Akhtar did not get a chance to bowl to the Indian team first in this clay pitch. He can be devastating in this pitch.

When I returned to my Rawalpindi hotel on Monday night, a special note was waiting. Sayed, a close friend with influence in Pakistan Cricket Control Board left a message to call him right away. After talking to him I realized India is set win the match. No wonder Saurav has come back. His appearance back in the team was the first signal that India will win. Saurav does not like defeat. On Tuesday I was in the pavilion by 7AM waiting for the Indian team. When the team arrived, I tried to observe their mood based on what I learnt from Sayed on Monday night. According to Sayed, first day will set the tone. This confirms what I heard and informed you earlier few days back that first few hours will set the real tone. Sayed mention no matter what Pakistan fast bowlers will not get a chance to bowl first on this clay wicket. If Saurav wins, India will bowl and if Inzy wins Pakistan will bat first. The pitch is made for India to bat well after supporting the fast bowlers for a while. I understood – India will win. Everyone told me one thing that the match will be exciting to the last moment and first few hours will determine the fate of the match. I was a little surprised in the fact that Saurav did not open. He was planning to do so. You may expect a surprisingly good game from him this time. According to some in Rawalpindi, India will barely win to make it look like a tightly drawn contest. India has one problem though. Some of the generals in the team are not well. However, that does not mean any difference in the outcome of the match. Based on what I heard, this time umpiring will be natural or in India’s favor. That is another confirmation that India is all set to win. Can there be an upset like what happens if India batting line up just collapses? Anything is possible in the cricket. 

Here are some questionable issues. Why did Inzamam-ul-Haq play that delivery from Nehra? Was that run really needed when Sami got run out? One thing I must say - India actually played excellent. We will see. I will keep you informed as I learn more.