Shastri had watched Pakistan play a bit in England, and confirmed that they looked awesome. Under Wasim Akram they are coming together again and ``Believe me, they are looking very very sharp,'' he said in his no-holds-barred style.

I think, and the panel that day seemed to agree, that Pakistan start as overwhelming favourites to take the Sahara Cup series of five one day internationals. Maninder thought that the major reason for that was the strength of the Pakistan bowling - because, as one of the oldest truths of the game (and one that was strangely forgotten for a while in recent times) says, 'The best way to stop a batsman from getting runs is to get him out.'

``Pakistan has wicket-taking bowlers in Wasim, Waqar and Mushtaq, so they can defend most totals,'' argued Maninder. ``If you don't have a good bowling side, then you are in in trouble if your batsmen score too few runs. With Pakistan, if the batsmen fail they still have a chance because of their bowling strength.''

One factor that I believe will count more than most is the preponderence of left-handers in the Pakistan line-up. Until Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana came along, Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar were the most explosive opening pair in the game. If they are not being talked about as often today as they were, it is not because their abilities have declined but because the Sri Lankan pair is scoring even faster. The fact is that Sohail and Anwar remain a formidable pair, even if Sohail's form in England was a bit scratchy.

From India's point of view, Venkatesh Prasad doesn't seem to enjoy bowling to left-handers very much, and Tendulkar's innovation with Sunil Joshi bowling early in the innings, as against Sri Lanka recently, may also have to be put on hold if the Pakistan southpaws get a great start again.

It is precisely for this reason that Shastri, for one, has been arguing a case for India playing five full bowlers in key matches. If Mongia continues to open the batting, India will have Joshi at number seven and Srikanth one place below - a satisfactory enough line-up without carrying the burden of an extra batsman in preference to a bowler.

And frankly, I agree with Shastri on this one, I think that is how India will have to go.

And if that is indeed India's game plan - and I am quite sure Shastri will, at some point, find time to whisper it in Tendulkar's ear, if he hasn't done so already - then David Johnson might well get a break in Toronto. Tell you what, I wouldn't envy him that break because debuting against Pakistan is about as tough as it gets, and it gives you absolutely no time to get your bearings.

Unfortunately, India were a poor side in Sri Lanka and when that happens, there is always a temptation to play your best side in every match and refrain from experimenting with the playing eleven - as could have been done by giving Johnson his debut against, say, Zimbabwe.

If India play five bowlers, then one of the batsmen will have to make room and it looks right now as if the odd one out could be either Rahul Dravid or Vinod Kambli. And whichever batsman is picked for the drop, it will in turn affect the batting lineup Dravid, for instance, can bat at number three while Kambli is happier at number five. Does this mean that in the event Dravid is dropped and Kambli remains in the playing eleven, Azharuddin will revert to the number three slot for the first time since the 1992 World Cup where he batted with such distinction?

Given this unsettled nature of the Indian lineup, Pakistan must be fancying its chances more than somewhat. The batsmen are looking good, and the lineup has a fair depth. Also, Pakistan is determined and desperately keen to win against India, and that always brings out the best in them. Different teams react differently to pressure, and it is in their attitude to such a game that Pakistan will acquire the edge.

In any analysis of this contest, however, it is important to remember two major new factors here. The first concerns the ground - nobody knows what the pitch plays like, and word is that the boundary lines are not exactly beyond the horizon. If the Indian camp is convinced that shorter boundaries are bound to make this a high scoring game and that all their bowlers will go for runs, then they just might pick the extra batsman. If, however, the reading is that the wicket is underdone - and remember that this ground hasn't seen too many big matches - then we might see five bowlers in the side.

On the whole, I have a feeling that India would prefer a surface on which runs are difficult to come by - on a free-for-all type of wicket, the edge is obviously with Pakistan as their bowlers are better equipped to survive the limitations of an easy pitch.

The other big factor to take note off is that these are not oneoff games. It is therefore not possible to psyche yourself up for one great do or die attempt, as India did at Bangalore in the quarterfinal of the Wills World Cup. In Toronto, it is the staying power of the teams that are going to be most sorely tested. And Pakistan have proved, most notably in the 1992 World Cup, that they have it in them to come back from hopeless situations. Mentally they are the stronger side, and so they should be more happy playing India over a series of five games than in a one-off contest.

Of the members in my panel, Maninder and Atul Wassan made the odds 3-2 to Pakistan, Shastri admitted that Pakistan were favourite but didn't commit to a number, I was in the happy situation of passing the questions around without needing to have an opinion.

I think that best reflects the difference between the two sides just now.

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