Who146;ll blink first ?

This is a simplistic view and would come in the category of rounding up the usual suspects. The Rawalpindi wicket will also come in for scrutiny. It is expected that some grass will be left on it and it will be a seaming wicket. I don8217;t think any expert can tell how a wicket will play just by looking at it and prodding it for the benefit of television viewers in the mandatory pitch report, which has become a ritual. Reading a wicket is like reading tea leaves or tarot cards. In any event, fixing a wicket can be a dangerous business and it can rebound.

The return of the Indian captain will serve to lift the morale of the team, if indeed its morale has nose-dived after losing at Lahore. The incredible good form of Yuvraj Singh means that he must play, so too the captain and a change will have to be made. Ashish Nehra too is back, replacing Ajit Agarkar. This is a healthy sign for it means that India has bench-strength, an embarrassment of riches.

Not so lucky is Pakistan, whose squad resembles a casualty ward. Umar Gul, the hero of the Lahore test, is laid low with a back injury and there are reports that Mohammad Sami too has some back problem compounded by a bout of food poisoning. Media reports suggest that he may be a doubtful starter, bringing to mind Oscar Wilde8217;s astute observation that the loss of one parent may be a misfortune but the loss of both smacks of carelessness. I have it on good authority that he will play.

If he doesn8217;t, then Pakistan have a real problem. It would mean the induction of two rookies, probably Rao Iftikhar and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. One of them, in any case, will play. I would go with Rao Iftikhar for he swings the ball and is sharpish and has been knocking at the doors of Test cricket 8212; he is also the highest wicket-taker in domestic tournaments.

The Test matches have not attracted the crowds that were expected and reports from Rawalpindi are not encouraging. As a 8216;8216;product8217;8217; an India-Pakistan test match should be able to sell itself. It should not need aggressive marketing.

I have no idea why the crowds have stayed away. It could be the weather or the suffocating security or poor scheduling. Multan started on a Sunday, a holiday but all other days were working days. Lahore and Rawalpindi have been worse. There can be any number of reasons but not the quality of cricket that has been played. The PCB might consider sending for Hercule Poirot to solve the mystery of the missing crowds

On paper, both Multan and Lahore looked like one-sided contests. This did not mean that they were not contested fiercely. It merely meant that one side blinked first. Both teams have a lot to play for at Rawalpindi. Both teams will be under pressure. The fate of the series will be at stake. One hopes, however, that both teams will continue to play in the same, good spirit barring one or two hiccups that we saw at Lahore but which were resolved in a very public show of chumminess, television pictures of Anil Kumble and Inzamam walking off the field, all but hand in hand, made good viewing.