When Sikander Bakht, the young Pakistani seamer, took eleven wickets in the Delhi Test of the 1979-80 series and took his team within four wickets of victory, he was sent a gold medal by Lt. Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, the then President of Pakistan. A quarter of a century later, General Parvez Musharraf, an ardent cricket-lover who has been invited to India to watch the ongoing series, might just be tempted to come over with a similar gift for young Kamran Akmal, whose fighting hundred on day five disappointed the Indian team and its supporters.

As valuable a contribution was made by the all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who for most of his career has been described, and rightly so, as an underachiever. He bowled poorly in the Indian innings and there were many people questioning his presence in the team. His innings will silence them for the time being. But no one silenced the doubters as comprehensively as Akmal. Several followers, including your's truly, had wondered before the tour began whether the Pakistanis had missed a trick by omitting the seasoned and canny Moin Khan from the team. Akmal's performance on either side of the stumps has been simply outstanding, and he, like his teammate Danish Kaneria, looks set to represent Pakistan with distinction in the seasons to come.

The 184-run stand between Razzaq and Akmal upset an Indian team that had dominated the first four days of the Test, and begun day five in the knowledge that all they needed was a handful of deliveries to snuff out the Pakistani lower-order. Ganguly stated at the presentation ceremony that he could have attacked more in the first session, but the fact is that the Pakistanis batted really well.

With every possibility of defeat wiped out, Inzamam took the proactive step of declaring the innings after an entertaining cameo by Naved-ul-Hasan. The declaration was seen as a strong, positive message from the Pakistani dressing-room. Aggressive bowling and a couple of Indian wickets in the few overs available would have enabled them to gain the psychological edge.

But a few overs into the academic Indian second innings, Inzamam did a U-turn of sorts, bringing on part-timer Younis Khan to bowl, and pushed the fielders back. Although they wouldn't have won the match at that stage, wickets would have given the Pakistanis a real shot in the arm before the second Test. But once Gambhir and later Sehwag launched themselves into the bowling, the Pakistanis started going through the motions, and after five absorbing days, that was a little disappointing to see.

It was refreshing to see Akmal being awarded the Man of the Match instead of Balaji or Sehwag. The two Indians had done exceedingly well, but Akmal it was who had changed the complexion of the game.

Despite the draw, it was an invigorating and appetizing start to the series. Come Wednesday, and one looks forward to the prospect of nearly a hundred thousand supporters rooting for the home team. That will be another test for Inzamam and his young team. They will be a lot more confident after this game than what they must have been on their arrival in India.