*Official* India in Pakistan Thread

[V Reddy]

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Ultimately, what Indians might have noticed is the drastic change of Pakistan's image in India.I couldn't believe my eyes seeing pak and Ind fans waving their big flags side by side and that too in Pakistan.There were no sign of hostility towards Indians and they enjoyed Indian batting too with an English style sporting spirit.

That was a radical change from the earlier series. The crowd behaviour was the highlight of this match for me. Good to see it getting the attention in Indian media too

 

[CDAK]

Originally posted by jada

I totally agree here Sehwag is under used and should be used more often. I have noticed that his bowling is generally of a lower trajectory, thus being harder to put away for six/four. He could be the fifth bowler. His batting at times is simply awesome!

He is basically an off-spinner, turned to be a batsman(or an allrounder with attacking batting capability).
If Dravid can do the job of full time wicket keeper,then sure Sehwag can be used as a regular bowler .

 

[ReallyCrazy]

With the Indian score on 201/2 after 25 overs, 400 seemed very possible. Pakistan should be glad they gave only 349 and that their "superior" bowling attack didn't get totally r@ped!

Ganguly is back. Again they were bowling short balls at him and he took a positive approach and put it away for fours and sixes. If not for that edge (which he would have connected 9 out of ten times), he would have feasted on the paaki bowlers for sure just like sehwag did. Rahul Dravid was as solid as ever but I thought Kaif could have played a little more positively.

 

[Neil Pickup]

With the Indian score on 201/2 after 25 overs, 400 seemed very possible. Pakistan should be glad they gave only 349 and that their "superior" bowling attack didn't get totally r@ped!

Can we please not use raped or r@ped?

It serves no purpose!

 

[Arjun]

I thought substitutions could only be made if a player is injured...surely your suggestion is against the spirit of the game

That was a move to keep activity on the field high even in middle overs. Besides, Zaheer and Nehra should be used in short spells, and should get some rest, then recharge. It does not matter as long as there are no more than 11 players on the field, unlike in Mohali, where 12'th man Jacob Oram joined the playing XI as a fielder.

Again they were bowling short balls at him and he took a positive approach and put it away for fours and sixes.

He got stuck in to Naved-Ul-Hasan, who lacks the attack power of a fast bowler.

I would even play Parthiv Patel as a wicketkeeper, but neither his wicketkeeping nor batting are up to the mark, but at least he does not mess up 5/7 chances behind the stumps. Luckily Dravid caught the ball, or else it would be prolonged bad luck for Karthik due to sloppy 'keeping.

 

[yohanna]

Ultimately, what Indians might have noticed is the drastic change of Pakistan's image in India.I couldn't believe my eyes seeing pak and Ind fans waving their big flags side by side and that too in Pakistan.There were no sign of hostility towards Indians and they enjoyed Indian batting too with an English style sporting spirit.
I hope the good will tour will continues in the same way..

I found a good article on it.









Green, saffron and white paint a heady picture in Karachi

Kadambari Murali
Karachi, 14 March

On Saturday, all roads led to the National Stadium. Or so it seemed. They came in droves, old men in salwaar kameezs and young ones in tight T-shirts and jeans, a colourful assortment of women with babes-in-arms and groups of teenage girls proudly walking by.

Some held flags, both Indian and Pakistani, most had walked miles past what seemed like a hundred security barriers to get here and all had come with a purpose. They wanted to connect, to share their joy at what was undoubtedly a special occasion and to send a unified message of peace to the millions watching this game on television in India.

These past couple of days here, there has been no acrimony, no jarring voices loudly protesting that Karachi is not staging a Test match, no incidents that could sour what will hopefully be a "New Beginning".

Karachiites were determined to make sure that the start of this historic series in their city would be one that all who witnessed would remember.

It's difficult to put into words the feeling inside the stadium, in the city or even right through this tour --- this bonding between complete strangers from different sides of a volatile border. To be Indian is to be bombarded by so much warmth and affection that it all gets very emotional.

The Indian team has of course been welcomed with open arms by all with access to them --- airport staff, hotel employees and assorted officials.

But the spontaneous standing ovation that Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag got when they walked out to bat was a touching moment and one that neither will probably forget.

Though the crowd did get somewhat silent when Sehwag launched the first wave of attack, people soon just sat back and enjoyed the run-riot.



Rahul Dravid was being egged on to his century when he lost his concentration and his wicket. There was none of the negative chanting that those of us from north India frequently hear (the "Pakistan hai hais") in Indian stadia even when Pakistan isn't around. Nor was there a mass exodus after the Indian batsmen plundered nearly 350 runs.

Yes, there was a fearsome security ring around National Stadium, but if you were Indian, you got through it fairly easily.

Even the feared Pakistani rangers were apologetic about the amount of security around. One laughingly ushered some of us reporters into the stadium, saying there was no need for Pakistan's guests to be put through so many security checks. "Andar jaane do, andar check ho jayenge," he told an over-zealous colleague. And on Friday, when one of the Rangers found us hanging around outside the stadium in search of a taxi, he found us one, saying he would make sure the cabbie didn't fleece us.

Along with the larger picture, it's been these small gestures -- the way strangers have come up and invited us home, the way unfamiliar faces have made special efforts to make vegetarian food, the way we've been quizzed on every facet of India --- that have made the difference.

Thus far, it's been an experience of a lifetime for those of us lucky enough to be here. The valley of shadows seemingly doesn't exist and we've been welcomed with open hearts. The message from Pakistan is clear. It's up to us to reply.

 

[OZOZ]

With the Indian score on 201/2 after 25 overs, 400 seemed very possible. Pakistan should be glad they gave only 349 and that their "superior" bowling attack didn't get totally r@ped!

.

By the same token India should be more than relieved to have won the match ( though only barely) because had Pakistan chased the total, India would have become the only team in the world to have lost the match after scoring 349!

Indian bowlers have conceded nearly 700 runs in less than 100 overs in just 3 days, had i been in Indian camp i would have been a worried man!

 

[CDAK]

Excellent.!!! This article reflects the minds of thousands of Indians in the stadium and millions watching in TV; I hope the image will never be shattered.
thanx Youhanna

 

[CDAK]

Nehra seems to be back in form.He touched 148km/hr on 2 occasions and a few 145s, with steady line.He was a shadow of his own, in Australia.

The amazing thing about pakistan's brave chase was, they had only 2 capable batsmen to chase the total(Inzi and Youhanna) and both of them clicked at the right moment.Had India got any one of them early,it would have been a different story. All the credits to Inzi , he was like Viv Richards in form.

Tommorrow's match is suppossed to be a low scoring match, so better chance for Pakistan to level the series; provided, "Ravalpindi Xpress"[b/] should go thru its correct track and break the " Great Wall of India".

 

[Raj123]

its good that nehra is getting back to his old self and ganguly is persisting with him. He is easily india's fastest bowler at the moment(when fit).

 

[Craig]

He maybe the fastest, but it doesnt make him good.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Raj123]

thanks.

Its hard to prove how good you are if the selectors are hell bent on selecting you even when you are not fit just because they dont have any other bowler.

He's talented and gives every thing hes got(at least when bowling) which cant be said for others in the side.

 

[yohanna]

Nehra was highly impressive during WC, though after the WC his performance was very dissapointing and i thought he might lose his place to promissing Irfan Pathan.However his performance against Pak at Karachi onedayer wasn't bad, especially the last over was a very good one.

 

[ajaagarkarajaaja]

Saqlain and Shabbir didn't play did they?

Either of them would be welcomed into that current Indian attack IMO.

Are you talking about Shabbir Ahmad?? Nothing against that Pak pacer but whta has the guy done except making headlines for either getting wickets against hopeless Bangladesh or because of being reported by umpire for suspect action.His action has been cleared by UWA, and i respect their decision but there is no way a bowler like Shabbir can even be considered for Indian A team. India have quality pacers in left triplets (Zaheer,Pathan, Nehra) and Balaji in the team, while someone like Ajit Agarkar is yet to join the team for test series. I don't see how Shabbir could have replaced anyone of them.

 

[Tim]

today I was watching the NZ/SA test match and then switched on a few hours later to the Ind/Pak highlights, the comparison in the atmosphere is amazing.

Well duh, one match is firstly a test match heading towards a draw being played in dreary old Hamilton while the other is the opening to an ODI Series where India is travelling to Pakistan for the first time in 14 years. And no doubt the amount of runs being scored in that match had something to do with it also!.

 

[marc71178]

Are you talking about Shabbir Ahmad??
His action has been cleared by UWA, and i respect their decision but there is no way a bowler like Shabbir can even be considered for Indian A team.

Liam, we told you not to share your "stuff" with other forum members!

 

[Haris-Melbourne]

Hi marc
just out of curiosity what does AAAS stand for...?

 

[masterblaster]

Read My Avatar:

"Self Elected Vice President of AAAS"

(Ajit Agarkar Appreciation Society)

 

[SquidAU]

India really should take the ODI series. They have the batsmen and the bowlers (when fit!).

 

[Raj123]

here we go again.......

"Left-arm fast bowler Ashish Nehra has injured his left ankle and been ruled out of Tuesday's second Limited Overs International against Pakistan at Rawalpindi"

http://in.rediff.com/cricket/2004/mar/15faisal2.htm