Our youngsters cracked under pressure

We have been in the process of rebuilding the side after the World Cup last year. India, on the other hand, have been a pretty stable side for the past few years, the young fast bowlers adapting themselves to the conditions and the demands of Test cricket pretty quickly. The Indian new-ball bowlers deserve all praise for not exposing their relative inexperience.

The inexperience at the top of our batting order was very evident through the Test series, except when Imran Farhat made a fine century in the second Test at Lahore. The young lads just could not cope with the pressure of playing a high-profile series against India but I am sure they will come good over the next year or so.

Asim Kamal has already shown what a mature cricketer he can be and will serve as an inspiration for the likes of Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar and Yasir Hameed. With a little more application at the start of the innings, we could have save the Multan Test, if not the final game in Rawalpindi as well.

Personally speaking, there was no one moment that I can pick as a personal favourite, even though I had a hundred and a couple of other knocks. I made great friends with Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh, who are not only good cricketers but also wonderful humans. It was nice to see many Indians come over for the one-dayers and that will remain a wonderful memory from the tour.

Sport is sport and we must have more frequent exchanges so that the fountain of goodwill that has sprung in the wake of the series does not run out. Let me end by congratulating the Indian team and all of India for its success on the tour. The team played hard cricket and the side that played better for a greater part of the series ended up with the trophy. It has been enjoyable sharing my thoughts with you and I hope you enjoyed the Pakistani perspective to the series.

(TCM)