“Go for a win, Sourav!”

In the end, everything comes down to this day - the final day of the third Test match between India and Pakistan (‘05 tour) at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

From the looks of it, India can afford to relax, having already ensured at Kolkata that it cannot lose this Test Series. And of the three results possible today, India would settle for two of them - an outright win or a draw, as both would ensure a series win. But at the same time, Pakistan would (or should) be okay with two of the three possible results too - a win or a loss (a loss would be okay since a draw would anyway mean a lost series!).

Will India go for a win or will it just play out a draw?!

In my opinion, India should not think about a draw in the first two sessions at all! It has two incentives to go for a win…

1. India was the pre-tournament favourites, and by a long way. But Pakistan’s resurgence has taken them by surprise. However, history remembers results. Hence, a 2-0 series win would keep the favourites tag intact for all posterity.
2. A 2-0 win would take India to the second place in the ICC Test rankings. And that would be a huge achievement for Sourav Ganguly, who is under fire for his lack of form. If you ask me, Ganguly should grab this as a chance to hit back at his critics!
3. Did I say two incentives?! Well, there’s a third one too!! John Wright will, in all probability, quit after the Pakistani tour. The Indian team should be looking to give Wright a victory as a parting gift… after all, it is under Wright’s management that the team has emerged as a strong and consistent performer in world cricket!

All said and done, this should make for a memorable day of Test cricket! I am keeping my fingers crossed!!