India, Pak renew cricketing rivalry under young leadership

GUWAHATI: Barely a day after imposition of Emergency, Pakistan renew their cricketing rivalry against arch-rivals India with a five-match one-day series here on Monday with two young captains leading a highly talented but unpredictable teams.
    
The political turmoil back home would no doubt weigh down heavily on Pakistanis' mind as they go into the first one-dayer seeking to take an early advantage in the battle of nerves and skills.
    
The series will also be a test of character for the captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan, who have shown a remarkable composure but any contest involving the traditional foes is bound to put that extra bit of pressure.
    
Besides, Malik will also have to manage without their pace spearhead Mohammad Asif, who pulled out of the one-day series owing to his elbow injury, and the experience of former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who recently retired from the international cricket.
    
India would also be without their senior batsman Rahul Dravid, their batting main stay so far who has been dropped for the first two matches of the series.
    
With the talks of 'phasing out process' in the Indian cricket, other two ageing warhorses Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly would also be under pressure as the hosts would rely on their strong opening partnerships.
    
The seasoned Virender Sehwag would also be keen to regain his old magic, particularly as his inclusion in the team in place of former skipper Dravid triggered lot of a debate.
    
Sehwag, who boasts of a 300 plus score against the Pakistanis, would look for a success with his bat against the attack which includes speedster Shoaib Akhtar returning to the team after a long gap.
    
There is lot of interest in cricketing circles about who comes out in the number three batting slot, with skipper Dhoni himself expressing his willingness to bat at that position sometime back, and the followers of the game would be waiting with baited breath to see the mystery unravel.
    
Dhoni, who shot into the limelight with a scintillating hundred against Pakistan at Visakhapatnam, has always had a good record against the neighbours, and the sell out crowd at the stadium would be looking forward to another cracker of an innings from the talismanic Ranchi-based cricketer.
    
India would be keen to wipe off the disappointment of its series defeat against Australia, Pakistan would be licking the wounds of their narrow loss against South Africans and would look to comeback hard at the hosts.
    
But the series opener at the 23,000 capacity Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, where India have won three and lost three one-dayers so far, puts Pakistan on unfamiliar terrain as this is their maiden visit to this part of the country.
    
For the records, Ganguly is close to a personal landmark in bowling, as he is only one wicket away from claiming his 100th victim in one-dayers.
    
Rookie Praveen Kumar has been one of the most consistent bowling all rounders in the Indian domestic tournaments over the last few years, but it remains to be seen whether the selectors opt for a rookie like him in the pressure game.
    
The tourists have a formidable batting line up, with the likes of Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Yousuf and Misbah-ul Haq capable of pulverising any opposition on their day.
    
Salman Butt, who has always relished playing the Indians than any other team, and vice captain Younis Khan are also vital cogs in the visitors' scheme of things.
    
Apart from the cricketing matters, the political events in Pakistan and the security issues in this north-easterntown are also hogging the limelight.
    
The stifling security in the city, with the overbearing presence of hundreds of gun-toting men in uniform on the streets, and in and around the team hotels and venues, is being described by the authorities as the logical response to the violence last year at the stadium after the India-England tie was washed out.
    
But despite the mammoth security apparatus put in place, the fact remains that the two teams are arriving here less than 24 hours before the start of the match and, going by what the local organisers say, the players seem unlikely to have any practice session.
    
But the situation could change once the teams arrive.