Series lock kiya jaaye?

Jockey8217; was keeping wickets while Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned his arm over at the nets on Wednesday. Dressed in track pants, Kiran More...

Jockey8217; was keeping wickets while Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned his arm over at the nets on Wednesday. Dressed in track pants, Kiran More moved away from being chairman of selectors while Greg Chappell started the bowling drill for the bowlers.

The batsmen had their hit at the nets and fielding practice was, as usual, fun to watch: each player went for a skier while others, simulating the crowd, tried to distract him. None missed their catch; in fact, they all stretched a few inches to try and get some hand to balls outside their reach.

This team is a win away from another excellent series victory but they are taking nothing for granted. They8217;ve shut out distractions read criticism and focused on the job in hand and are clearly enjoying it.

They know how dangerous Pakistan can be. The hosts may be under the greater pressure to win tomorrow and keep the series alive but they are not about to wilt.

Inzamam-ul Haq has shifted out to Lahore but he has lived in this town for years; he knows the pitch well and his belief is that the wicket will offer an even contest 8212; between bat and ball, between a rejuvenated Indian team and under-fire Pakistan. 8220;It looks a good wicket, but I don8217;t expect a high-scoring match. A score of around 260 would be a good to defend,8221; Inzamam said today.

It8217;s not just the suspected slow surface. Three of the biggest crowd-pullers in this region have already been ruled out through injuries: Virender Sehwag and the maverick Shahid Afridi join Shoaib Akhtar on the injured list.

nbsp;	MATCH FACTORS

		nbsp;	8226; GROUND REALITY It8217;s the first ODI between these two teams here. But the last Test between them was famous: India won by innings and 52 runs, Sehwag scoring his triple century. Pakistan have won every other match here HOME RECORD Only 2 ODIs have been played here; Pak won both against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe batting first, and posting high scores D/N FACTOR And neither of those matches was a day-evening match, as Thursday8217;s is. So what happens under lights is anyone8217;s guess TEAM NEWS India may have lost Sehwag but they still have the edge: Pakistan have lost both Afridi and Umar Gul, in addition to Shoaib MEN IN FORM Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar are in prime nick and so is Shoaib Malik. They will again be crucial to their team8217;s fortunes WAITING TO EXPLODE Inzamam has had a quiet series till now and that doesn8217;t happen too often. And Multan is his homeground8230; Live on TEN Sports from 11.30 am onwards	nbsp;

Indeed, for the crowd to even make it here will be a test of endurance more than enthusiasm: beefed up security and a long trek to get into the stadium will deter fans but there8217;s enough encouragement for them in Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Shoaib Malik, Sachin Tendulkar, Younis Khan and Inzamam.

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A lot has been said about Inzamam8217;s style of captaincy and inability to keep the team on a tight leash. But one scene at Lahore airport summed up the reality: the entire team followed Inzi in one line where they huddled together for a prayer before the skipper gave a small pep talk. This team has a lot of faith in Inzi and the big man pays back by standing by his boys. They are dangerous customers and Rahul Dravid is right to be on the guard against a backlash.

Pakistan is forced to re-consider a few options in their playing XI due to injury. Left-hand opener Imran Farhat will replace injured Afridi while last match super-sub Umar Gul is likely to miss out with a side-strain. Comeback man Mohammad Sami will come in while Rana Naved ul Hasan can make way for Arshad Khan as super-sub.

India is likely to make one change from the last match: Zaheer Khan out, Ramesh Pawar gets back his super-sub role. After sticking to their usual batting line-up after a long time, expect the Indian team to tinker, sorry, develop strategies in the fourth-one dayer.

Walking back towards the dressing room to pack his bags, Rahul Dravid was asked, 8216;Rahul series lock kiya jaaye?8217; Dravid smiled and replied, 8220;Zaroor8221;.

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No more words, it8217;s time for action to get the Cup in hand.

Tight security for 4th ODI

	nbsp;	Multan: BCCI president Sharad Pawar had a one-on-one with PCB chief Shahariyar Khan Wednesday, keeping in view the mass protest and bandh scheduled in Multan for Thursday and Friday. The protest is part of nationwide agitation against the cartoon controversy that several Islamic countries have vehemently condemned. Indian team manager Raj Singh Dungarpur said: 8220;The PCB chief assured foolproof security. We will go ahead and play Thursday8217;s match.8221; He was reacting to rumours of a match call-off. 8220;There8217;s absolutely no question about any call-off. However, Pawar did express concern about Karachi and also consulted the Indian and Pakistan High Commissions,8221; he added. The Indian team management is tight-lipped, but sources confirm in case of any untoward incident on Thursday, the fifth one-dayer in Karachi might be called off. The same protest will continue in Karachi on the February 19 and 20. Already the city has been declared sensitive by the visiting Indian security delegation before the tour. ENS	nbsp;