Buoyant Pakistan ready for India

It's been just two days since they suffered their second-heaviest defeat in Tests, but India's chance for redemption isn't too far away. Victory in the five-match one-day series, starting in Peshawar on February 6, would go a long way in soothing the wounds but India will know that they begin the contest as underdogs, against a buoyant side that has won 10 of their last 12 games.

The upbeat Pakistan squad, almost identical to their Test side, trained for around two hours at the Arbab Niaz Stadium this afternoon, with Inzamam-ul-Haq having a long batting session. Inzamam had missed the Karachi Test owing to a long-term back injury but was expected to don the pyjamas for the opening game here.

There was already a buzz outside the ground, with the public looking forward to the first one-dayer in the city for more then 16 months. The authorities at the Arbab Niaz Stadium indicated that tickets were all sold out and close to 15000 were expected to turn up. Recently England had refused to play in Peshawar citing security fears and the city has always been in the spotlight owing to its proximity to Afghanistan.

Ten members of the Indian squad had a net session this morning before heading off to visit the Khyber Pass. India's spirit received a boost with the addition of four new players to the squad, with Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Murali Kartik and S Sreesanth having a net session in the afternoon.

Having been part of the Uttar Pradesh side that recently triumphed in the Ranji Trophy triumph, Kaif and Raina would be expected to provide a lift with their acrobatic fielding along with some handy middle-order runs. Kartik will provide the team with the left-arm spin option and, considering Harbhajan Singh's indifferent form so far, he might turn out to be a crucial addition.

Despite winning eight of their last 12 games, India, as Rahul Dravid has admitted, are yet to completely come to terms with the new ODI rules (Supersubs and Powerplays). They will be up against a side that have thrived under the innovations - with multi-dimensional players oozing out of every pore - and can easily have the momentum stolen from under their noses.

As expected, security arrangements were beefed up for the game, with the full knowledge that even a minor occurrence could be a black mark. Two days ago, the local police were forced to laathi-charge angry fans who protested against the non-availability of tickets but they will hope that the next two days pass without incident.