas.
It was a thoroughly professional display by Pakistan in Ahmedabad. Every batsman did his job. They batted like champions, concentrated hard, kept their nerve and played to a plan. There were a couple of needless run-outs at the end, but the important thing was that the majority of the batsmen did not panic.
The flying start provided by Shahid Afridi and Salman Butt took the pressure off the middle-order. So high was the run-rate that the subsequent batsmen could afford to take their time to settle down by taking singles and twos. Of course, they ensured that the poor deliveries were dispatched to the boundary.
They also benefited from the 'over-negative' tactics of the Indians. Hurling the ball down the leg-side and waiting for the batsmen to get frustrated is not an ideal strategy when you have as many as 315 runs on the board. The home team should have been more positive and tried to buy wickets instead of saving runs. Had they done so, Pakistan would have definitely been under pressure, with such a massive total to chase.
Getting Tendulkar to bowl the last over was a very good move, but the Indians should have been as proactive in the earlier stages of the chase. I have to say that the Indian bowlers let their team down.
The Pakistani captain should seriously consider writing a book on the art of succeeding in pressure-cooker scenarios! He is a master at adapting his game to suit the demands of the situation. He plays the ball late, but plays it hard. A batsman's wrists are a critical component in one-day cricket, for they help him pierce the gaps. Inzamam's wrist work is excellent. His technical balance and still head make him one of the premier batsmen in the world.
Tendulkar batted superbly. Seriously, the Indians couldn't have asked for more from their batsmen. A score of 315 in only 48 overs is by any standards huge. But the Pakistanis thought otherwise.
Morale in the Pakistani camp will be at an all-time high on the eve of the Kanpur one-dayer. They have seen enough of the Indian side in the last month or so and would be fancying their chances of winning the series. After all, they have levelled the series after being 0-2 down.
The last two matches should be very interesting.
I don't see any changes being made in the Pakistani line-up. As for India, I don't think Sourav’s absence will make much of a difference. Whoever replaces him in the XI could not have asked for a better stage on which to showcase his cricketing talents. The pressure will be high and the opposition competitive. A man who does well in such circumstances should have a bright future the team.
