A team playing for a draw always faces the danger of losing the match. When batsmen operate in match-saving mode, there cannot be many positives crossing their minds. The top order batsmen can still afford to defend, but it is hardly possible for the lower order, since their strength to stay at the wicket is to score a few runs.
A rather inexperienced Pakistan team's gritty performance finally undid the mighty Indians. The visitors neatly translated the advantage of winning the toss into a well-deserved victory. The Pakistan bowlers, seemingly innocuous throughout the series, discovered the much-needed faith in themselves to scuttle the hosts in time. Even if the later order Indian batsmen had held the innings together, Pakistan would have been the moral victors.
Except for the dashing innings from Virender Sehwag on the third day, almost every other session belonged to the tourists. The shocking defeat will surely raise a few hard questions about the Indians. Under the present circumstances, it's quite natural that the discussions would be centered around the captain and his current form and it should be argued in depth. But, with the important one-day series ahead and in the best interest of the team, I strongly feel this debate should take place at the end of the series.
But then, this is not an attempt to avoid the harsh realities of the game. The pressure of not winning the series will already be playing heavily on the minds of the players. Any major change at this juncture might not augur well for the team. Also, there is no doubt that a fresh element of instability has shown up in the Indian side.
The Pakistani bowlers looked twice as effective in the second innings. The over indulgence of the Indians in their defensive tactics also allowed the Pakistani bowlers the freedom to experiment. With no fear of the Indians attempting any run chase, Inzamam had the flexibility to try out various combinations without looking at the scoreboard. Sami enjoyed his team's position in the second innings and quickly learned to exploit India's defensive approach. Unmindful of the run rate, he explored all the possibilities, giving a sharp edge to the Pakistani attack.
Sami came to terms with the wicket and the SG balls that are used in India, which are quite different from the Kookaburra balls used elsewhere. Danish Kaneria and Shahid Afridi complemented each other with their contrasting style of bowling. Kaneria's accuracy is something that was noteworthy throughout the series.
The impetus to win came from Afridi, who bludgeoned the Indian attack in the second innings. On a dead track, Afridi encashed on the inexperience of Irfan Pathan and Balaji. Before Ganguly could even think of a new strategy, Afridi had done the damage.
Sachin's batting has allowed lot of cricketing pundits to discuss about his approach off late. A person scoring 10,000 runs in both forms of the game can only know what exactly is going on in his mind. It's foolish on anyone's part to even contemplate or make speculations about what's right or wrong in Sachin's batting. But the insatiable expectations of the people always look for Sachin to produce magical innings every time.
Inzamam couldn't have asked for anything more in his 100th Test. Not many have witnessed the Pakistan skipper being so hysterical in his appeals on the last day. Younis Khan did a Javed Miandad act for Pakistan. Scoring 350 runs in a Test match is nothing but sheer exhibition of class and temperament. Even the continued brutality of Sehwag could not make an impact on this Test match.
