Good win for India. Overall, we have been better at the key moments but not by any great distance. Pakistan had their chances in the match but they let them slip, mainly because a number of their batsmen seemed to throw away starts and apart from Shoaib and Tanvir at times, their bowling was extremely ordinary. Kaneria was fodder and Sami, even though he was putting in good effort, got very little out of the track. But if Gul and Asif are back, they could well transform into a very good test outfit, simply because of their bowling attack, if nothing else.
India have some problems of their own. Karthik needs to get runs soon. I know he has done exceedingly well but the way selectors and selections work, one bad test is all you need to go out of the reckoning, esp. since you have failed a few times in ODIs as well, and somehow Indians remember ODIs a lot more than tests. Harbhajan got wickets but didn't look threatening.. Munaf was ok, but not good enough to be a strike bowler for a test side. Kumble did well but again, seemed to have only one or two ways of getting a batsman out and for me, was kinda one dimensional. Zaheer has looked good but again, he doesn't strike me as the sort who can run through sides on his own too often. I think we were more than helped out by some inept Pakistan batting.
But focussing on the positives, Jaffar looked very good and in control while he was out there, which augurs well for the side. Laxman showed some solidity but again showed how ineffective he tends to be in batting with the tail. Dravid stuck around as is his wont but should look to go on with these starts now... Ganguly had a magical game with the ball and was a real surprise package as a third seamer in the side. He seems to be the lone real attacking batsman now in the side, apart from Dhoni and hence is a pretty important player in the scheme of things. If he comes off, it will make things that much more easier for the team. The bowling looked very purposeful, if not always menacing and the fielding strategies etc. seemed very well planned. It never looked as though the Indians were going through the motions and that is a great thing to see in a side.
Most of all, the biggest positive has been Kumble's captaincy. I had expected him to be a solid captain but he has pleasantly surprised me with the sort of nous he has shown and the sort of gambles he seems to be prepared to take. I just hope he goes from strength to strength and helps the players get better as well. He is def. my MoM.
