Outcome will now boost Pakistan’s confidence

Let me start by first congratulating the Pakistan team for a relentless fighting display.

They were on the back foot for the first three days of the Test match, but the manner in which they came back into the game is commendable as well as encouraging.

The fact that they did so under tremendous pressure only adds to the sheen of their performance.

With the Eden Test drawn, the next and final Test in Bangalore promises to produce some livewire cricket as Pakistan will carry forward the confidence of having survived a stiff test in Kolkata.

Pakistan’s second innings hero was definitely their captain Younis Khan, and even though the senior pro played a somewhat rash shot in the first innings, he redeemed himself today with a superb knock that was in sync with the situation.

Had one more wicket fallen at that juncture — with the first innings centurions, Mishbah-ul Haq and Kamran Akmal, already back in the pavilion — the game would have tilted in favour of India with the home team, perhaps, sniffing another victory.

However, the way in which Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf played out time was commendable.

Misbah, Kamran and Mohammad Sami had earlier showed their team-mates that there was not much in the wicket. In the second innings, the two team seniors applied themselves brilliantly and Younis was rightly rewarded with a well-deserved century.

In short, Pakistan came up trumps when it mattered. Also, it was important for Yousuf to play himself back into form, and there is no better way to do it than by spending time out in the middle.

Younis may have got the hundred, but Yousuf’s innings too was precious and it will definitely boost his confidence.

Again I have a feeling that the Indian batsmen did not play fully to the situation in the second innings.

The match was theirs to take, but they did not score quickly enough and that in turn did not give the bowlers enough time to skittle the Pakistan batters.

Having said that, it is difficult to judge just how much time was really required to get 10 wickets since the pitch hardly deteriorated as much as it was expected.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and some of the other Indians had predicted that their spinners would do the job on the fifth day but a combination of time, lack of assistance from the pitch and some unimpressive tactics combined with quality batting by Pakistan saw this match end in a well-contested draw.

My only worry ahead of the third Test is the Pakistan bowling. The batsmen have proved themselves brilliantly in Kolkata and to some extent in Delhi too.

It is the bowling that is a cause for concern. Shoaib Akhtar is the only one who has really looked capable of taking wickets in every spell he has bowled. Unfortunately, none of the others have shown much confidence.

To win a match, you need to take 20 wickets, but how Pakistan plans it with one effective bowler is to be seen.

Danish Kaneria too was out of his elements though to be fair, even Indian spinners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh,  struggled to take wickets in Eden.