If bygone generations of Indian fans were openlyenthralled by - and secretly coveted - an unendingline of Pakistani pacemen, so too will this generationof Pakistani fans come to appreciate and marvel at thecurrent generation of Indian batsmen

It is a startling record; since the beginning of 2001, Pakistan have played in 34 Tests and drawn only two

It might be impossible to say with any certainty how much Pakistan and India have in common

Osman Samiuddin on the third day at Mohali

Osman Samiuddin on the second day at Mohali

The first three days of my stay in India confirmed what a growing number of people had told me - that there is little real difference between the two countries and especially the two Punjabs

Osman Samiuddin on the first day at Mohali

Osman Samiuddin discusses the big questions that await Pakistan as they prepare to take on India

For Pakistan, the forthcoming series will begin to answer two longstanding questions at the center of Pakistan cricket and two that hold repercussions well beyond the next year

For a moment, it seemed it would end as it had opened

It was inevitable that Andrew Symonds would finally come to the party - given that it was Pakistan and given that there were murmurs about his form again, says Osman Samiuddin

With ABN-AMRO agreeing to sponsor Pakistan's domestic season for three years, the board has made a start towards sprucing up local cricket

Pakistan were never expected to win this series, but there is little doubt that they were thoroughly outclassed by a much better side

This was an unusual sort of year for Pakistan, not that that is entirely unusual in itself

Hope can be a dastardly sort of thing

They say Dizzy Gillespie, the great jazz trumpeteer, played the trumpet in a way that was nearly impossible to recreate

Australia are blessed with a group of players capable of pulling off such feats in divergent styles

The shot probably wasn't heard around the world, but it would have reverberated through both dressing rooms

Youhana proved he has the appetite for a fight

The chronicle of Australia's 300th Test win appears to have been foretold, and it will take a minor miracle for Pakistan to shred the script