The Sehwag factor, and India's new attitude

Until the end of the Indian tour of Pakistan, we will be running a daily Paper Round of what newspapers in India and Pakistan, and from around the world, are saying about this series. This is what the media had to report today:

Two days after the Karachi one-day international, the post-mortem continued into how India pulled off the win and why Pakistan lost despite an amazing run-chase. In his column for Gameplan, the syndication agency, Shoaib Akhtar explained his disappointing performance with the ball: "Right from the first ball, I was having problems with my run-up, and they persisted right through the Indian innings." Meanwhile, just one match into the series, Shoaib was sure who posed the biggest threat to Pakistan's bowlers: "Rahul Dravid will be the most crucial wicket if we are to dislodge the Indians cheaply."

Writing for the same syndication agency, Ravi Shastri opined that Virender Sehwag's form could be the decisive factor in this series. "Pakistan's bowlers have not seen too much of him, so he has that element of surprise. His ability to play unorthodox shots can unsettle any bowler or coach - even the irrepressible Javed Miandad."

For Youhana, the greatest difference between this Indian team and the ones of the past was the never-say-die attitude of this outfit. Writing for the syndication agency TCM, he said: "I have not known Indian teams to fight like this one did when under pressure. I have played a few Indian teams in Sharjah, Dhaka and even Australia. This one refused to give up, and fought till the end."

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The Nation reported that Miandad was busy trying to instil some discipline in his two main fast bowlers. According to the daily, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami had long bowling stints, with Miandad watching out for no-balls and wides. The team had a three-hour practice session at the Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi, the venue of the second ODI, with Shoaib and Sami bowling almost throughout. Between them, Shoaib and Sami sent down eight no-balls and nine wides in Saturday's five-run defeat.

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According to Dawn, around 3000 policemen have been deployed for the Rawalpindi match. Talking to the daily, Syed Moravet Ali Shah, senior superintendent of police, said: "We will have 1500 police in and around the stadium while as many are on duty at other points in the city. We have set up barricades at the road leading up to the stadium and only those with valid tickets or duty passes will be allowed to go through.

"The scanning of spectators will start from the parking lot through vehicle search mirrors after which there will be the walk-through gates. A final scan will then be done through handy metal detectors."

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Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the Pakistan board, sought to play down fears that the five-match one-day series would be one continuous run-fest with nothing in it for the bowlers. Speaking to The Nation, he said: "Three of the four [remaining] one-dayers are day-and-night games, and at night conditions are more suited to the bowlers, and batsmen would be facing swing, so it won't be easy to score runs."

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LK Advani, India's deputy prime minister, welcomed the idea of a visit by Atal Behari Vajpayee, the prime minister, to Lahore to watch one of the ODIs. He was quoted by Press Trust of India as saying: "If there is any such move, it will be a further step in improving ties between the two countries."

PTI also reported that the Indian team is scheduled to meet Gen Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, on March 17. Confirming the news, Ratnakar Shetty, the manager of the Indian team, said: "The team has been told that there would be a meeting with the President on March 17. We believe it is a get-together over tea. The timing is yet to be confirmed."

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The Times of India stated that Rahul Dravid and Murali Kartik used their time off on Sunday to visit the ancient site of Taxila, around 30 km north of Rawalpindi. Known as the City of Stones, the ancient city is famous for housing many Buddhist monuments.