Opening salvo

R Mohan, the veteran Indian journalist, has eulogised Rahul Dravid’s decision to open the batting, calling it an "unselfish" move. Why? "To send Ganguly out to open against Shoaib Akhtar even on this most placid of Lahore pitches would have been sadistic oneupmanship. Regardless of the controversy over Ganguly’s inclusion in the squad, what could not be lost sight of was that team interest could not be sacrificed even as all and sundry kept putting their oar in troubled waters"

Greg Chappell has meanwhile said the opening decision will be reviewed match by match. "I thought the decision of Rahul [Dravid] to open the innings was a courageous one. He made a bold statement not only to the opposition but his own teammates that he will lead from the front. It was a calculated risk that we have taken".

Pakistan have no such worries. Bob Woolmer has given his vote of confidence to Shoaib Malik, the allrounder, to continue to open for Pakistan in the next Test. Woolmer was quoted in the Jung as saying, "There has been a lot of speculation about Pakistan’s opening pair. Shoaib Malik was chosen because he is less likely to get out caught in the slips. For some reason everyone in the media thinks he is more likely to get out caught in the slips. I’m not denigrating any of the past openers we’ve had but they used to get out caught in the slips. Over a period of time in Test history a lot of openers got out caught in slips and I know because I was one myself. Malik is a very fine cricketer — he is a three in one cricketer. "He can bowl off-spin very well, he is a very fine batsman and he is a brilliant fielder. He doesn't have a permanent place in the side but I think he has done very well against England and batted very well here too. Quite frankly he is a very fine cricketer so let us cut this speculation."