COCHIN, April 1: The heat is likely to get worse for beleagured Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly when the first One-day International (ODI) against arch-rivals Pakistan takes place here on Saturday.
Ganguly, after a horrendous Test series where he scored mere 48 runs in five innings, has been under tremendous pressure. Some want him replaced as captain, some want him replaced as batsman and some want both.
A loss to Pakistan in the six-match ODI series might instigate any of those scenarios.
At the pre-match press conference, Ganguly looked unperturbed bristling with confidence. Asked how important the series is to him as an individual, he replied, “Every series is important, but as captain of the side I need to hit the ball well and bat well.”
That is something he hasn’t done, and it has put arguably the world’s strongest batting line-up in an unusual predicament. India’s recent one-day form has been poor; it has been since the series win against Pakistan last year and much of the reason has been a highly-rated, but misfiring batting line.
Of course, with four wins out of four since the series last March, Pakistan will know all about India’s problems. Furthermore, the euphoric nature of the Bangalore win has instilled further confidence into the side, evident clearly in their buoyant practice sessions.
And if you look at Pakistan’s one-day record against the hosts in India - 11 wins and four losses - one might be tempted to wager on Pakistan winning the series comfortably.
Not so if you’re Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq. Looking - inevitably - relaxed he says: “The confidence from Bangalore is there definitely, but previous victories and records don’t count for much.”
Even the loss of in-form, vice-captain Younis Khan - out with a throat infection - might not be the worse thing.
Younis’ likely replacement, Shoaib Malik is not only in good form - he hit 81 off 78 balls in a warm-up game in Hyderabad - but has a predilection for Indian bowling and has averaged 42 since the Asia Cup.
By the time he comes in - Inzamam hinted that Shahid Afridi might open - he may already have the perfect platform on which to unveil his talents.
The pitch has history with runs, big runs. In three previous matches here, 300 has been crossed thrice. Against South Africa on the 1999-00 tour, India chased 302 successfully.
This time, both captains acknowledged, promises little different.
The pitch is flat and brown; the kind one suspects batsmen stay up at night and pray for.
As Inzamam acknowledged, with the high humidity and pitch thus, fast bowlers might be conspicuous by their absence. It is unlikely that either Pakistan or India will go in with more than two; Mohammad Sami and Rana Naveedul Hasan for the former and Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji for the latter.
For Pakistan then, the choice may be between Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Hafeez, who can also bat. India meanwhile is likely to include left-arm spinner Murali Kartik.
Nothing, as we now know, can ever be certain when these two sides meet. As Ganguly said, this is a new series, Bangalore has been forgotten and a different ball-game commences.
“I’m expecting close matches because the wickets are so good in this part of the world.”
Pakistan (from) - Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Inzamamul Haq (captain), Yousuf Youhana, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Arshad Khan, Rana Naveedul Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Danish Kaneria, Asim Kamal.
