Spirited Pakistan face India in First Test (28 January 1999)

28 January 1999

Spirited Pakistan face India in First Test

By Samiul Hasan

CHENNAI (India), Jan 27: Test cricket series between India and Pakistan will finally be resumed on Thursday here at M. A. Chidambaram stadium when a charged-up Pakistan launch their bid to restore their battered pride and reputation by facing India in the first Test of the two-match series.

It will be the first Test between the two teams in about 10 years and first in India since Imran Khan's men won the five-Test series 1-0 in 1987.

A lot will be at stake for Pakistan in this series.

They desperately need to put up a good performance here to revive their claims that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Defeats in the home series against Australia and Zimbabwe have badly tarnished their image as a world beating side which is evident from the fact that they are currently placed seventh in global standings.

Stakes are also high as no game between India and Pakistan is tension free.

"For us, it is another game and we are taking it that way," Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said.

"If our players have not played against India, same is the situation with the Indians. I think they will be under more pressure because they will be playing in their conditions and in front of their own crowd," a relaxed and smiling Akram commented.

The mood in the Pakistan side was very heart-warming at the training session. The players were seen helping and supporting each other in physical training and fielding exercises. There were smiles on the faces of the players which clearly indicated that their minds were focused on nothing but cricket.

"The spirits of the players are very high. They want to perform at any cost and the viewers in Pakistan will see us throwing at everything," Akram said.

But despite all, Pakistan is once again facing fitness crisis. Ijaz Ahmad, the in-form batsman who has scored two centuries and a half century in his last four Tests, is running high temperature while Mushtaq Ahmad has a stiff neck.

"The two are doubtful starters," admitted Akram, adding: "Ijaz missed the Gwalior match because of temperature while Mushtaq has a stiff neck.

He will undergo a MIR later in the day."

If Ijaz and Mushtaq are unable to play in tomorrow's match, Pakistan will be fielding Shahid Afridi and Nadeem Khan while Wajahatullah Wasti will pave the way for Mohammad Naveed Qureshi. All the three players didn't play at Gwalior.

"I am very upset with Wajahatullah Wasti's performance in the three-dayer. Not because he earned a pair but because he was dismissed while playing reckless strokes unbecoming to an opener," Akram said of Wasti who was included in the side amidst praise and high expectations.

Akram didn't agree that the batsmen were still short of match practice.

"Only Saeed Anwar didn't get runs at Gwalior but he is the type of a player who can demolish the opponents with his blazing shots any time.

Akram admitted that playing with three spinners meant that Pakistan will be fielding two seamers. "From Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, we have to pick one pacer."

According to Akram, the wicket, which looks anaemic, was a flat one and might assist the spinners.

Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin expected that the wicket would have early moisture and bounce in it "and the team fielding first should exploit the early advantage. After that, it should play easy."

Azharuddin dismissed the impression that his players were under pressure after New Zealand beat them 1-0 in the Test series and drew the one-day series 2-all. "We have the home advantage. What happened in New Zealand is history now and we are looking ahead.

"It will be a closely fought series and we have to be very watchful against the Pakistanis because their track record outside Pakistan is more impressive than ours," Azharuddin warned.

India have announced their 12 players in which there is no room for H.Kanitkar and Laxmi Ratan Shukla. The fight for who would carry the towels is between Sunil Joshi, the left-arm spinner, and Harbhajan Singh, the off-spinner with a controversial bowling action.

"We plan to go in with two specialist spinners. One will be Anil Kumble while we will pick the second on the morning of the Test," Azharuddin said.

One hopes that this tour of Pakistan should serve as a precursor to a never-ending series of Tests between the two countries.

Pakistan (likely): Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Naveed Qureshi, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Salim Malik, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Wasim Akram (captain), Waqar Younis, Nadeem Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq. Reserves: Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Akhtar, Mushtaq Ahmad, Ijaz Ahmad, Wajahatullah Wasti.

India (from): Mohammad Azharuddin (captain), Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sadagopan Ramesh, Venkatsei Laxman, Nayan Mongia, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi, Harbhajan Singh. Reserves: H.Kanitkar and L.R Shukla.

Umpires: Steve Dunne (New Zealand) and V.K Ramaswamy (India)

Match referee: Cammie Smith (West Indies)

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)