Kumble enjoys near-perfect day

When Shoaib Malik won the toss and decided to bat on a typically flat Kotla pitch, most Indians might have feared a bit of a leather hunt. Instead, it was the Pakistani batsmen who were constantly harassed, with the balance shifting only in the final session when Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Sami illustrated just how inept the top order had been.

With the ground wreathed in mist at the start of play, there was always going to be some encouragement for the bowlers, but there was neither big swing nor dramatic deviation off the pitch. Salman Butt fell to one that darted back sharply, but his lack of footwork had left him in no sort of position to play the stroke that he attempted. Younis Khan, who averages over 106 in Tests against India, was suckered into the hook, and Yasir Hameed threw away a start by wafting around a straight delivery.

Kumble deserved credit too for his decision to bring on Sourav Ganguly in conditions that were perfect for his brand of seam bowling. He may have bowled at gentle, seemingly welcoming pace, but Ganguly moved the ball just enough to trouble every batsman that faced him. The wicket of Mohammad Yousuf was ample reward for an outstanding spell.

Thereafter, the new leader came into his own. Kumble's record at this venue is an imposing one, and the dismissals of Kamran Akmal - who threatened a mid-innings renaissance - and Shoaib Akhtar showed that some batsmen still haven't worked out his stock deliveries even though he's been around nearly two decades. Akmal was unlucky with the bounce, but as Ganguly said later at the press conference, the pitch wasn't "up and down, it was just down".

Despite the revival in the final session, Pakistan may struggle to make it past 250. Thereafter, the fate of the game depends largely on how well Shoaib and Sami use the new ball. If India  get off to a start, they could well bat Pakistan out of contention on a day when the pitch is likely to play its best. But if Pakistan need encouragement, they need only look at Karachi last year when a recovery from 39 for 6 to 245 all out set up an emphatic 341-run triumph.

Comments

[Dileep]

As a pair, Jaffer and Karthik have done the business. It would be foolhardy to break it up before Australia unless they do really badly in this series. I do feel for Yuvraj, but I guess it's a case of another series or two at most.

[Tarun Y]

Hi Dileep, Thanks again for replying!

I do agree with you in that it is a debate reminiscent of Sehwag and Akash Chopra from a few seasons back. Chopra (with Sehwag as the pencilled-in cert) had a good run together (NZ at home, Aus away) before for no rhyme/reason, Chopra was dropped for Yuvi as an opener.

A hundred in a losing cause aside, I think it was a big flop but it was glossed over by some of the good batting in the rest of the series - eg, Sehwag's triple ton and Dravid's amazing batting. And then, as we all know, it was exposed by the Aussies when they toured later.

On to Wasim Jaffer. I find him somewhat frustrating in that, he'll produce a string of single-digit scores punctuated by a big century (often when talk of dropping him arises) and then the single-digit scores resume again. He bucked this trend somewhat in England, but I fear those single-digits are around the corner.
I cant help but feel that YuVi is in such good nick, leaving him out may dent his confidence a little. The whole "ab nahi, tho kab?" catch22 scenario.

[Dileep]

Well, I don't think either Jaffer or Karthik deserve to be dropped after what they did in South Africa and England. India have messed around with opening combinations far too much in the past. If and when Yuvraj does make it into the Test side, it'll probably be at the expense of Ganguly or Laxman.
As for the ninth wicket partnership, I think something like that was inevitable. The pitch did get easier to bat on, and as Ganguly said at the press conference, you expect some partnership of note. It was hardly a diabolical pitch.

[Tarun Y]

Do you think India have missed a trick by leaving out Yuvraj? His exceptional (and aggressive) batting aside, his left-arm slow bowling may have been a useful option? This ninth wicket partnership could prove frustrating!

Also- since Dravid scored a big century against Pakistan as an opener, I thought he'd open with one of Jaffer or Karthik [I'd have gone for the latter], promoted VVS to his favoured no.3 and allowed YuVi to slot in at no.7.
What do you think?