Pressure rises in Pindi, so do the stakes

Though his most recent exploits have been with the bat, Pathan has always maintained he’s a bowler first and even though a lot has been said about his lack of pace and over-dependence on swing, he could make the key difference tomorrow.

He may not have got a wicket at Peshawar but his 10 overs on the trot for 52 were the most economical figures. Indeed, his new-ball spell within fielding restrictions will be critical for India to prevent the Pakistan batsmen from making a repeat performance. Even if Pindi doesn’t see scores of 300-plus, one good spell can make a difference of 15-20 runs; a huge amount in these days of thin margins.

Dravid and Chappell, who were involved in a lengthy conversation at nets today with Sachin and Sehwag, are aware that however high morale is, no team can afford too many defeats.

‘‘Each game we play is a journey towards the World Cup’’, Chappell said. ‘‘There are areas we need to improve but, most important, we need to win some matches as well.’’

‘‘Pakistan are one of the better teams; it will be a great challenge to perform against them. It will be a good test towards our preparations.’’

Enter Pathan again, the man on whom Greg Chappell’s experimentation policies rotate, whether his batting position or his spell of ten overs. ‘‘In the near future I see him as an all-rounder,” says Chappell. “His batting has given him a lot of confidence to the team and himself. He’s been good up the order but having said that he will not be our regular No 3. I would like to use him as an impact player in different matches and situations.’’

While India — who may drop Kartik and bring in Raina, with Powar the super sub — continue with their experiments towards creating a larger pool of 18-20 players, Pakistan’s recent success have come from keeping things fixed. The team has remained the same over a period of time and without many fluctuations in batting positions.

‘‘One of the reasons for our success has been that all the boys have been given ample chance to prove themselves’’, says Inzamam. ‘‘We have made a conscious effort to not make too many changes in the side, to let boys settle in.’’

This game is vital for India and their supposedly high confidence levels. A 2-0 lead for Pakistan can get difficult to hunt down and reverses from this series can have major ramifications, as has been the case after every India-Pakistan series.

MATCH FACTORS

• This is Tendulkar territory. Twice in the last series he contributed to India’s wins; he scored 141 in the ODIs and then spun Pakistan out in the Tests. He’s hot with the bat, so…

• Opinion is sharply divided on whether it will be a high- or low-scoring match. The last two ODIs here, against England, were low-scoring and closely fought. The highest score in those four innings was 210

• Chasing isn’t a good option; not only have both those matches gone to the team batting first, the wicket may not hold for the second innings

• Shoaib Akhtar is not playing this match, much to the disappointment of the locals here, but Mohammad Asif could give Pak the cutting edge

• Deliberately set short boundaries may help the batsman a bit, just like the new ball may jet in early morning heavy atmosphere