Indian bowling on trial

Sourav Ganguly was remarkably relaxed for a man whose team had just suffered a sound thrashing against an A team. He, more than anyone else, knows the fickle nature of cricket, especially the shorter version. There was an unreal air about the Karachi one-dayer, with the Indian team being cocooned throughout their stay by security of the highest intensity. Yet this gives the team a chance to stay focused on the cricket. After all, they have little choice. As Ganguly put it, his tourism in Karachi has been limited to the airport, his hotel room, the cricket ground and, lo and behold, one swimming-pool.

The last time India were in Pakistan for a series - in 1997 for three one-dayers, not quite 14 years ago as everyone parrots - Karachi proved to be a happy hunting ground. That fateful day, when India won by four wickets, is remembered for Rajesh Chauhan's last-minute heroics, but it was Ganguly who laid the base with a confident 89. And, from Ganguly's relaxed smiles, it's clear that the warm-up match hasn't dented India's confidence significantly. "Morale is pretty much up. That was a warm-up game yesterday but there is no excuse. They played better than us when they batted. Tomorrow is an international game, it is a different ball-game." One journalist began to suggest that Ganguly was worried about the bowling, and he nipped that in the bud with a quick quip: "Nothing is worrying me."

The National Stadium, like many others in Pakistan, is a big one. The boundaries are long, the surroundings wide-open. The drive to the stadium is a long one, and the heat is oppressive. That, more than anything else, will be a factor in the series opener. India's bowlers have consistently suffered injuries, and Zaheer Khan's performance (1 for 78 from nine overs with 22 extras) will have to be a concern, whatever Ganguly might say notwithstanding. Ashish Nehra, more out of the side than in it, is yet another worry, but he might still get the nod ahead of either Irfan Pathan or Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Normally India never announce their team the day before a game, so it came as no surprise when Ganguly said that key decisions on the composition of the side would be taken only on the morning of the match. The batting line-up, if not the actual batting order, is well set, with the only choice being between Hemang Badani and Mohammad Kaif.

This series has been preceded by so much talk about security, inter-country politics, goodwill et al, that it's a massive relief that the games are finally about to begin. Finally there is talk about bat and ball, Pakistan's fast bowlers versus India's batting and, of course, Shoaib Akhtar v Sachin Tendulkar. Inzamam-ul-Haq was to the point, Javed Miandad chatty and witty, Sourav Ganguly laid-back, and John Wright measured, when they spoke to the press in the last two days. But none dropped any pearls of wisdom. With the number of press calls happening at the moment, that is hardly surprising.

Yet, for India's fans several key questions still remain unanswered. Is this bowling attack disciplined enough to hold down Pakistan's batsmen? Will the batting line-up consistently put enough runs on the board to put pressure on the opposition? Will Tendulkar bat with the unfettered aggression he displayed at Centurion during the World Cup? Will Murali Kartik step up to the plate and be counted in the absence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh? When either Simon Taufel or Nadeem Ghauri calls "play" and the first match of this series gets underway all questions will be answered.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Shahid Afridi, 3 Yasir Hameed, 4 Yousuf Youhana, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Moin Khan (wk), 8 Shabbir Ahmed, 9 Saqlain Mushtaq, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Sami.

India (probable): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 4 Rahul Dravid (wk), 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Murali Kartik, 9 Irfan Pathan, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.