The hype in Lahore is unbelievable

The Indians will really have a huge challenge on their hands on Sunday.

I met Sourav after the game on Friday, and the defeat seemed to have seriously hurt the Indian team. To make matters worse, there is only one day between the two games, which means the visitors have very little recovery match before what is now a do-or-die game for the Indians.

While the batting is still looking pretty good - after all they are being tested by a really good pace attack - Sourav has to make a few decisions pretty quick. The main one is regarding the batting position of VVS Laxman. Ganguly himself has done exceptionally well as an opener as well as at one-down.

Laxman on the other hand excelled at three in Australia, and it could just be a matter of time before he gets going. The decision on Laxman will be crucial for the Indian team tomorrow, since he is a slow starter and could at times rob the batting line-up of some momentum.

The other worry Ganguly has is with his bowlers. If the mainline bowlers are lacking in penetration and experience, there are no incisive bowlers in the middle overs either. Tendulkar is not in the bowling form he was in a couple of seasons ago, and it is unfair to expect him to get breakthroughs regularly.

The middle overs are proving to be bonanza time for the Pakistanis in every game, and Ganguly has to find a way to reverse this trend tomorrow. Ganguly will feel a little reassured by the fact that the Lahore pitch is traditionally full of runs. The heat wave could also help since it would mean that the Pakistani bowlers will tire pretty fast.

Inzamam on the other hand must be a little more relaxed since both his batting and his bowling is clicking at this moment. He took a really big decision by electing to field yesterday, since he was pilloried for the same decision, which he made at Karachi a few days ago.

A lesser man would have opted to bat, but he showed faith in his instincts and let his bowlers have a go on a track that did have some movement. When I spoke to Ganguly before the toss, he seemed to be undecided as to what he would do if he won the toss.

He said it was a good toss to lose, but I still think he would have batted first. I was a little disappointed with the Indian batting yesterday, because they have proved that they can handle lateral movement in the past, but failed to do so in a crucial game.

I also thought that they failed to put pressure on Shabbir Ahmed when the gangly youngster was spraying the ball all over the place. If they had played the way they had at Karachi, they would have seriously dented the bowlers confidence.

Instead, the loss of Tendulkar's wicket transformed him and he was able to bowl unplayable deliveries whenever he got his line right. Seeing a more even contest at Peshawar was quite refreshing after the run feasts we have had so far.

Those who saw the match and pitch yesterday would understand why we were so eager to have a Test match there. The cool climate as well as the sporting track would have made for a very good five-day game, but it was not to be.

The hype in Lahore is unbelievable right now. It's great to see families coming to watch cricket, and this is testimony to the fact that quality crowds are dying to see India and Pakistan play each other.

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