Associated Press

Mohali, March 7:

Skipper Sourav Ganguly’s Indian team is seeking to capitalise on Pakistan’s form slump to repeat its Test-series triumph of last year in an explosive cricket rivalry that virtually brings the subcontinent to a standstill. India will be looking for its first home Test series win against its archrival in 25 years, after clinching its first maiden Test and one-day series on Pakistani soil last year — for the first time in five decades. The three-Test series kicks off from Tuesday in Mohali. “The India-Pakistan encounters are cricket’s greatest rivalry... nothing else comes close to it,” Ganguly told reporters on Monday. “Contests between India and Pakistan have got a history of intensity. They’ve always been stiff and will continue to be so in future.”

India’s last home Test series triumph against Pakistan was in 1979-80. Since then, Pakistan posted its only triumph on Indian soil in 1987, beside drawing the rubbers in 1983 and 1999. On its last visit to India six years ago, Pakistan drew the two-Test contests 1-1, and proceeded to win the opening match of the Asian Test Championship. Turning a new leaf in its cricket history, India prevailed 2-1 in Pakistan last year during the first full tour across the border in 14 years — and Ganguly says his players are determined to carry on the winning show. “We’ve got a very balanced side that’s been together for a while, and most players are at the peak of their game,” he said. “There’s the usual tension that grips all teams ahead of a series, but we’ll play hard cricket and try to win these Tests.”

Pakistan’s team has been described by critics as its weakest-ever to tour India, but skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq insisted winning was possible. “We’re a young side slightly low on experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s incapable of defeating India,” Inzamam said after a practice session on Monday. “India has a little edge, but we’re not weak. We’ve not had enough practice going into the Test series, but acclimatising won’t be a problem as the pitches and weather in India are similar to those in Pakistan.” Rain marred a warmup game in the town of Dharmsala last week.

Beside skipper Inzamam, only two other members of the current Pakistan side — key batsman Yousuf Youhana and all-rounder Shahid Afridi — have played Tests in India. But the captain said the team’s inexperience wouldn’t be an issue. Pakistan’s main worry has been its woesome batting form during the recent tour to Australia, where it succumbed to an embarrassing 3-0 series defeat, leaving it with a dubious record of six losses in the last eight Tests. India’s lineup includes star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, seeking to become only the fifth player in Test history to cross 10,000 runs. Sharing a Test record of 34 centuries with former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, the 31-year-old Tendulkar has scored 9,879 runs in 120 Tests since his debut against Pakistan in 1989. Australia’s Allan Border and Steve Waugh, West Indian Brian Lara and Gavaskar are the others to have scored more than 10,000 runs in Tests.

Expensive series: Pak

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan had to buy the television rights for the cricket series against India for $650,000 — an expensive price — from Sony Entertainment, Pakistan’s information minister said on Monday. The BCCI last Saturday sold the satellite television rights of the series to Sony Entertainment for $11.5 million. “Since the Indian cricket board sold the rights to Sony at a very high cost, it proved an expensive deal for us too,” Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed told reporters. Pakistan TV will broadcast all the three Test matches and one-day international live, while Radio Pakistan will air the running commentary. Ahmed said his government was “thankful” to the BCCI for helping them secure television rights for Pakistan viewers. — AP