India missed Kartik in Mohali

Fielding continues to remain a worry for the captains, but especially the home team’s

It was a victory for cricket at Mohali yesterday. Winning and losing is part of the game, but the enjoyment and pleasure all those who watched the second one-day international between Pakistan and India will not easily be forgotten for a long time.

I must confess I was very surprised that the Indian selectors chose to drop left-arm spinner Murali Kartik and pick Virender Sehwag instead. That seemed to me to have upset the balance of the team. It makes very little sense to have a player of Sehwag’s seniority in the team and not play him regularly. Certainly, a fifth regular bowler, especially one who had done so well in the first game, would have made Pakistan’s job a little more difficult.

Having said that, the curator at Mohali deserves to be complimented for providing an ideal pitch and the batsmen on both sides played their part. After the defeats to India in the Twenty20 championship and the first game in Guwahati, coming along with the defeat to South Africa at home, almost no one would have believed that Pakistan would chase down such a huge total.

A lot of the credit for that must go to Younis Khan, who planned his innings very well and got good support from Misbah-ul Haq. After that, it was a typical Shahid Afridi blast that saw Pakistan home. But there is no doubt that it was a team effort.

Sachin Tendulkar’s innings was also a treat. He played quite beautifully and it was enjoyable to watch the way he went about his job. It was batting of the highest class and I am convinced that it was his dismissal that really halted India. They were looking capable of a really big score at that point and Umar Gul’s comeback spell almost stopped them in their tracks.

Both Gul and Shoaib Akhtar did their job well, but Shoaib is still some way from being at his best. His body, instead of being like a sportsman’s, is just too muscular and he looks very heavy. As a result he is struggling quite a lot, even though he finished with three wickets.

One area both teams need to work on is the fielding. Pakistan were very, very poor in this department and India were not much better. This is a problem we have had for a long time and I feel not enough is being done to improve things. That and the number of extras that both teams gave away will be a worry for their captains and coaches.

I was also impressed by Gautam Gambhir. He is a good prospect and I see a bright future for him. Gambhir is a compact batsman and has a good technique which will hold him in good stead.

After the Mohali result, the series has been thrown wide open.

For Pakistan this will no doubt be a huge morale-boost and such wins do a lot to bolster a team’s confidence. I am sure this will also raise interest in this series even further and I look forward to more exciting matches.