Rain threat over series decider

Chilly winds, rains forecast for next two days; Malik ruled out

BANGALORE: Bangalore is known to be a lucky ground for Pakistan. They have not lost a Test in the Garden City since 1980. More than that, they have recorded some decisive wins here — once in 1987 when Imran Khan led the team to that epic series-winning triumph and then again in 2005, when Inzamam-ul-Haq made his 100th Test memorable by guiding his boys to a series-levelling victory. And this time?

It is unlikely the Pakistan team will be as lucky here. Just two days before the third and final Test, their skipper Shoaib Malik has been ruled out of the contest.

And more than that, the Test itself is unlikely to witness uninterrupted play. A draw here would give India the series, which means Pakistan will go home empty-handed — with defeats in both Tests and ODIs.

Since the teams arrived here on Wednesday, the city has got a cloud cover. Weather has been chilly and days gloomy. One would not need the help of a Simon Taufel and his light meter to know if the conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is cricket worthy. If Thursday was a match day, there would not have been any action.

The local Met department has forecast worse things — chilly winds with intermittent rains — for the next three days, which means play on the first two days could well be truncated if not washed out. A result, therefore, is difficult to expect.

The pitch here has seen a remarkable change in the last 24 hours. The 22-yard rectangle had green patches on Wednesday but a day later, it’s shade was more brown than green.

Mind you, Rahul Dravid had hit a comfortable century against Himachal Pradesh on this surface in a Ranji match just over 10 days ago.

Local curator Narayan Murty and BCCI’s chief curator Daljit Singh opine that the wicket is full of runs — and can take turn only on the fourth day. That is good news for Anil Kumble & Co, who will be going into the Test with a 1-0 cushion.