Pace attack gives Pakistan the edge

After two series dominated by talk of building bridges and cross-border bonhomie, the cricket will push itself to the forefront at the third time of asking. While goodwill stays on the periphery, this will be a keenly contested series between two teams that couldn't be separated in India ten months ago, and which have since gone on to consolidate and improve their positions in the ICC Test table.

After victory against England which was as emphatic as the 2-0 scoreline suggests, Pakistan must surely start favourites on home soil. Until the victories at Multan and Rawalpindi in 2004, India hadn't even won a Test across the border and there will be no hospitability on offer from a side that Inzamam-ul-Haq has transformed with the help of Bob Woolmer.

As has traditionally been the case when these two old rivals meet, Pakistan's hopes are centred on a fearsome pace attack and a middle order that looks full of runs. Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mohammad Asif - the back-up - can all comfortably exceed 140 kmph, with Rana also proving a dab hand at exploiting any juice there may be in the pitch.

Shoaib, you sense, will be the key. Out in the cold when Pakistan toured India, and shredded by the Indian batsmen on their last visit to Pakistan, Shoaib has found a second wind in his fourth decade. England's batsmen were often undone by his searing pace, but they were equally flummoxed by the slower delivery that he has worked on to such telling effect in recent months. With speed his calling card, Shoaib doesn't need a seaming, grassy pitch to be an influence, and that makes him especially dangerous.

Just as hazardous to Indian hopes will be Rana, who can combine genuine pace with swing. An innocuous trundler at first glance, he's anything but, as India's batsmen discovered to their cost in the one-day series last year. Even Sami, derided so often for bowling figures that would embarrass a part-timer, was a key performer when Pakistan restored parity at Bangalore last year.

The batting, which came to the fore in that game, also appears formidable, with Inzamam in prime form. Salman Butt played with tremendous assurance against England, while Younis Khan has been a different batsman since his century at Kolkata last March. Then, there's the stylist formerly known as Youhana. Mohammad Yousuf answered many critics with his displays against England, and his performances against India last year banished the ghosts of 2004 when he so often appeared clueless against Irfan Pathan.

The Indian batting order is even more formidable on paper, but Virender Sehwag's recent fallow run and the lack of a consistent opening partnership remain concerns. Sehwag has been peerless against Pakistan, and his turbo-charged starts are paramount if India are to upset the rhythm of a pace attack looking to draw blood. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman will also be expected to harvest their fair share of runs, after two seasons in which India have ridden piggyback on Sehwag and Dravid.

Having led India to victory at Multan last year, Dravid knows better than most how important it will be to unsettle the opposition at Lahore. There will be no better way to do that than to produce an innings comparable to the ones he played at Rawalpindi (2004) and Kolkata (2005), when his unruffled accumulation of runs sapped both Pakistan's energy and spirit.

Sheer weight of runs will be imperative for India given the threadbare look of the pace attack. Irfan Pathan remains on the learning curve, while Ajit Agarkar has yet to convince that he can derail an innings. Zaheer Khan and RP Singh represent little more than a gamble, as India once again look set to rely on the slow-bowling duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Kumble was magnificent on the last tour here and his importance can be inferred from the result at Bangalore last year, when he had a poor outing in front of his home crowd.

Fronting up against him will be Danish Kaneria. Frequently targeted by the Indians in the last series, Kaneria impressed everyone with his ability to keep coming back. His repertoire has expanded, but he will still need all his wits about him to take on a line-up that plays legspin far better than England ever could.

There will be many eyes trained on the pavilion too, with Greg Chappell and Woolmer being old Ashes adversaries. Chappell proclaimed yesterday that neither coach could influence the result of the series - "That will be decided out on the pitch" - but he was just being modest. In contests of this intensity, the coaches' primary job will be to ensure that their wards keep cool heads in situations where a moment's agitation and over-eagerness could be the difference between glory and ignominy. Just ask Chetan Sharma.