Taufeeq looks forward to real Test

So was there any point to prove? ‘‘No, nothing of that sort’’, he told The Indian Express. ‘‘I just wanted to play my game for the team.’’

There were no instructions, he says, from the team management to increase the pace. ‘‘No one said anything to me. The ball was coming on to the bat very nicely. I just enjoyed the way it just kept hitting the middle of the bat each time I faced.’’

Despite the regular fall of wickets, Taufeeq said the dressing room was calm. ‘‘Cricket hai, hota hai’’. Taufeeq also said that despite his making a return to the one-day side there was no pressure on him for he always felt that he could do well if given a chance.

Apart from the loss, one factor that will hurt Taufeeq would be his dropping Man of the Match VVS Laxman when he was just on 52 (he also dropped Irfan Pathan in the widish third man area). ‘‘The sun came in my eyes and I just could not see Laxman’s shot. Also I gone a bit ahead, so I misjudged it.’’

As captain of the Pakistan A team that played India in the very first match of the tour, Taufeeq hit a century and helped his young side chase the tourists’ mammoth 335-6 with ease. That confidence obviously rubbed off on the left-hander — perhaps too much, because his dismissal had a touch of overconfidence about it as he was bowled round his legs. ‘‘Unfortunately the ball hit the middle of the bat and went and hit the stumps,’’ said Taufeeq with a tinge of disappointment.

There is a feeling here that Pakistan should have led the series 4-0 before going into the final match. It’s something Taufeeq agrees with, pointing out that the team was in winning positions in all the matches but could convert only two

The weeks ahead will see a completely new ballgame. Do India have the upper hand in the Tests? ‘‘Test cricket is totally different, you cannot compare both forms of the game. There both teams will start from scratch,’’ said Taufeeq.