Rest Zaheer in Kolkata: Kirmani

With the first Test between India and Pakistan over, the focus now shifts to the second at Kolkata.

The Mohali pitch was a tough one to read. Opinion whether to play two or three seamers was divided. There was enough grass on the pitch to help the seamers, but the spinners would get some assistance as well.

Also Read First Test, Day 5: Match report

In Kolkata, however, there is almost no doubt about how the pitch will play. It will assist the spinners as the match goes on and that means the playing eleven for the Test will have to change.

"I would definitely play

two spinners in Kolkata and that means one of the seamers will have to be dropped. I cannot dream of playing there without Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble," said former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani, who is in Mohali as a guest of the Punjab Cricket Association.

"Irfan Pathan has bowled well in the recent past and you cannot drop Balaji, as he bowled with such fire here [Mohali]. So, without doubt, I would give Zaheer a rest. There is no other option," he added.

The competition for the fast bowlers' slots in the Indian team is indeed intense. Not very long ago, Zaheer Khan was Sourav Ganguly's go-to man. But times have changed and so has the attitude of the Indian skipper.

It was no surprise when, after claiming his first five-wicket haul in the first innings, Balaji was given the new ball. And it was Zaheer not Pathan who gave way to the Tamil Nadu medium-pacer. It shows that the pecking order in this team has changed.

Another area where competition is fierce is the wicketkeeper's slot. Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are all capable but none of them have been able to cement a place in the side.

"It was correct to drop Parthiv. He was given a lot of chances. But the thing about wicket-keepers is that you have to groom them. I was with the Indian team for four years without playing a one-dayer or a Test match. That was when I got a lot of confidence in my keeping," said Kirmani.

For the one-dayers, however, Kirmani feels Dhoni should be persisted with.

"He has played more domestic cricket than Parthiv and Dinesh. It has helped him mature as a player. Added to that, he is a very dangerous batsman as well," said Kirmani, also a former chairman of the selection committee.

Coming back to the Mohali Test, Kirmani felt that superb batting by Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq helped Pakistan avert defeat.

"It is just the post-lunch session but I feel a draw is the only possibility. Kudos to Pakistan for their tremendous fightback."