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We need to balance our views
The one-day series boiled down to the last game in Lahore and I'm not surprised at the situation that both teams are in at the present moment, writes Sourav Ganguly.
It's the most important Test of the series. It has been closely fought right from Day One. The one-day series boiled down to the last game in Lahore and I'm not surprised at the situation that both teams are in at the present moment.
Pakistan played wonderfully well to come back in Lahore. It's a problem that we have not been able to solve -- winning one Test abroad and losing the next. It's been happening for the last three years and it has to stop at some stage. I hope that it's an eye-opener to our team and we come back hard and strong in this crucial game.
As usual, there is a lot of attention on the pitch. It has got a fair bit of grass covering but the colour has died down since the time we saw it on Sunday morning. It is bound to happen with the heat in the region at this time of the year. There was a fair bit of moisture when I saw it this morning but the heat might just take it away, unless they water it again. It's going to be a good wicket to bat on, although the first session might just give the bowlers a bit of help.
There has been a lot of talk about the composition of the team after Yuvraj's 100. I think one thing in India we need to learn is balance out our views regarding cricket.
Every cricketer is going to have good patches and bad patches, especially with the amount of cricket that's on, so we have to treat his successes and failures in a much more circumspect fashion. We also must remember that when Yuvraj Singh was picked in the squad, he was ready to open the innings in case it was required. So he definitely is an option for us at the top of the order but how far it will materialise in this one-off Test is a question. In the long run, he will have to open if he has to find a place in the Test side, unless someone in the middle is really out of form.
As I have said before the series started, batting will be the key and this was one of the reasons we did not win in Lahore -- because we did not put enough runs on the board. It's important that all the seven batsmen just forget about their good and bad performances in the last three innings and start afresh because that's what's going to matter if you're looking at winning this series here.
Pakistan will be hurt by the injury to Umar Gul, especially the way he bowled on the first morning on a track that helped seamers. Such bowlers are more dangerous than somebody running in with raw pace. Pakistan would also have problems picking their squad, with doubts over Sami, who is suffering from a back strain. For us, Nehra will be back in the XI, and this wicket might just suit him, as he's also the kind of bowler who needs a bit of help from the surface. This is definitely a result-oriented pitch and the side which bats better will win the Test match.
