India vs. Pakistan test series

[Salamuddin]

Recent tests between PAK and IND have been very close -- I don't see how this will be any different.

It would be unwise of Pakistan to underestimate India's bowling.

If India can get Zaheer and Salvi back, their pace attack will be decent.
And Kumble has caused Pakistan lots of problems in the past.

 

[V Reddy]

I would say that the outcome of the series would be in the hands of Shoaib and SAQLAIN (remember that both did well in the last test series in India)

I feel that Saqlain is still a very good bowler and if he is given a chance then he will prove many people wrong. If Saqlain is not selected then Indians victory chances will get brighter.

Remember Saqlain's endless spells from one end, combined with high pace from the other is something what Pak should be looking for.

And Ather would have to be at his brilliant best, if not then it would be disaster for Pak, as i don't see Sami,Shabbir or Umar as a real threat for Indian batters!

When i posted that i thought that Saqlain was not going to play.

If India post around 400 in every innings then i think India would win the series but other than that it is very difficult. I feel that the Indian bowling attack with Zaheer is good. Zaheer needs to play against Eng A if he is fit. If he is back to good bowling form then a bowling attack of Zaheer , Agarkar , Pathan and Kumble will be quite good when there is a big score on the board. I really hope that Salvi maintains fitness and retains the good form as i think he is very talented and will give the Indian attack formidability.

 

[Choora]

1 swallow does not a summer make, so until they repeat this, there's no hard facts.

Agreed, thats why i agree with Imran and all the others that India is not the number one team in the world. However keeping in mind Indian team recent performance it is more than likely that India will emerge victorious!

 

[Choora]

Some people here were talking about crowd.There are reports that 10-15 thousands Indian fans will cross the border to watch the cricket match in Pak.If it happens and Pak team do lose the first two matches of the series then i think we will see more Indian flags than Pakistani flags in the stadium in the rest of the series

 

[warrioryohannan]

The Pakistan bowling attack is no doubt good. Shoaib Akhtar is world class. But I dont think he will cause much trouble to the world's best batting line up. The Indians dominated the Aussie bowling attack IN AUSTRALIA where the pitches were supposed to be full of pace and bounce.

There is a big difference between the bowling attack of Australian team (which India faced recently) and that of Pak.If someone think that facing Lee and Akhter is the same thing then its a big mistake.Also if the pitches of Aus offered pace and bounce to the bowlers than the pitches in Pak will help in revese swing. Australian team simply didn't had bowlers to take advantage of the bowling condition, infact i would say that even Pak spin department in Saqlain and Danish is better than that of Aus .

However i think that Indian team is going to play with a mission and if they can see off Akhter then they can win the series.

India do have one advantage ove pak, they have a better captain in Ganguly, Inzi on the other hand is totally unimpressive as a skipper!

 

[FRAZ]

India do have one advantage ove pak, they have a better captain in Ganguly, Inzi on the other hand is totally unimpressive as a skipper! [/B][/QUOTE]
Well said .As long as Ganguly stays positive , He is gonna win against Pakistan . People say that Personal performances matter rather than captaincy . They are absolutely wrong . One good captain is needed to win and thats it . Ganguly is the most productive captain that I have seen after Imran , Waugh and Cronje . Forget the batting and forget what happens when a captain is batting . The captain works in the field and Ganguly despite having youngsters and some ordinary resources ,produces miracles out of nowhere due to his field placing and bowling changes . I reall admire him as a captain . And also one more thing when ever you are gonna interview him then he will always back his team and teammates and accepts all the blaims on himself . Thats the spirit . Go Ganguly !!!As far as Inzi is concerned he truly is a innocent and rather stupidly innocent creature of God and he doesnt do any thing significant and he depends upon the Bowlers to do every thing on their own .

 

[Jono]

Very good point regarding the captaincy. Ganguly is proving to be a solid captain who believes strongly in his team. Inzi doesn't have that and isn't as firm I believe. I know it's too early to judge Inzi, but does anyone know why Youhana wasn't made captain? I always thought he would do well with that role.

 

[twctopcat]

Everyone goes on about akhtar and sami but i'm looking out for pathan in this series. He's only young but he has the support from Ganguly and could really break through, he's been getting better and better down under and will pose a real threat.

 

[marc71178]

However keeping in mind Indian team recent performance it is more than likely that India will emerge victorious!

You do have to remember that Pakistan too have had some very good recent results!

I think the poll on this one says it all - too close to call accurately!

 

[Neil Pickup]

You do have to remember that Pakistan too have had some very good recent results!

I think the poll on this one says it all - too close to call accurately!

Which is why I'm not voting as I have no idea

 

[warrioryohannan]

Everyone goes on about akhtar and sami but i'm looking out for pathan in this series. He's only young but he has the support from Ganguly and could really break through, he's been getting better and better down under and will pose a real threat.

Everyone is talking about Akhter because if Ather performs then Pak have a chance to win , but if he's a flop then Pak would lose rather badly!!

Pathan is a good find by India, but he's not an automatic selection, not can he be the difference between the two teams.If Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan get fit then Indian bowling lineup would probably be like Zaheer,Ajit,Kumble and Harb!

 

[Anil]

An India-Pakistan series is not usually about current form, but a special kind of adrenalin rush which grips both teams and their fans. After the Sharjah thriller starring Miandad, it seemed for a long time that Pakistan had the measure of India no matter how poorly they play other countries or how well India play against others. The current Indian team doesn't show that psychological disadvantage however. That in itself should make for a very exciting series. Let's hope the series steers clear of any extraneous controversies and is all about cricket. As to who will win, these are the two most mercurial teams in cricket and the ties between them have all the ingredients of a classic thriller. So, in short, I have no clue who will win although I hope India get that elusive overseas victory in Pakistan. That would be even sweeter than a win down under!

 

[imranrabb]

Pakistan are going to crush india

Pakistan will win 3-0 in the tests and 5-0 in the oneday.shoiab akhtar will be the man of the series for both

 

[aussie_beater]

Re: Pakistan are going to crush india

Pakistan will win 3-0 in the tests and 5-0 in the oneday.shoiab akhtar will be the man of the series for both

you sure seem to have got the Nostradamus trait, there....eh ??

 

[Neil Pickup]

Re: Pakistan are going to crush india

Pakistan will win 3-0 in the tests and 5-0 in the oneday.shoiab akhtar will be the man of the series for both

Welcome to CricketWeb.

I add that Exeter City are going to win the 2006 UEFA Cup.

 

[Choora]

Re: Pakistan are going to crush india

Pakistan will win 3-0 in the tests and 5-0 in the oneday.shoiab akhtar will be the man of the series for both

The name is Shoaib and NOT Shoiab ...LOL

After getting thrashed in the first two test matches, Shoaib Akhter will miss the last test match and the oneday series with an excuse of injury . Pak is going to lose the test series 3-0 to India and the onedayers will be like 4-1 to India:P

 

[FRAZ]

Re: Re: Pakistan are going to crush india

The name is Shoaib and NOT Shoiab ...LOL

After getting thrashed in the first two test matches, Shoaib Akhter will miss the last test match and the oneday series with an excuse of injury . Pak is going to lose the test series 3-0 to India and the onedayers will be like 4-1 to India:P

You what .. I am not british and either you,why are you dissing about the spellings . Please try to understand , The guy made his opinion and you made yours . End of story . Any ways the guy didnt say much wrong . Any ways lets see.

 

[twctopcat]

Pathan is a good find by India, but he's not an automatic selection, not can he be the difference between the two teams.If Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan get fit then Indian bowling lineup would probably be like Zaheer,Ajit,Kumble and Harb! [/B]

I was just pointing out how everyone sees it as a battle between pakistan bowlers and indian bowlers but i think that the indian batsmen will stand up much better to the pakistani bowlers than the other way round, resulting in a indian test series win. Pathan just impressed me in the tests recently, especially with those wickets of waugh adnd gilchrist in the 5th test, a great find.

 

[iamdavid]

Re: Pakistan are going to crush india

Pakistan will win 3-0 in the tests and 5-0 in the oneday.shoiab akhtar will be the man of the series for both

hmm , does this remind you guys of any young Indian males who formed a part of our community until just recently

Welcome to the boards

 

[iamdavid]

This is going to be a fantastic series , Im not gonna miss a ball.

On paper the sides really are to close to call , in terms of ability its dead even.
So it comes down to leadership & the hunger to win for me , whichever team is working together the best & wants to win the most will in all likelyhood take out this series.
And its for that reason that Im backing India.
Hopefully Sehwag will be exposed by Shoaib.
For me the key battles will be -

Irfan Pathan v Taufeeq Umar
Umar has the makings of a great opening batsman , and Pathan showed the potential to go an awfully long way in Australia with his ability to swing the ball both ways regardless of how old it was or the conditions , as well as his great attitude.
If the Pakistani openers are able to see off the new ball then they will put imense pressure on Ganguly with his bowling changes & test the Indians new found confidence & body language.
However if Pathan & Zaheer are able to get into the talented middle order early then things could get messy , Youhana in particular is vunerable to the swinging ball early on.

Anill Kumble v Yasir Hameed
Kumble was able to wreak havoc against the lead footed Australians at Sydney , but the dashing Hameed is unlikely to let him settle into a rythym in the same way Damien Martyn did :rolleyes: .
If Hameed gets on top of the Indian spinner , in particular Kumble , then he will set the tone for the series by pushing Ganguly onto the backfoot & forcing him into defensive mode.

Rahul Dravid v Shoaib Akhtar
With his tight technique & moderate backlift Dravid is perhaps the best equiped batsman in the world to deal with extreme pace , and if he can see off Shoaib's early onslaughts & put a dent in his confidence then he should set Sachin , Ganguly & Laxman up for a feast later on.
At the same time if Akhtar & Sami can blast out Dravid early on then they can do it to anyone & will put extreme pressure on Tendulkar.

Hopefully the teams go something like-
Pakistan
1.T.Umar
2.I.Farhat
3.Y.Hameed
4.Y.Youhana
5.I.Ul-Haq
6.Y.Khan/A.Razzaq/S.Malik
7.M.Khan
8.S.Mushtaq
9.S.Akhtar
10.M.Sami
11.D.Kaneria

India
1.V.Sehwag
2.A.Chopra
3.R.Dravid
4.S.Tendulkar
5.V.Laxman
6.S.Ganguly
7.P.Patel
8.I.Pathan
9.A.Kumble
10.A.Agarkar/M.Kartik
11.Z.Khan

Im assuming based on all the reports Ive seen that Zaheer will be fit but Harbhajan wont.