Battlelines are drawn for series

Two of cricket's oldest rivals go head-to-head once again in a series of five one-day matches and three Tests.

India will try to make maximum use of home advantage to score over a Pakistan side which is young and evolving. Fans can be assured that the series will be fought hard as usual.

India-Pakistan matches are akin to the England-Australia Ashes contests. Every player on both sides will rise above the ordinary while taking on the old enemy.

Pakistan have struggled against South Africa recently. But be assured that when they see India's men in blue, they are bound to see red.

Both teams are going through a period of transition particularly after their early World Cup exits. India slightly have their nose in front after beating Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup.

At the helm of affairs of both teams are two young men who have shown that they have the potential to be long-term captains. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has done everything to prove that he has the brains and the backing to be a good captain for India.

Shoaib Malik is a refreshing change for Pakistan and though he came under pressure against South Africa, he has done enough to justify his selection.

The make or break man of the series will undoubtedly will be comeback man Shoaib Akhtar. If he finds fitness and form, Akhtar could well influence the outcome of the series.

Akhtar has the pace and ability to unsettle the best batsmen. Even on the usually unresponsive Indian wickets, Akhtar can be a major threat.

India's curators will definitely prepare spinning wickets and will try to negate Akhtar's pace.

Pakistan possess a decent spin attack with leg-spinner Shahid Afridi leading the way. Afridi has been in great bowling form and will play a major role in the series.

If Afridi comes off with the bat as well, then Pakistan will really mount the pressure. Pakistan must keep Afridi at the top of the order to take advantage of the field restrictions.

With Mohammed Yousuf back to his best and Younis Khan finding decent form, the Pakistan upper order seems to be settled. Malik, too, is playing well as a batsman which gives added strength to the middle-order.

Pakistan will bank on their pace attack to deliver. Umar Gul and Mohammed Asif are top-class performers. Gul has a deadly yorker which he finds with regularity.

Left-armer Sohail Tanveer has an awkward action which makes him a difficult customer to pick while Iftikhar Anjum is focused on line and length.

India have made a big mistake by dropping the reliable Rahul Dravid. Though the term 'rested' was used to keep him out, it is clear that he has been sacked.

India need Dravid to give spine to the middle-order. It seems that India are still thinking Twenty20 instead of 50-overs.

Dravid is adept at holding the middle-order with sedate batting. He can also turn it on when runs are required quickly. He will be sorely missed.

Virendra Sehwag is back in the side which must lift Indian spirits. He has shown a liking for the Pakistan bowling in the past and it is hoped that he has a successful comeback.

Gautam Gambhir played himself into the Indian side with some fine performances in the Twenty20. But he needs to correct some deficiencies outside the off-stump to keep his place.

Luckily for India, both Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly are in good touch. With Yuvraj Singh now shaping out to be a top-class batsman, India's batting looks secure.

The bowling will be the main worry. Too often, India's pace bowlers having been spraying the ball all around the park. They need to be disciplined, particularly if Afridi gets going.

It is hoped that Harbhajan Singh will be more attacking against Pakistan. He has, too often, tended to be defensive and rarely throws the ball up.

Fielding is another aspect where India will have to tighten up. They must never forget that catches win matches.

India will definitely go all out to beat Pakistan. At the same time they must put the Australian defeat behind them and forget about the Twenty20 World Cup win.

Playing Pakistan is always a different ball game.