Shoaib will be Pakistan's main weapon

Yet another India-Pak match. Yet another crunch game ? the same excitement, the same pressure. We have got used to it, writes Sourav Ganguly.

Yet another India-Pakistan match. Yet another crunch game — the same excitement, the same pressure. We have been so through so many similar situations in recent times that we have more or less got used to it.

HT Image

Indo-Pak encounters have always been special, and even in Colombo there is plenty of hype surrounding it. All this hardly helps to reduce the enormity of the task on hand.

If we win, Pakistan are out. If we lose, we will have one more shot at making the final — against Sri Lanka. That is not a comfortable thought either. We would rather seal it at the first opportunity.

Lots of things fell into place in the game against Bangladesh. Sachin Tendulkar and I spent a bit of time in the middle. It helped. Sachin is such a key member of Team India so his early form with both bat and ball gives us a lot of confidence in the lead up the Pakistan game.

Ashish Nehra came back very strongly after an injury-related lay-off. It was good to see him charge in and hit a good length consistently.

Harbhajan Singh hardly showed any after-effects of a finger injury that subsequently needed surgery. His form with the ball will pose a problem or two when we sit down to pick the final XI, but these are the kind of problems any captain is happy to deal with.

There was much concern over Zaheer's fitness after he struggled through the Sri Lanka game. The Team India think-tank was therefore relieved when he passed a strenuous fitness test. This means everyone is available for selection and the best XI will play.

The Pakistan side is more or less the same that did battle with us on their home soil. They did not have a particularly good game against Sri Lanka, but I am the last person to read too much into it. It's your form on the day that matters in ODIs.

Pakistan cricket has seen many changes in the past three months. They have a new coach in Bob Woolmer, who has a proven track record. I am sure he will guide their fortunes well. I have also followed with keen interest the furore in Pakistan over Shoaib Akhtar after they lost both the Test and one-day series against us.

From a pure cricketing point of view, I have no hesitation in saying that Shoaib's performance wasn't all that bad. I would even go to the extent of saying that but for Shoaib, Pakistan would have struggled to win a single game against us. Shoaib will be their main weapon against us and we have to take care of him.

The Premadasa Stadium wicket is the best in Sri Lanka. It is a bit on the slower side, so expect plenty of runs. The batsmen on either side will dictate the terms. It's up to us to deliver. (CaféCricket)