Will the real Pak captain please stand up?

Javed Miandad has long been a smart operator, even a great manipulator, considering the way Pakistan handled the latter stages of the Rawalp...

Javed Miandad has long been a smart operator, even a great manipulator, considering the way Pakistan handled the latter stages of the Rawalpindi game where they levelled the Samsung series at 1-1. Not for the first time since World Cup 2003 has the question popped up: just who is Pakistan8217;s captain?

It is well known that Miandad is one of those control freaks; someone who enjoys a style of management that employs leadership from the balcony with assistants on the field. In the triangular final with New Zealand in Dambulla last year, Rashid Latif may have been the captain on the field but he kept looking at the balcony when it came to the more tricky decisions of bowling changes.

There was a marked similarity between Inzamam8217;s actions in Rawalpindi and those of Latif8217;s. What type of semaphore system is used would be interesting. And there were regular consultations with wicketkeeper Moin Khan. Okay, perhaps we need to give Inzi some credit for field placings and bowling changes; and he should by now know all the angles of the stadium and who to trust fielding where against which Indian batsman. Also, the game plan to be followed when the more difficult changes had to be made.

To suggest, though, that he is smarter than Ganguly would be stretching credibility. Notice the difference between the two attacks. India8217;s downfall so far this series has, apart from Ashish Nehra, been the fact that it has only three frontline bowlers. Handling the bits and pieces bowlers against such an onslaught as that launched by Afridi and Yasir Hameed was far from easy.

Then again, there was pre-match talk of Ganguly suffering from flu and, at times when he was batting, it showed that he was not physically 100 per cent himself. Perhaps he was not too keen, after the VB Series experiences, to allow Dravid lead the side as well as keep wicket. This is, for me, still a major flaw in the Indian side.

But the point here is that the Indian support bowling is still too thin. Sure Yuvraj and newcomer Powar checked the runrate and once this had been done Ganguly applied the pressure which earned Yuvraj the two wickets. There was also the mindless panic which led to Hameed8217;s run out. Good tactics; only India need better support troops than Sachin and Powar, as good as he bowled in such conditions.

Added to this point, Ganguly did not bowl and the query is whether Dada brought in Powar as backup because of his illness? At least the way he rotated the bowling during the Afridi/Hameed partnership of 138 at 7.5 runs an over was not by the numbering system that the Miandad/Inzi/Moin cabal were using at times.

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After the adrenalin-pumping display of Saturday and gorging ourselves on the team8217;s success, we had the hangover on Tuesday. Anyone who has travelled on the so-called Rawalpindi Express will tell you that the word express is a misnomer. When travelling on it in during World Cup 1996 I found it a ramshackle, slow-moving contraption and the only relief was the humour of those in the carriage. Hopefully India8217;s journey will not be as disastrous.