The Hindu : Sport : Partnerships were the key to our win

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 14, 2005

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Sport

Partnerships were the key to our win

Now that we have shown that matches can be won while chasing, it opens up a lot of possibilities.

INZAMAM-UL-HAQ

The pressure is now entirely on India and the momentum is with Pakistan. This is what two days of good cricket can do to a team. The Jamshedpur win was great, but the one in Ahmedabad was greater.

I have maintained in my earlier columns that winning the toss in these conditions was almost like winning the match. The first three matches backed this theory, but in Ahmedabad it was departure of sorts as Pakistan chased down a huge Indian total, a first in this series.

Any international side will tell you that chasing a 300-plus target is a difficult task. The only way you can do that is through a solid start and by keeping wickets in hand. If you have wickets in hand, it is not difficult to score at the rate of eight to nine runs per over in the last 10. We were able to do just that. None of our top-six batsmen got a big score, but just about everyone contributed handsomely, and more importantly, scored at a fast clip.

Partnerships were the key. We had one of substance for practically every wicket and though it went down to the last ball, the tension wasn't quite as much for me as the Indian team. As the scores were tied, there was no way we could have lost the match. It was just a question of getting my placement right for the all-important single. Now that we have shown that matches can be won while chasing, it opens up a lot of possibilities. There has been plenty of debate in Pakistan as to whether we should play four, five or six bowlers in ODIs. We have now found a reasonably good combination of players for the shorter version of the game. However, variety is a spice of one-day cricket and there should always be a certain amount of flexibility in your approach.

Back in form

I am pleased with the fact that we have regained our one-day form. We go to Kanpur with honours even and with a new confidence. My boys have already put the heat and tiredness behind them and are thinking positively about the last two games.

The Indian team will have to regroup quickly after two successive losses. It is not easy for a new captain to take over in the middle of the series. I do believe that India will miss Sourav Ganguly, the captain. Any new captain takes some time to settle down just as the players need some time to get used to a new leader. The fact that Dravid has been Sourav's deputy for a long time and filled in for him on a few occasions, should help his cause. I still believe it is anybody's series at this stage. Both teams are well-matched and we have seen some stirring contests and there is no reason why fans at Kanpur and Delhi will miss out on the fun.

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