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Collapso cricket from the Indians

It took all of 12 overs for Pakistan to wrap the game up, to all intents and purposes.

Saurav Ganguly, without a free-scoring partner at the other end, always looks to be feeling the pressure. It showed in his innings today (the opener made 13 of the first 23, with extras being the next major contributor) and, as the tension mounted, the error appeared. Ganguly drove at a delivery from Akthar that pitched just around off and seamed late, the movement getting the edge through to the keeper.

Rahul Dravid was done by clever bowling. Speaking of which, Akthar's progress as a bowler has been astounding, ever since he displaced Waqar Younis in the Pakistan lineup for the Calcutta Test. With Akram as guide, the young tearaway appears already to have learnt the tricks of one-day bowling, cutting back on the pace, using the really quick ball as one weapon and the well disguised slower one as another. Here, he kept it three quarter pace, and suddenly slipped one in at his fastest -- Dravid, beaten by change of pace, was a lifetime too late on the forward push, the ball through him and on to off stump before the bat came down.

Mohammad Azharuddin's dismissal was one of those that you don't really want to write about. You expect every player -- more so, the captain -- to put a price on his wicket. But what we got here, for the umpteenth time, was a nothing shot to a nothing ball -- the ball from Razzaq was straight and outside off, Azhar with feet in place slashed at it and Moin did the rest off the inevitable edge.

Vinod Kambli was done by a combination of his own lack of match play, and some good bowling. Razzaq produced a slower one on leg and middle, Kambli, without reading the change of pace, waved his bat at it, played too early and was plumb in front when the ball came on to pad.

India at that point were 53/4 at the end of 12 overs, and all analysis in terms of run-rates, comparitive charts et al became irrelevant right there, with the cream of the batting back in the hut.

As wickets tumbled in a heap for India to finish up on 135 all out, to give Pakistan a 143 run win, all that remained was to look at the broader picture.

The enormity of the winning margin is going to have long range repercussions for the Indian team. In the aftermath of the win in the World Cup quarterfinals, India had noticeably shaken off its tendency to buckle under to Pakistan. In the aftermath of that win, India was winning at least as often as it lost, and that meant that play between the two traditional rivals had been brought back to an even keel.

The lackadaisical play that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the Calcutta Test was the beginning of the reversal -- and this win would appear to complete the process of pushing India right back against the wall in future encounters between the two. The Pakistan body language looks increasingly confident, cocksure even, when they are playing India, and the home side is going to find it very difficult to get its morale back again.

The big margin also makes India's task that much more difficult the next time round. When a team gets bowled out for say 200 on a good batting track, it generally comes out to field feeling a touch unsure, on the defensive. This kind of victory will have the opposite effect -- bowl Pakistan out for 200, and Akram and his men are liable to come out thinking right, no sweat, we can take India out for under half that. The mind plays a huge part in sporting encounters, and at this point in time, Pakistan seems well ahead on points, in the battle for the mind.

Ajay Jadeja, after a scratchy, unsure start, came into a semblance of form towards the latter part of his innings. He is much surer in the middle overs against the older ball, and his innings today could at the least have given him some confidence after a dismal run in recent times -- and, hopefully, given the selectors, captain and coach another reminder that Jadeja is best fitted to hold the middle together, not to slow things down at the top.

But all that is grasping at straws. To put it in bare bones terms, Indian cricket, after a brief run of wins in the early part of last year, is back in the doldrums. And with the World Cup coming up, the combination of lacklustre leadership and apathetic performances send out the worst possible signals.

Meanwhile, put it together for Wasim Akram and his team. Suddenly, the morale is as high as it can get, the cricket being played is of the finest, every single member is pulling his weight in the side and more, the leadership is inspirational -- it is all happening to a side that, just six months ago, was in the doldrums and seemingly out for the count.

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