January 29, 2006	Sunday	Zilhaj 28, 1426

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KARACHI, Jan 28: Rival skippers Inzamamul Haq and Rahul Dravid played down the verbal confrontations which took place in the first two Tests of the ongoing series between Pakistan and India.

Talking to reporters at the pre-Test media briefing at the National Stadium after teams had nets, both Inzamam and Dravid were of the view that the series had been played in the best of spirits.

“I agree that certain players got engaged in such stuff like exchanging words and glaring at each other. But on the whole, we have high regard for the Indian players,” Inzamam clarified.

The articulate Indian captain echoed Inzamam’s words while adding there was no animosity between players of both teams.

“Basically, we had been playing each other in the best possible atmosphere and our guys had made good friends with Pakistani players over the years. The question of any sort of discord never arises as far as I know,” Dravid pointed out.

Inzamam, however, admitted playing in an India-Pakistan series does create a lot of tension on the players. “Any cricket series between Pakistan and India is very tough for the players.

There is a huge amount of expectations from us and the public interest is intense. In that scenario, a few bunters here and there only add to the drama,” the Pakistan captain commented.

Talking about the final Test, Inzamam claimed the pressure of playing to win is always on the home team. “Yeah, there is a lot of pressure when you are playing in front of your own crowds. Generally, they expect us to do well all the time. My view is simple on this topic. We always try our best when we’re on the field.

“Winning and losing is part and parcel of the game because both teams can’t win at the same time. It is the manner who you play the game that counts,” Inzamam declared.  

About his playing in the series-deciding Karachi Test, Inzamam said that he would wait until the last moment before deciding whether it would be wise for him to risk his injured back.

“At the moment, I’m taking extensive treatment and feeling much better than I did during the Faisalabad Test. But I can’t decide right now that I should play or not,” he remarked.

Both Dravid and Inzamam agreed that the NSK pitch has more ‘life’ than the strips on which the first two Tests were played and the batsmen created record after record.

“This pitch definitely looks impressive at the moment and promises much more than was case in Lahore and Faisalabad,” Dravid quipped.

“All credit to the curator here who has done a fine job so far.” Inzamam also praised the pitch preparations.

“It certainly appears to be a good Test match strip and the toss could be a vital factor first thing, Sunday morning.”

Meanwhile, former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding described the NSK pitch as a welcome respite following the insipid tracks which led to high-scoring draws in the previous Tests of the series.

“Without doubt, the pitch here is a contrast to what we had seen in the series. There is no reason why a result in this match is not forthcoming if it stays the same way,” Holding said.

“Pace bowlers would relish their turns at the bowling crease because the surface has a fair bit in it for them to exploit,” the West Indian legend, who has never played a Test against Pakistan, added.