Calcutta, Feb 15: Everything that is wrong in Indian cricket was captured today in a strange sight that greeted visitors to the Eden Gardens before the first tie of the Asian Test Championships. On one side was India's Australian physiotherapist Andrew Kokinos bowling gentle medium pace to Indian batsmen at practice. And, to his right, was a Delhi-based masseur taking a few other Indian stars through some elaborate stretching exercises.If Kokinos, recommended to the Indian board by former Australian captain Bobby Simpson, has been reduced to this, then God save Indian batting. And, if the masseur - a regular visitor to the dressing room - takes over the workout part, who will save the team?With this incongruous sequence setting the tone for the day, the confusion over the points system that followed - with Pakistani skipper Wasim Akram fumbling for answers - came as no surprise. Apparently, with a few hours to go for the first Test between India and Pakistan, both teams have been handed out a copy of thecomplicated points system and nothing more. There has been no briefing on points or playing conditions from the Asian Cricket Council or others involved in this hastily-arranged tournament.No wonder then that Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad and Pakistani captain Wasim Akram ended up contradicting each other during the pre-match press meet. While Gaekwad was sure that no bonus points would be awarded in case of a win, Akram asserted that bonus points will be added on in any case.According to what has been released to the media so far, ``A team winning a match in the preliminary phase of the championship shall be awarded 12 points, while the team losing the match shall not be awarded any point."While Gaekwad promised to clear up the confusion tonight, it remains to be seen how both teams approach the inaugural match of this "prestigious" tournament. Hopefully, there will a statistician in each dressing room to help the players concentrate more on cricket than on their calculators.In fact, it is obvious bythe very body language of the players today that there has hardly been any method or order in the way this tournament has been planned. What should normally have been the deciding match of the India-Pakistan series was suddenly converted into the first match of the Asian Championships a few months back. The inside titbit was the ACC was helping out the Jagmohan Dalmiya-headed International Cricket Council to prove to a sneering West that a World Test Championships could actually be held.Now, while the World Championship idea bombed at the recent ICC executive committee meeting in New Zealand, Asia was left holding a championship to which hardly any input had gone into. The points system was finalised as recently as last week by Sunil Gavaskar, Majid Khan and Duleep Mendis and this was released a couple of days later. Now, how can you suddenly expect the players to approach a Test in which the first innings has to be played like a one-day international?``It should be interesting playing a five-day Testwith points system. It will call for changing strategy from time to time as the situation arises,'' is the safe comment from Gaekwad. ``It's a good idea,'' says skipper Mohammed Azharuddin. ``It will be fun playing with a points system,'' chips in Akram.However, Pakistan coach Javed Miandad summed it up as only he can: ``For us, it is the same five-day match, only the name is different. And we have to go back with a 2-1 record in India.''Coming to match specifics, the Indian team has apparently instructed the curator here to shave off whatever grass is left on the true and bouncy Eden surface. ``We have left out Sunil Joshi and Hrishikesh Kanitkar. We will decide the playing eleven tomorrow morning,'' added Gaekwad. Good news for Calcutta fans for it means home rookie Laxmi Ratan Shukla stays in the hunt at least for the night with a toss-up between him and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh expected tomorrow.Pakistan, meanwhile, are quite satisfied on the pitch front with Waqar Younis having a long go atnets. After the Delhi nightmare, the wicket here has been the only consolation of them with Inzamam-ul-Haq and Salim Malik on the injured list and off-spinner Arshad Khan replacing an injured leggie Mushtaq Ahmed. The pacy Shoaib Akhtar is expected to be the third link in their speed trio here with the dangerous Saqlain Mushtaq hovering around to pump up the pressure. The only thing stopping them is Mohammed Azharuddin's special relation with the coin and his magic streak in Calcutta.TEAMS: INDIA (12): Mohammed Azharuddin (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, S.Ramesh, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Nayan Mongia (wk), Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh Prasad, Harbhajan Singh and Laxmi Rattan Shukla.PAKISTAN (from): Wasim Akram (capt), Moin Khan (wk), Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Salim Malik, Yousuf Youhanna, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Wajahatullah Wasti, Mohammed Naved and Arshad Khan.Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies) and David Orchard. Thirdumpire: K.T Francis.Live on ESPN/Star Sports (9.30 am onwards)
