During a ‘long-run’ keep your eye on the watch

With both sides scoring more than 1000 runs between them in the first three days, it qualifies as a high-scoring game and makes the timing of declaration so important. Leaving the Indian bowlers enough overs to win the game is the important factor here and that means working out what target to set.

So far the tactics employed have worked well. For one thing the Pakistan batsmen have rarely been allowed to settle into any dominating role and India’s bowlers have made the most of the fielding strategies which have kept them in with a chance.

In the long-term, and India’s efforts to climb the ICC Test ladder, what is more important? Is it a double century for Sachin? Or the extra overs Dravid needs to try and win a game? Surely, being a team game, those extra valuable overs for the bowler are at risk.

As it is chasing down India’s massive first innings 675 for five is a mind-sapping challenge where mental strength has to overcome the mind games such situations create.

At more than 100 runs a wicket being scored in the first two days the state of the pitch and how it holds up has suggested that it is still going to be a long battle to try and win this game. What is interesting has been Dravid’s rotation of the bowlers with pace and seam at one end and spin at the other to coax errors out of the Pakistan batsmen.

Along with this planning has been the use of Irfan and how he managed to get rid of Hameed with a clever bit of disguising the swing. It was a smart piece of bowling that forced the batsman to open up the face of the bat too soon.

Day Three was encapsulated with that last delivery of the day from Sachin which turned between Moin’s legs and disturbed furniture in a psychological wrenching moment of the innings. It showed that while the batsmen may have felt a measure of comfort, this particular delivery could create other interesting mindgames. And Sachin may have yet another role to play in this Test: that of wicket-taker.