Pakistan now need a special effort

I know many people would be questioning the thinking behind Shoaib Malik's decision of batting first, but I firmly believe it was the correct decision, writes Waqar Younis.

Anil Kumble couldn't have asked for a better start to his captaincy. His bowlers, especially Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel, put in sterling performances to place India in complete control of the first Test.

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Kumble hardly looked like a man captaining his country for the first time. His body language was positive, didn't let any pressure show, and perhaps most importantly, neither under bowled or over bowled himself. He shuffled his bowlers very well, indeed and looked the part.

I know many people would be questioning the thinking behind Shoaib Malik's decision of batting first, but I firmly believe it was the correct decision. The wicket wasn't the toughest one to bat on and had the Pakistan batsmen applied themselves, their team wouldn't have been in this position.

I was most disappointed with Yasir Hameed. The man has been given a chance after such a long time, and yet, instead of putting his head down and accumulate runs, he threw his wicket when his side needed him the most. If India won the first two sessions, Pakistan, thanks to Misbah and Mohammad Sami, pulled it back just a little bit in the third.

(Waqar Younis on Day One)