Archrivals India, Pakistan set for another battle of supremacy

Barely a day after imposition of Emergency, Pakistan renew their cricketing rivalry against arch-rivals India with a five-match One-day series in Guwahati on Monday with two young captains leading highly talented but unpredictable teams.
 
 The political turmoil back home would no doubt weigh down heavily on Pakistanis' mind as they go into the first One-dayer seeking to take an early advantage in the battle of nerves and skills.
 The series will also be a test of character for the captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India and Shoaib Malik of Pakistan, who have shown a remarkable composure but any contest involving the traditional foes is bound to put that extra bit of pressure.
 
 Besides, Malik will also have to manage without their pace spearhead Mohammad Asif, who pulled out of the One-day series owing to his elbow injury, and the experience of former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who recently retired from the international cricket.
 
 India would also be without their senior batsman Rahul Dravid, their batting main stay so far who has been dropped for the first two matches of the series.
 
 With the talks of 'phasing out process' in the Indian cricket, other two ageing warhorses Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly would also be under pressure as the hosts would rely on their strong opening partnerships.
 
 The seasoned Virender Sehwag would also be keen to regain his old magic, particularly as his inclusion in the team in place of former skipper Dravid triggered lot of a debate.
 
 Sehwag, who boasts of a 300 plus score against the Pakistanis, would look for a success with his bat against the attack which includes speedster Shoaib Akhtar returning to the team after a long gap.
 
 There is lot of interest in cricketing circles about who comes out in the number three batting slot, with skipper Dhoni himself expressing his willingness to bat at that position sometime back, and the followers of the game would be waiting with baited breath to see the mystery unravel.
 
 Dhoni, who shot into the limelight with a scintillating hundred against Pakistan at Visakhapatnam, has always had a good record against the neighbours, and the sell out crowd at the stadium would be looking forward to another cracker of an innings from the talismanic Ranchi-based cricketer.