The Hindu : Sport : Onus now on Pakistan to force a win in Bangalore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 23, 2005

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Sport

Onus now on Pakistan to force a win in Bangalore

By Inzamam-ul-Haq

We would have loved to come to Bangalore after drawing the Kolkata Test. If you recall, my mentor and former captain Imran Khan had done just that in 1987. On that occasion, Pakistan had forced a win in the final Test and won the series 1-0. Unfortunately that's not the case this time.

We are down 0-1 and India are sitting pretty. Before the series started, the pressure was entirely on India. Being the home team and the more experienced side, they were expected to win the series. But post Kolkata, the equation has changed drastically.

With just one Test remaining, India would be happy to sit back and defend their lead.

The onus is now entirely on Pakistan to force a win and square the series. It is very difficult to come back in a three-Test series, but not impossible. Teams have done that before.

Of course, you need a bit of luck and hopefully we will have our share of it in Bangalore.

For example, I would be happy to win the toss, to start with. Sourav Ganguly has won two crucial tosses in this series, which had a great bearing on the two Tests played so far.

In Mohali we had to bat first on a green wicket and in Kolkata we had to save the match by batting well in the fourth innings on a pitch getting progressively lower and slower.

Good batting track

The Bangalore wicket looks like a good batting wicket and like most surfaces in India, will turn on fourth and fifth days. Frankly speaking, I was not surprised to see a wicket like this.

It is the home team's privilege to choose the kind of surface they want and it suits India to have a batting track. Their obvious ploy would be to bat us out of the match.

Our best chance, therefore, would be to post a 500-plus total, batting first and then apply the pressure on Indian batsmen. All this is assuming that I will win the toss and our batsmen click in a big way.

After having looked at the Chinnaswamy Stadium wicket, we will, in all probability include off-spinner Arshad Khan in place of Mohammad Khalil.

Arshad is a handy man to have on a turning track and hopefully lend our attack some much-needed potency. I will be playing my 100th Test match in Bangalore. This rare honour doesn't come every cricketer's way. Even the great Imran Khan didn't play so many. So becoming the fourth Pakistani after Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad and Salim Malik to feature in 100 Tests would indeed be a special moment.

My wife Kashifa and my kids Ibtesham and Amima have joined me in Bangalore to celebrate this milestone in my career. But, for me, it would only be meaningful if we win this game and level the series. Insha-allah, we will do just that.

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