The sight of tearaway fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar wrecking carnage by bowling Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in quick succession is indelible. But with time, fortunes change, as appears the case with the quickie from Pakistan who is the most notable absentee from the squad touring India with injury issues. But all said and done, it could well be a blessing in disguise and more attuned to Bob Woolmer's desperate bid to help the Pakistan team gel to convert individual talent into stupendous collective success. 

Sachin Tendulkar meanwhile is fit to play for India after the nagging tennis elbow injury, which is excellent given the intensity of the series and a stake as the second-best team in the world. Sourav Ganguly would really want to light up the Mohali stadium with the batting prowess that India boast of and unleash his bowling arsenal. While Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan hope to add fuel to the fire of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh on the dustbowls of the sub-continent, Pakistan certainly have one of their fiercest challenges to date. With Laxmipathy Balaji, the most affable man during India's last tour to Pakistan, fit and Ashish Nehra waiting in the wings, the fortunes certainly bode well for India.

The Indian batting for the moment appears rigid but perhaps for its own good. Gautam Gambhir will hopefully add sanity to the belligerence of Virender Sehwag at the other end. Rahul Dravid will be the star that all eyes will be fixed on. V.V.S. Laxman can only hope to re-ignite the immense potent talent laying latent in him. While Yuvraj Singh may not feature after all in the final eleven despite being preferred ahead of Mohammad Kaif, the latter need not despair despite the delay. It is difficult to keep such an effervescent player out for too long.

While it is hard to see Pakistan containing the batsmen of this calibre, there are a few names to reckon with and just may be shine. Spinner Arshad Khan makes a comeback after a long span of five years. While his figures appear bleak when compared to the likes of Saqlain Mushtaq or Mushtaq Ahmed, the tall player can certainly play his part on the spinning tracks of the sub-continent, aiding Danesh Kaneria's more successful attempts in recent times. Coach Bob Woolmer opines that Pakistan should not go the way of spin to beat India's chances at home. 

Abdur Razzaq has developed into a fine and more than useful all-rounder for Pakistan. Capable of winning the match with the ball as well as the bat, this tour will certainly be a big ask for Razzaq. He faces the prospect of a lot of latent and inexperienced talent for company in the absence of the renowned fast bowling hunters and reverse-swing masters in Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. But with Rana Naved Ul-Hasan, things are shaping up well despite Mohammad Sami's drop in form.

Yaseer Hameed and Salman Butt are enigmatic batsmen to watch but Pakistan's resurgence has to stem from the skipper's bat. Inzamam Ul-Haq has come in for criticism with his laidback style of captaincy but with the two countries on belligerent terms, passions will be ablaze. For Younis Khan, who replaced Yousuf Youhana as vice-captain, it is a big step up for the man who, for long, has not lived up to the expectations of the talent that he possesses. With his match-winning potential not yet unearthed, there can be no better stage for the young man handpicked by none other than Imran Khan as a potential captain of the future.