Balaji's control and Inzy's cool
From the first few balls of his innings, it was clear that Inzamam-ul-Haq was in great touch
Lakshmipathy Balaji returned to international cricket with a bang, dismissing five Pakistani batsmen by sticking to the basics. He has often spoken of his reliance on accuracy and on the first day he had the numbers to prove it. His discipline against the right-handers was impeccable. He pitched 97% of his balls were on or outside the off stump, tying down the batsmen and making them play at deliveries that cut and swung marginally. While Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan were fiery and swung it more, Balaji's dedication to the rudiments fetched him 5 for 76.
From the first few balls of his innings, it was clear that Inzamam-ul-Haq was in great touch. Where his openers struggled to lay bat on ball, he played swinging deliveries with time to spare. The result was that he and Taufeeq Umar steadied the team after their rocky beginning, and even after Umar's dismissal, he carried on with such comfort that nearly 70% of all the deliveries he faced hit the middle of his bat. Even more remarkably, he was beaten only 2% of the time during his stay on a pitch that afforded the bowlers huge swing.