Asif Kamal missed out on his maiden Test century again, but in scoring 91 ensured that Pakistan have a fighting chance in the first Test against India at Mohali.
The left-hander, who scored 99 on Test debut, played with a calm that belied his inexperience at the Test level. He has shown remarkable consistency in Test cricket and though he has not scored a century yet, he already has five half-centuries in seven Tests to his name.
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"I was looking to get a big ton and am disappointed not to have done so. I was very relaxed in the middle and realize that getting out is part of the game. I will have my chance to reach a century again," said Kamal after the first day's proceedings, which saw Pakistan being bowled out for 312 and India medium pacer Laxmipathy Balaji claiming five wickets for 76 runs.
Kamal is an accumulator of runs and sets out to spend a lot of time at the wicket. One of his main strengths is the ability to bat well with the tail.
But, in spite of the early promise, he has had a tough time getting into the Pakistan playing eleven.
For New Zealand's tour of Pakistan, he failed to find a place in the team for the Tests and was also left out for the first two Tests when Pakistan toured Australia. He got his chance only in the third Test and responded with an 87 that enabled Pakistan avert an innings defeat.
"There were better players than me who had to be accommodated into the team. It is wrong to say that the team management did not play me. In the last few months coach [Bob] Woolmer and skipper Inzamam [ul-Haq] have worked very hard with me."
As a team, India no doubt had plans for Kamal, but lot of the attention was focused on Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana.
"They are two legends of Pakistan cricket and it helps that India was focusing on them. But we lost a few quick wickets and the pressure was on us. I thrive under pressure," said Kamal.
Looking at the way Kamal batted, one wonders whether he would not be a better fit at number three in the batting order. One thing for sure, it will give him more time in the middle. The other factor that comes into play is his superb average of 81.66 against India.
"I bat in the middle-order in first-class cricket as well. Any decision in this regard has to be taken by the team management. I haven't really thought about batting at number three."
Having spent 235 minutes at the wicket, Kamal is certainly well-placed to read the pitch.
"It is a good pitch and it supports both batsmen and bowlers if you are prepared to apply yourself," he said.
Provided the pitch continues to play true, it will be the first session on Day 2 that could very well decide the course of this game.
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