Inevitably, Sourav Ganguly adds a twist to the tale

LAHORE: Net practice at the Gaddafi stadium on the eve of the first Test was full of so many twists and turns that even O’Henry would have been befuddled.

Could the master of the short story, with a penchant for the stunning climax, have anticipated that Sourav Ganguly may be asked to open the innings? Or that Rahul Dravid may take this task on himself again (he did open in one Test against Sri Lanka when Sehwag was unwell) to accommodate his former captain?

More grist to the rumour mill about Ganguly’s inclusion comes from the fact that a couple of his staunchest critics have turned benign over the last couple of days. A chastened Raj Singh Dungarpur has been able to keep his emotions in check and dwell instead on what a ‘wonderful player on the off-side the left-hander’ is. Greg Chappell, meanwhile, has harped on Ganguly’s role as mentor. So, has something been brewing?

At the post-practice press conference, skipper Dravid chose to be characteristically solemn in delivery and uncharacteristically enigmatic in content. “We know what team we want to play,” he said, while refusing to disclose the final composition, sparking off widespread speculation in the media, the Pakistan dressing room and, one suspects, even his own.

But professional face readers would not have failed to see the furrows of worry on the foreheads of young Yuvraj, and especially Jaffer and Gambhir, at the manner in which net practice had progressed earlier.

None of them got an extended run with the bat; Ganguly not only got that, but also spent a good half-hour against the bowling machine calibrated to the speed at which Shoaib Akhtar is known to hurl the cherry in his current good form.

It can be argued that since Yuvraj, Gambhir and Jaffer had had an opportunity and came good in the opening match of the tour against Pakistan A, the tour selection committee would rather have the late arrivals on this tour — Ganguly, Sehwag and Patel — spend more time in the nets.

But Indian cricket has been such a rigmarole in recent months where team selection is concerned, that insecurity among the younger players is understandable.

Just perhaps, though, Dravid has decided to play his cards close to his chest, take crucial decisions on the morning of the match. For instance, the Gaddafi pitch has none of the promised ‘green’ on it, and many experts reckon that it might in fact assist spinners.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has proclaimed pace as his main weapon, has nonetheless kept his options open to drop Abdur Razzaq and include Shahid Afridi. Similarly, Dravid could choose both Kumble and Harbhajan, depending on how the track looks on Friday morning.

Spectator response to the Test has been lukewarm (fifty per cent of the seats are being given free), yet it promises to be a taut, daunting contest in which the fate of the series could be decided in the first couple of sessions itself.

On paper, India look the better in batting, while in bowling Pakistan seem to have the upper hand. The toss, the weather, the wicket, crowd support, individual skills and team spirit are all relevant factors in the outcome of the match, but none more so than the will to win.

That is what set India apart on the historic tour in 2004, except that they lost at Lahore. Indeed, they have never won here in six outings. Now, if there was a twist in the tail to this story, even O’Henry would approve.