Dravid is the thorn in Pakistan's flesh

The cricketing fraternities of both countries share the feeling that it is high time to witness a true Test match on a good sporting wicket. That Inzamam-ul-Haq is a doubtful starter for the decider at Karachi only strengthens my belief that the pitch for the final Test will not be anything different from those on previous venues.

Fresh from defeating England at home, Pakistan have not only read a little too much into their own bowling but also miscalculated the strength of Indian batting, if not underestimated it. It will be a daring decision if Pakistan decide to go for a lively pitch. It is their attitude that will really matter. If Pakistan remain as negative as they were in the previous two games, they runs the risk of losing this Test. In a decider like this one, the teams have got to think in an extremely positive manner. When pushed to a corner for results, usually the host team does not want to lose the series and prefers another placid track. As it is, the Karachi wicket is known to be a bowler-friendly track with some reverse swing and spin aiding the bowlers.

A befitting reply from the Indian batsmen was commendable in the last two Tests. While it was Virender Sehwag who was the torch-bearer in the first Test, the real thorn in Pakistan's flesh was Rahul Dravid.

Dravid derives inspiration from so many sources. It could be reading books written by great personalities, or talking to people with invaluable experiences in their own walks of life or even from the themes of some of the good movies he watches. Any well-written book on sports will invariably land in his shelves. His reading habits ranges from autobiographies of great personalities from diverse fields to great achievers in sports. It is not an easy exercise to appreciate and practice other people's values and ideas.

He is all eyes and ears to learn from people with proven abilities. This approach towards his profession has enabled him to engage with the game critically. I have noticed a very rare characteristic in him of late. He spends a lot of time introspecting his batting on and off the field. Even off the field at leisure, one can notice him playing involuntary shadow-practice shots with bare hands at regular intervals. It could be a delicate glance or a rock-solid defence. One can feel that all this while his mind has been totally engrossed in his batting.

Now, with captaincy comes heightened exposure. A lot of time is required to run the side right, from selecting the squad to deciding the playing XI. The strategies and game plan is just not for him but for all individual batsmen and bowlers and the team as well. Then, one is drawn into controversies and forced to ride on it till it loses momentum. I was afraid that Dravid would have to sacrifice some of his batting bandwidth somewhere. But to my astonishment, I found his focus is much more intense than what it used to be earlier. This proves that captaincy is no burden for him and leadership comes pretty naturally to him. If Dravid can bring half the intensity of his batting to the captaincy, I am sure he can turn this team around completely. Dravid certainly raises the hopes of the team doing well abroad but those hopes will need to be translated into results.

India will not want to change the side for the final Test as they have done well with the five-bowler combination. The little doubt of looking for a sixth batsman was answered in the form of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan's stint at the wicket. Pakistan have been hit hard by injuries and it might make way for some much inexperienced players to come in. That opens another opportunity for India to win the series.