By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
Bangalore : As their crucial third and final Test against India starts here Saturday, Pakistanis are finding themselves exactly in the same position as they were in 2005. They need a win here to draw the series 1-1 – provided rain clouds and injuries in both camps clear up.
Like in 2005, Pakistan are trailing 0-1 in the three-match series. But unlike then the weather is threatening to ruin the match, and injuries have become the prime concern for both teams.
For three days, Bangalore has been under a thick cloud cover and consistent drizzle has threatening a prompt start to the match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Injuries to key players have hogged the limelight in the two camps. On Friday, India captain Anil Kumble disclosed that Sachin Tendulkar had injured his knee in the drawn second match in Kolkata and asked in-form opener Gautam Gambhir to be on the standby.
Pakistan have been derailed by injuries throughout the tour, during which they lost the One-Day International series 2-3.
Pakistan are also under pressure as they have not lost a series on Indian soil for 28 years. Stand-in captain Younis Khan would not like his squad to become the first side since 1979, when Asif Iqbal’s boys lost 0-2, to lose in India.
If injuries to Tendulkar and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni rule them out of the match, it might help Pakistan, who have to win the match to prevent the ignominy of losing both the ODI and Test series.
“Sachin aggravated a mild knee problem from the ODI series while fielding in the Kolkata Test,” Kumble told reporters Friday.
Tendulkar did not practice at the stadium on Thursday and Friday. Coach Lalchand Rajput told IANS that there was “nothing special” about the rest given to Tendulkar Thursday, but it transpired Friday that he was a doubtful starter for his 143rd Test.
Dhoni is another concern for India as he has injured his hand and is also a doubtful starter.
Injuries to Tendulkar and Dhoni means that Yuvraj Singh would get his first chance to play a Test since June last year. If he does play, it will be a well-deserved opportunity for the Punjab left-hander as he has been scoring loads of runs in ODI and Twenty20 formats.
Dinesh Karthik, who opens the batting but has lately failed repeatedly, will get the opportunity to keep wickets too.
Tendulkar and Dhoni’s injuries follow the ouster of pacers Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Rudra Pratap Singh due to injuries from this match.
Zaheer’s heel problem has recurred, Singh has recovered about 80 percent from his side strain and Sreesanth’s painful shoulder has ruled him out of initial matches on the Australian tour starting this month, provided he is selected.
The rest of the Indian XI remains the same with in-form Wasim Jaffer, who scored a double century in Kolkata to win the Man of the Match award, opening the batting with Karthik or Gambhir.
Pakistan also suffered a big blow when captain Shoaib Malik was ruled out of his second successive Test. With doctors Thursday advising him five days rest, vice-captain Younis Khan will again lead the side, though reluctantly.
Younis admitted his displeasure in the pre-match press conference Friday. “When it comes to India-Pakistan matches, I run away from captaincy as there is too much pressure. Captaincy affects my batting,” said Younis.
It transpires that Younis was aggrieved at not getting the playing XI of his choice in the second Test and Malik addressing the pre-match press conference in Kolkata despite being ruled out of the match with an injured ankle.
On Thursday night Younis declined to lead the side if not given the players of his choice. He relented later, possibly after he was assured of full cooperation from the management.
Younis might have said that captaincy affects his batting, but it was his unbeaten 107 as skipper that saved Pakistan from the brink of defeat in Kolkata. He was ably assisted by Mohammed Yousuf’s unbeaten 44.
Pakistan, and Younis in particular, will draw a lot of confidence from the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. In their last match at the venue, the third and last of the 2005 series, Younis hammered a fabulous 267 and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq smashed 184 to help Pakistan win by 168 runs and draw the series 1-1.
V.V.S. Laxman, another century maker in Kolkata, would also love to play a knock like the unbeaten 79 he scored in 2005. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took six wickets in the first innings then.
However, Virender Sehwag, who scored a brilliant 201, is out of the team. It was the lone century for India in the losing battle.
Teams:
India: Anil Kumble (captain), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (vice-captain/wicket-keeper), Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Vikram Raj Vir Singh, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik. Standby: Gautam Gambhir
Pakistan: Younis Khan (captain), Mohammad Yousuf, Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Shoaib Akhtar, Rao Ifthikhar Anjum, Sohail Tanveer, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Yasir Arafat and Abdur Rehman
Umpires: Simon Taufel (Australia) and Rudi Koertzen (South Africa)
Third umpire: G.A. Pratapkumar (India)
Fourth umpire: Suhas Phadkar (India)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)