08 March 2005	Tuesday	26 Muharram 1426

MOHALI, March 7: The moment everyone had been waiting for with bated breath has finally arrived as Pakistan and India kick off the first Test in Mohali on Tuesday leaving behind weeks of uncertainty that had threatened this landmark tour.

All eyes will now be on the cricket pitch as Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq and his opposite number Saurav Ganguly aim to lead their sides from the front, for this is one series they would be hoping to win to make a golden addition to their already distinguished careers.

Although Inzamam, who turned 35 last week, said that revenge was not on his mind, he knows just too well he has to make up for the defeats at home last year when India won both the Test and one-day series.

Inzamam, who will be playing his 98th Test feels that his young side was capable of winning the series and indicated that he would be banking more on his pace attack on a pitch which is likely to aid the fast bowlers.

"It is a good wicket for a Test and should help the pace men; the batsmen can also get runs on it provided they concentrate," he told a news conference on the eve of the match at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali.

Pakistan, who trained at the match venue on Monday, were yet to decide on their playing side but India dropped local hero Yuvraj Singh and seamer Ashish Nehra. "We have picked our 12 and both of them are out," said Ganguly after unveiling the series trophy along with Inzamam.

Middle-order batsman Yuvraj's record against Pakistan and his current form in domestic cricket had prompted the selectors to pick him for the Test squad ahead of Mohammed Kaif but Ganguly is faced with the problem of plenty of which left-arm seamer Nehra was also a victim.

Going into the match, Inzamam has a lot of expectations from his young side and conceded that Pakistan would start as the underdogs. "We are not a weak team and it is just that most of the players are short on experience."

Inzamam hoped that in the absence of Shoaib Akhtar, nursing a hamstring injury back home, the Pakistan attack to be spearheaded by Muhammad Sami, would deliver. "The youngsters have done well recently and I don't think Shoaib's absence will be felt much."

"(Leg spinner) Danish Kaneria has been our most successful bowler and could be dangerous on a wicket that may help the spinners after the first day." Pakistan, who have now lost six of their last eight Tests, are unhappy that their only warm-up match was hit by rain last week in Dharamshala.

"We were unlucky not to have got enough practice, but then it wouldn't make so much of a difference because conditions in the subcontinent are similar." Winning the toss on Tuesday, to be done with a special gold coin to mark the occasion, will be important, Inzamam said.

Ganguly termed his side as quite balanced. "The guys have been together now for quite sometime, they have played domestic cricket and will have to play to their potential to win the series."

He agreed to a question that every side would be nervous going into the first Test of a series. "I don't think this will be any different. The India-Pakistan series is always big, it has been in the past and it will be in the future. I feel in terms of tension and in terms of people turning up, it is bigger than the Ashes."

The pressure for both sides would be the same, Ganguly said. "When we went to Pakistan, the pressure was on us as we wanted to beat them there. I think it will be the same here for the two sides."

"Although we have lost to Pakistan four times in one-dayers since our series win there, Test cricket is different; we do understand that Bob Woolmer is a capable coach but it all depends on how you fare in the middle."

And faring well in the park is what the Pakistani players would have to do to gain a quick edge on this tour, which is their first to this country in six years.

PAKISTAN (FROM): Inzamamul Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice captain), Yousuf Youhana, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Taufiq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper) Muhammad Sami, Rana Naveedul Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Arshad Khan, Muhammad Khalil.

INDIA (FROM): Saurav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Lakshmipathy Balaji.