It has been a poor beginning for Indian cricket in 2006. Well, in any contest with Pakistan, if you finish up second best the Indians, as a whole, believe it is choice and not chance that determines our destiny. Knowing fully well that cricket is a fickle mistress, we will be terribly unforgiving of our cricket heroes.
If recognition is the greatest motivator, the de-recognition is the ultimate aspersion.
Beating Sri Lanka at home was not the real test after all. Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment. Unfortunately, for Rahul Dravid, his fresh duty on the Pakistan soil was not so fruitful. Hence the leader comes under a national scanner. For a layman, any loss to Pakistan automatically becomes a disaster of sorts which is grossly unfair considering cricket is only an engaging sport whence the better team will triumph on the day. And Pakistan were better than India in the third Test at Karachi by many a mile.
The Indians just failed to capitalise on the toss and then a superb early hat-trick by Pathan with Inzamam not playing and Pakistan tottering at less than 50 for six, India lost a great opportunity to go for the kill. For Pakistan, Kamran Akmal produced a gem worth many a great Indian reputation with the willow.
It is simply amazing how the much-touted Indian batting folded ever so tamely when the devil in the pitch had more or less vanished, not to the extent as in Faisalabad and Lahore. But still, conceding lead on first innings was indiscriminate charity. From then on, it was clearly a battle of commitment. The Pakistanis apparently had more of it than many big guns of India.
{{/usCountry}}It is simply amazing how the much-touted Indian batting folded ever so tamely when the devil in the pitch had more or less vanished, not to the extent as in Faisalabad and Lahore. But still, conceding lead on first innings was indiscriminate charity. From then on, it was clearly a battle of commitment. The Pakistanis apparently had more of it than many big guns of India.
{{/usCountry}}In Lahore and Faisalabad the idea of six-day Indo-Pak Test, why even upto finish was being mooted in board rooms and lo, behold Karachi Test gets over in less than four days.