DHAKA, Jan 13: As soon as the Muezzin's call drifted into the National Stadium at noon today, Mohammed Azharuddin looked up to the heavens before closing his eyes and muttering a few words of prayer. The leader, obviously, is a believer. Remember those prophetic words a few months back about destiny and the Indian captaincy? Well, the Almighty did hear him then. And, he surely must be hoping He would bless him again against Pakistan tomorrow, when he takes his first step towards the Independence Cup.More than the glittering trophy which will help him settle down comfortably in the lead role, the 34-year-old would also be aware that his flock will stay in line as long as they keep winning. Yesterday, one senior player was heard wondering loud about the incredible turn of luck that the soft-spoken mian has enjoyed in the span of two Independence Cups. As he hinted, who would have ever imagined when Azhar was dropped last May, that he would be the captain of the team in another eight months. The casualchat then petered off with a subtle hint that the current impression of the team being a happy, united and rejuvenated lot will stay only as long as the team keeps winning.It is here that Azhar would need all the faith and luck in the world. And to be fair, it is not as if he has left everything to chance. There has been some serious thinking on his part especially on the batting front. And fortunately, one of his first improvisations - to bring Tendulkar back as opener while pushing himself up to No.3 - has clicked nicely for the team.Besides, there was a distinct message at the nets today when Azhar spent a considerable amount of time talking to his younger bowlers and generally tried his best to circulate among his team members. All of them then had a good look at the "slow" track for the first final, and were later understood to be considering the idea of beefing up the batting further by bringing in offie-batsman Hrishikesh Kanitkar in place of seamers Mohanty, Harvinder or even young leggie Sairaj Bahutule.The Indians would also be drawing in deeply from a growing reservoir of confidence after that smooth win against Pakistan two days ago. And interestingly, it is the contrasting confidence levels in both sides that could well play a crucial role in tomorrow's encounter. The clouds of turmoil that have been hovering over Pakistani cricket for a while now is understood to be taking a toll on many of its senior stars here. And, it is a safe bet that a few of them, including skipper Rashid Latif, would be aware that their careers would swing along with the fluctuating fortunes of the team in the finals here.Not surprisingly, the Pakistan captain was an unusually reticent man today, while coach Haroon Rashid later informed that the 11 who pounded Bangladesh yesterday would be retained. After failing in their opening gamble by offering rookie seamer Fazl-i-Akbar as fodder to Tendulkar, the Pakistanis obviously want to play it safe with Mushtaq Ahmed. And unfortunately, they have to, consideringthe kind of stakes they will play for.TEAMSIndia (from): Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Navjot Sidhu, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Robin Singh, Nayan Mongia, Javagal Srinath, Debashish Mohanty, Harvinder Singh, Sairaj Bahutule and VVS Laxman.Pakistan: Rashid Latif (captain), Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Aamir Sohail, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Ijaz Ahmed, Azhar Mehmood, Aaqib Javed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Manzoor Akhtar.
