Pakistan need ten wickets to win the Test and square the series. If that happens, the trophy and prize money will be shared, but there will be many who will confer on Inzamam and his team the title of 'moral victors'. For Pakistan have come a long way since starting the series as rank underdogs. They showed tremendous spirit to force a draw in the first Test at Mohali, and fought intensely with their opponents on the first four days of the second Test at Kolkata. At Bangalore, they have done most things right, including the declaration, and a victory will be much more than the proverbial icing on the cake.

Inzamam's declaration with his team 382 ahead was timely, for it gave his team six overs on the fourth evening and a possible ninety on the fifth to take ten Indian wickets, and at the same time, kept the opposition interested in the target. Had he and his deputy Younis Khan extended the lead to 410-420 and in the process, batted until stumps on the fourth day, the Indians would have come out on day five to play for a draw. The wicket, the experts reckon, still doesn't have demons in it that will deter any team that wants to bat as long as it can. The unconventional strokes played by Shahid Afridi and batsman-on-song Younis Khan illustrated this fact. After Afridi's typical sledgehammer start, the Indians expectedly went on the defensive, but the runs didn't stop coming. That did not please the Indian bowlers and supporters, but one gets the feeling that the Indian batsmen weren't too unhappy with what they saw. If they bat to their potential on day five, India will not lose this match. If Sehwag bats like he did on day three, they will win!

The fourth day's play witnessed some great batting by both sides, and that is in itself a pointer to the relative well-being of the wicket from the batting point of view. After three wickets had fallen for next to nothing, Laxman was given solid support by no. 11 Anil Kumble, who displayed his almost-forgotten batting abilities in a knock of 22 that upset Pakistani plans of bowling out India with a lead of 160-170. India finished 121 runs in arrears, and then came Messrs Afridi, Hameed and Younis Khan, to score runs at a rapid pace, although Hameed got tied down in the 40s. The Indians did their best to frustrate the batsmen with both Kumble and Tendulkar bowling leg-spinners from round the wicket onto their pads, but the batsmen eventually managed to find the fence with ease.

Towards the end of the day's play, it was heartening for Indian fans to see young Gautam Gambhir play his natural attacking game at a time when the Pakistani think-tank and bowlers had trained their cannons on Sehwag. Gambhir took the initiative and outscored his partner with some firm strokes, a move that would have delighted the Indian camp. It is in such situations, when the pressure is on, that a player's true worth can be judged best, and Gambhir came across as an exemplary team-man.

India need 358 more runs and Pakistan need ten wickets. India will not mind putting down the shutters and play for a draw, which will give them the series 1-0. On the other hand, the Pakistanis will be doing everything they can to prevent those shutters from being downed. The stage is set for an eventful and exciting fifth day's play.