The Pakistani camp signalled the start of yet another Indo-Pak cricketing battle with skipper Inzamam-ul Haq stating that it would be hosts India who would feel the heat of playing before an expectant nation.
Barely hours after landing here for a 50-day tour, the Multan batsman said the pressure would clearly be on Sourav Ganguly's men as they would be playing before a home crowd which would want nothing short of victory from their sporting heroes.
"Last time when India toured Pakistan, we were under pressure. This time India will be under pressure of playing before home crowd because people have a lot of expectations from the home side," he told reporters at a jam-packed press conference here.
"The pressure has eased a bit but whenever the two sides play, they produce exciting and quality cricket and with quality comes the pressure," he said.
The Pakistani captain was also confident of a better show from his team in India where the conditions are similar to those back home.
"We might have played on bouncy tracks for two and a half months in Australia but mostly we have played at home where conditions are almost similar. Our players will have no problems in adjusting on tracks in India, in fact (the pitches here) should help our batsmen."
On the absence of pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam said he hoped the rookie bowlers would rise up to the challenge.
"We might have played on bouncy tracks for two and a half months in Australia but mostly we have played at home where conditions are almost similar. Our players will have no problems in adjusting on tracks in India, in fact (the pitches here) should help our batsmen."
On the absence of pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam said he hoped the rookie bowlers would rise up to the challenge.
"An India-Pak series is always interesting and absence of any one particular player does not matter much. Of course, he (Shoaib) is our strike bowler and his absence will be felt but we have got some youngsters and I hope they will be able to perform," said Inzamam who was flanked by his deputy Younis Khan, coach Bob Woolmer and team manager Salim Altaf.
On Sachin Tendulkar's return to action, he said, "Tendulkar is a great player no doubt. If he is not playing or is not in good form, it is an advantage to the opposition. He is such a player that even if he comes to play after a long gap, he will still be able to perform."
Inzamam also felt that his team had quality spinners who would be able to exploit the conditions in India.