The one-day series has been decided but there’s still plenty to look forward to in Jaipur
George Binoy in Gwalior17-Nov-2007
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Praveen Kumar’s debut
Allrounder Praveen Kumar had reason
to celebrate India’s series-clinching victory in Gwalior a little
more than the others. It meant that India would probably rest a
few players and give him an international debut against Pakistan.
It also meant he would not meet the same fate as S Badrinath, who
was selected for a couple of ODIs against Australia and then
dropped without getting a game. He’s a rare breed of bowler in
India, one who swings it both ways, and a hard-hitting batsman.
Tomorrow will prove to be a stern test, for apart from the pressures of a
debut game, a strong performance could win him a berth in the
ODI squad for the tri-series in Australia; and a failure could
see him slip away from reckoning.A final chance to boom
News that Shahid Afridi was
returning to Pakistan after the one-dayers came as a surprise. He
has had an exceptional year; Player of the Tournament at the World
Twenty20 and averaging nearly 30 with both bat and ball in ODIs. However, he has not yet played an explosive
innings in this series, aggregating 73 runs in four innings with a
high score of 31. A dead rubber, devoid of pressure, with no Tests
to look forward to will provide Afridi with the ideal scenario to
cut loose and send the crowds scurrying for cover. Where he bats,
though, is anybody’s guess.Guess who’s back?
After the in-your-face action during the
series against Australia, there hasn’t been much talking or
glaring between the Indians and Pakistanis. But one tends to
forget that the protagonist against Australia has been missing
from the first four ODIs. Sreesanth will play his first game of
the series in Jaipur and bring his aggression, dance moves … and
outswing to the table. Sreesanth has had trouble controlling his
line to the left-handers but Pakistan’s batting line-up, with the
exception of Salman Butt, is full of right-handers against whom
Sreesanth uses his outswingers to good effect.Oh captain my captain
Shoaib Malik’s captaincy tenure is
still in its infant stages but he’s already attracting his fair
share of criticism. A choke in the World Twenty20 final followed
by the defeat against South Africa at home and the one-day loss to
India has already made one of the most insecure jobs in cricket
that much harder. Pakistan’s constant changing of openers, their
shuffling of the batting order, and appalling over-rate in the
first four games has painted a picture of a captain who’s not sure
of himself. Malik can’t change impressions overnight, or with an
improvement in one ODI, but a stronger performance as captain
tomorrow will be a boost ahead of the Tests. And some runs after
four failures would be welcome too.The million-dollar question
Who will open Pakistan’s
innings? Salman Butt has secured one spot but Pakistan have four
options – Kamran Akmal, Imran Nazir, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik –
from which to choose his partner. Akmal has opened twice in the
series but failed both times so that drastically reduces his
chances. Afridi is the perennially exciting option but Pakistan
rarely open with him. Imran Nazir is a specialist in the role and
plays with the recklessness of a teenage driver. If he bats 15
overs, he could cause irreparable damage to the opposition but
whether he will be picked is uncertain. Malik opened in the last
game with limited success. He formed a 78-run stand with Younis
for the second wicket but got out at a crucial stage. Expect him
to face the new ball once again.
