Time to step up pace

Even before the euphoria after the thrilling Test win at Bangalore has sunk in, the visiting Pakistanis will be keen on garnering maximum ga...

Even before the euphoria after the thrilling Test win at Bangalore has sunk in, the visiting Pakistanis will be keen on garnering maximum gains when they meet a youthful India A in the one-day practice match at HCA International Stadium here tomorrow.

Inzamam and his men very well know that the limited time should be put to effective use before the six-match limited overs series kicks off in Kochi on April 2. The match will be a perfect occasion for Pakistan to change gears from the toiling Test format to the nerve-wrecking one-day series.

A loss here may not matter much for India 8216;A8217;, but a win for the visitors will help them to maintain the momentum. But India A skipper Sairaj Bahutule said: 8220;We are very keen on winning the match. All of us are confident that a good show here will help us impress the selectors,8217;8217; Bahutule said. 8216;8216;The Pakistanis are on a high note after winning in Bangalore on Monday. But we will try our best to win this match and dent their confidence,8217;8217; Bahutule added.

The simmering summer sun may cause the Pakistanis to rest the in-form batsmen and allow the one-day specialists to acquaint themselves to the Indian conditions. The pitch, with a tinge of grass on it, may tempt both teams to go for an extra medium pacer. However, curator Gopal said that the strip is a good one-day wicket. This is the first time that an international team would be playing in this newly-constructed stadium.

Teams

India 8216;A8217;: Sairaj Bahutule captain, Shikar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni wk, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Niraj Patel, Y Venugopala Rao, S Sriram, Sanjeev Sanyal, AT Rayudu, Rudra Pratap Sanyal, Ranadeb Bose, Amit Bhandari, Romesh Powar.

Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq captain, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan vice-captain, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razaaq, Mohammad Sami, Shahid Afridi, Rao Iftekar Anjum, Arshad Khan and Shoaib Malik.

Umpires: Anjan K Seth Delhi and Balawant Sharma Udaipur.