The moment of reckoning

The Pakistan camp's decision to dish out a flat track for the first Test backfired on them so spectacularly that they have had to go right back to the drawing board to devise a fresh strategy for the second Test. In the first Test at Multan the pitch was given a thorough scrubbing, reportedly because several Pakistani batsmen threw a fit. Here in Lahore, the pitch looks like one of those carefully woven Peshawari carpets. But teams that bank on pitches and tosses are usually found out.

At the moment, Pakistan look like a team running for cover. They have been forced to make one change to their line-up: Moin Khan has been ruled out with a groin injury and Kamran Akmal takes his place. But, it is expected that there will be two more changes from the team which played the first Test. Umar Gul is likely to replace Shabbir Ahmed. Gul generally bowls a much fuller length than Shabbir, as swing is his ally rather than pace. The Indians won't mind this change, as the top six are all strokemakers who drive well and enjoy the ball coming onto the bat. Danish Kaneria is likely to replace Saqlain Mushtaq after his lacklustre return to Test cricket at Multan.

Rahul Dravid, in striking contrast, has a problem of plenty. Irfan Pathan is bowling like a captain's dream, putting the ball in the right places and moving it enough in the air and off the pitch to trouble batsmen. Ashish Nehra has returned to the fold and this pitch is tailormade for him. If he gets his rhythm right he could wreak serious damage in a single spell or session. Considering the fact that his injury was merely a split webbing, an impact injury rather than one caused by wear and tear, Nehra should be able to go flat out straight away. Ajit Agarkar, back in the fray, ran in like a whippet and bowled quickly in the nets. One delivery rushed onto Virender Sehwag with such zip that he was struck on the knee and keeled over. In all this Lakshmipathy Balaji will probably lose out, despite his honest effort at Multan.

When the tour began it was the fast-bowling department, riddled as it was with injuries, that posed concerns for the Indians. On the eve of the second Test the Indian team can rest easy as they have this aspect sorted out. That takes considerable pressure off Dravid, and puts his team in a calmly confident frame of mind. The batting is not a problem, as 675 for 5 declared clearly showed. Anil Kumble remains the spearhead, on any pitch, in any conditions.

Pakistan have no such breathing space. Their batsmen failed to apply themselves in both innings of the first Test. And in Lahore things will only get tougher. India are well aware that they have a great chance to capitalise on an early lead in an away series. In Zimbabwe, West Indies and Australia they took the lead and then let it slip. "We know about it. We are aware of it but it is definitely not on our minds," said Dravid. "We have always been the first ones to stand up and accept where we have gone wrong because we believe that is the way forward. This is a great opportunity for us and hopefully we can sort it out this time."

It's more than just a great opportunity. If this Indian team takes the remaining ten days of this tour one session at a time, and sticks to their specific roles and plans, even a resurgent Pakistan team will find it hard to deny them victory.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Yasir Hameed, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Mohammad Sami, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Danish Kaneria, 11 Umar Gul.

India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Aakash Chopra, 3 Rahul Dravid (capt), 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Parthiv Patel (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Ajit Agarkar, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Anand Vasu is assistant editor of Wisden Cricinfo. He will be following the Indian team throughout this tour.