Question from Karachi: What’s a safe target?

I thought our bowlers bowled in good areas, especially at the start of the Pakistan innings. Understandably, Zaheer bowled within himself but I am confident that after this workout he will have the confidence to go all out in the remaining matches.

One aspect that Sourav would stress to the fast bowlers when they sit down to strategies would be encouraging the usage of bouncers effectively while the rival skipper would advise his bowlers to restrain the usage of the short ball.

The other area of concern would be in the middle overs. The twin blows delivered by Kartik proved crucial to the result and I hope that he rides on this confidence. The Pakistan batsmen use their feet against the spinners well. As the margin of error on these flat decks are minimal, the challenge would be to keep these batsmen glued to their crease as long as it is possible.

For the first time I am witness to empty roads during an Indo-Pak match and the celebrations after an Indian victory. The media reports and the attention the Indian team receive when on tour is massive. The one factor that John Wright kept reiterating on our tour to Australia was to keep these factors out of the mind and focus on the task at hand. This, in fact would be his main advice when the team gathers around before the next game.

In a high voltage series such as this, the onus on the players will be to recover quickly both physically and mentally from a gruelling game. Credit should go to Indian physio Andrew Leipus and trainer Greg King, as ice baths are mandatory in between innings and also at the end of the match. It is with huge reluctance that the players approach the tub filled with ice but at the end of two minutes, one feels refreshed.

Pakistan batsmen must be complimented the way they controlled the run-chase; their skipper Inzamam played one of the best one-day knocks that I have witnessed. The partnerships between Inzy and Youhana and later with Younis Khan kept Pakistan in the hunt. They were probably the favourites until Kaif brought off a great catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik. Ashish Nehra then held his nerves in the final over. India has the psychological advantage but the one-day series could go to the wire.

In another contest going on in our neighbourhood, two spinners are vying for honour to occupy the no. 1 slot in test cricket. My hearty congratulations to fellow leggie Shane Warne on reaching the magical 500 wickets in a fashion only a champion could do. What a statement he has made in his comeback game!

(PTI)