Jaffer takes his chance, now begins a long wait

The one new face (relatively) to this side is Mumbai batsman Wasim Jaffer, and he’s determined to blend in as soon as possible. Jaffer hasn’t forgotten how his failure to play quality pace against England and South Africa had led to the axe falling on him, so when he was named in the team for Pakistan, this was one thing he immediately decided to set right.

Saturday was Jaffer’s first stint as a member of the Indian playing XI since being dropped almost four years ago and he seized the opportunity, scoring a classy 58 before being tempted into gliding a Gul delivery to third man. ‘‘Early in the morning the ball was swinging but, as the day progressed, it became much easier to bat,’’ he said after the day’s play.

Jaffer’s recall has been on the strength of his domestic showing and today he replicated that form, dissecting the bowling through the covers and the mid-field. His batting seemed to impress Pakistan ‘A’ bowlers Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Yasir Arafat who, incidentally, are well acquainted with his game. ‘‘We follow the Indian domestic circuit’’, Anjum said. ‘‘We know Jaffer is a big scorer there but what surprises us is how he doesn’t fit in India’s one-day team.’’

For his part, Jaffer is content in taking one step at a time. The first is walking out with Sehwag in the First Test.