In the end it was the attitude that made the difference. While the Indians were overtly defensive and were playing for a draw, Pakistan was eager to force the issue.This also reflected the mindset of the two captains. Sourav Ganguly seemed out of sorts while Inzy was charged. This has also to do with the personal form of the two. This positive effect of Inzy rubbed off on to the rest of the team and that made life difficult for the Indian batsmen.All in all Pakistan deserved to win this Test. Inzy got a very good gift for playing his 100th Test match. And it certainly ended much better than Bucknor’s 100th.For India a lot depended on Sehwag. After the in-form opener was unfortunately run out the rest of the batsmen to follow were under pressure. Soon shutters were down and India were now thinking in terms of drawing the Test.All they had to do was to play their natural game but that was not to be. It was sad to see Sachin Tendulkar, who has 10,000 plus runs to credit, and Rahul Dravid, who is in terrific form, playing defensively. For a team that boasts of a tremendous batting line-up these overcautious tactics proved to be their undoing.Sehwag’s dismissal saw the complete turnaround in the match. There was a marked change in the attitude of Inzy’s men. Suddenly the bowlers, who looked ineffective when Sehwag was around, were looking penetrative. The fielders too were keyed up. Younis Khan in particular looked very active. And considering that he spent so much time in the middle while batting his concentration was amazing. The two brilliant catches at silly point proved this point.As India failed to win the series, there will be usual ‘Sack Sourav’ campaign. But I guess we need to remember that the Test series was not lost. We need to leave Sourav alone. I would suggest that Sourav should try opening in Test matches to regain his form.
