AHMEDABAD — India will have to quickly plug its shortcomings and pick the right team when it goes into the second and last Twenty20 cricket international against arch-rival Pakistan Friday, if it wants to level the two-match series. India suffered a five-wicket drubbing in the opener in Bangalore after a middle-order collapse, which saw the hosts struggle to 133-9 after being 90-2 at one stage. On arrival in Ahmedabad Wednesday, the Pakistanis were once again greeted amidst tight security. There was a lot of excitement among cricket fans in Ahmedabad with reports suggesting that many of them have bought match tickets at exorbitant prices. Some fans claimed that they had paid 10 times the original price. The hosts desperately need a win and the pressure will be on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men to deliver the goods when it matters the most. Apart from Gautam Gambhir (43) and Ajinkya Rahane (42), all the other batsmen failed to apply themselves when confronted against a strong bowling attack spearheaded by the experienced Umar Gul. In fact, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were the only ones other than the openers to have reached the double figures. India would need the likes of Virat Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma to regroup and fire in unison against the traditional rivals who are also equally determined to clinch the T20 series. The bowling also remains a persistent headache for the Indians. Except for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished with impressive figures of three for nine in his debut game, none of the other bowlers could trouble the Pakistani batsmen. Ashok Dinda, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja all struggled to get wickets or even check the flow of runs. The decision to leave out Ravichandran Ashwin was seen as a move that worked in Pakistan's favor and Dhoni might be tempted to play him in the must-win tie. The Indians had opted to go in with three specialist seamers in the last match and it will be interesting to see whether they go in with the same strategy or include a spinner. Dhoni's decision to go in with Jadeja ahead of Ashwin also drew criticism. Besides, innumerable chances given to Sharma have also been the talking point and the Indian think-tank may have a lot of work to do before it settles for Friday's playing XI. Pakistan, on the other hand, lived up to its reputation of a strong bowling unit with three specialist pacers — Gul, Sohail Tanvir and lanky debutant Mohammad Irfan — wrecking havoc on a pace-friendly Chinnaswamy track. They would look to carry on the momentum Friday also though the Sardar Patel track may not give them much assistance. The visitors' batting, however, has been a cause of concern for them with openers Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad struggling to provide a platform during their run chase at Bangalore. Even the reliable Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi failed to get big scores. Hafeez and Shoaib Malik were the saving grace and Pakistan would hope that they continue with their exploits along with the others striking form. — Agencies
