At the end of the Test series, which was labeled as Friendship Series, the Indians wore a happier look while the home team was seen finding scapegoats for their humiliating defeat.

A Test series was taking place between the two bitter rivals in Pakistan after a long gap of almost 15 years. The expectations, both from the cricketers participating in the series as well as from the cricket-crazy public in both the nations across the border were naturally very high. With political tension easing, thanks to the initiative taken by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee (for whatever reasons: forthcoming elections may have been the most important consideration), cricket-lovers settled down to watching some exciting fare on the field.

And not surprisingly, once again, there were some outstanding performances, more on the Indian side. If Pakistan had imagined that they would be the favourites to win the Test series on account of home advantage, then it was a misplaced conception as the Indians dominated the longer version of the game too as they had done in the shorter version earlier, winning the series 3-2.

At the end of the Test series, which was labeled as Friendship Series, the Indians wore a happier look while the home team was seen finding scapegoats for their humiliating defeat. The same former cricketers of Pakistan, who had taunted the Indian team for not wanting to visit Pakistan for the fear of losing, are now blaming each other for the defeat which their cricketers are not able to digest.

Despite a strong batting line-up, supposedly one of the best in the world at present, at least on paper, the Indian bowling attack lacked experience, the home commentators continued to harp before the start of the series. But how wrong and misplaced their conception was proved by the young and ever-trying disciplined Indian attack, led by Irfan Pathan, Balajee and Ashish Nehra. Not to mention Anil Kumble who is still a terror for the Pakistani batsmen. They still have not forgotten his 10-wicket haul at the Feroze Shah Kotla a few years ago.

And the Indians could not have asked for a better start to their Test series than the one at Multan where the first Test was played. This Test will long be remembered by the Indian supporters for several reasons. It was at this ground that Virender Sehwag earned the distinction of becoming the first Indian to score a triple hundred in a Test match. Playing hardly in his fourth year of international cricket, the Nawab of Najafgarh (as he is fondly called) laid the foundation for India’s mammoth total in the only innings. Despite getting a few reprieves in his innings, Sehwag showed application and discipline in his batting to play a marathon innings.

The 194 undefeated knock by Sachin Tendulkar (his 33rd Test hundred) was another talking point of the Multan Test. Not just for his application and commitment to the team’s cause, but for his showing surprise at the end of the second day’s play that stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid declared the Indian innings when the Master Blaster was only six runs away from his double century.

The Pakistanis were made to follow on which in itself was humiliating for the home team. Indian medium pacers Balaji and Irfan Pathan bowled a disciplined line and length to torment the Pakistani batsmen who looked all at sea against the accuracy of the opposition attack. Barring Yousuf Youhan’s unbeaten knock in the second innings (it came too late in the day when all was lost for the home team), Pakistan had nothing to show in the Multan Test.

The Lahore Test saw a turn of events for the hosts. Mohammad Gul, replacing an injured Shabbir, crushed the Indian top-order batsmen and the visitors never recovered from their early setback. The 200-odd runs total was too meagre for the Indian bowlers to have any say.

But the decider at Rawalpindi once again showed the Indians in their true form and the Pakistani counterparts in their true colours (off-form with off-the-field controversies). The Pakistani media and former cricketers could not digest the defeat suffered by the home team in Multan and were calling for axing several players, including skipper Inzamam-ul Haq.

The Rawalpindi Test once again brought to the fore the infighting in the Pakistani camp which is not very unusual if one is well versed with the game’s history in that country. Throwing mud on each other’s face was the order of the day as Indians once again plundered runs aplenty. Rahul Dravid scored a marathon 270 to set the tone for the team’s mammoth total. Even after the end of the Test series, which India won 2-1, several skeletons from the Pakistani cricket cupboard are slowly coming in the open While the Indians showed commitment and discipline, lack of attitude and indiscipline marked the Pakistani cricket team’s performance. Pakistani strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s refusal to take the field during the middle of the third Test (was he faking injury?) blew into a big controversy. The Indian cricket team, led by Sourav Ganguly, has shown remarkable team spirit against all odds to emerge victorious on this historic tour. The Team India has achieved what their predecessors couldn’t do in the past 50-odd years.