A 319-degree turn

Indeed, Pakistan didn’t need a Sehwag-like innings to get them to the 319 they finally amassed. Shahid Afridi, touted as Pakistan’s answer to Sehwag, was out early and it was up to two players struggling to hold their place in the side — Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik — to show the way with some intelligent batting. Butt and Malik have tormented India before — Butt ruined the BCCI’s celebrations in Kolkata last November with his maiden century — and their partnership was the difference between the two sides in the end.

The duo complemented each other remarkably well, and their friendly competition was also a treat to watch. When Butt stepped on the gas, Malik would wait for his turn, then do the same while his partner cooled off. They took minimum risks in the process and by the time Malik was dismissed for 75, India were staring down the barrel.

From that point on, 300 was a formality as Ganguly struggled with the overs, finally finishing nearly half an hour past the scheduled break.

The day had begun badly for the India skipper even before the first ball was bowled. Already having a wretched time with the bat, he lost the toss and before you could say ‘Inzamam-ul Haq’ the Pakistan skipper had decided to bat first.

The outcome of the toss is not in Ganguly’s hand, but team selection is. There seemed little point in adding a third left-arm seamer to an attack with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra; perhaps Ajit Agarkar could have been drafted in instead of Irfan Pathan.

In the event, Pathan probably had his worst day as an India bowler, being smashed around for 67 runs in the 8.2 overs he was allowed to bowl. And when umpire K Hariharan took him off for bowling two beamers in one over, it was almost an act of mercy.

When India came out to bat, local boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave the crowd something to cheer about with a cameo after the dismissals of Sehwag and Tendulkar, but Ganguly’s struggle with the bat continued, as he became the third of Rana Naved-ul Hasan’s six victims.

Between them, Naved and Sami destroyed the top and middle order and ended whatever hopes India had of mounting a serious challenge. Pathan tried to make up for a disappointing day with the bat but he’s expected to do no more than provide entertainment down the order.

Inzamam will go to Ahmedabad with his tail up, while Ganguly has a lot to think of now, not least his batting form.