Pakistan's regular skipper Shoaib Malik, sitting out of the third Test with ankle an injury, walked in for the press conference amid whispers coated with surprise. But not being part of the team has not affected his sharp observation of the game.
Malik hoped that Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal would bail out Pakistan with another big alliance as they had done in the Kolkata Test. "We will first avert the follow-on and then we will increase our scoring pace. Misbah and Akmal are batting well and hopefully we can post a big total with still five wickets in hand," said Malik.
Malik said it had been disappointing to miss two Test matches in a row. He had suffered an ankle sprain after the first Test in Feroze Shah Kotla. "I am terribly disappointed. However, I have been able to provide a lot of support to the team from outside," he said.
On his injury, Malik said, "My plaster will be removed on December 15. Then we will assess the progress."
Malik also said the Pakistan players would have to improve their fitness. "In this series, we have been badly affected by injuries to players. We have to improve our fitness."
There was an exchange of words between Indian skipper Anil Kumble and Mohammad Yousuf on the third day, but Malik termed the incident as one that happened at the heat of the moment. "This happens in matches at the heat of the moment, and one should not take it seriously."
Malik also rubbished criticism levelled against him and the management by former cricketers on the team selected for the third Test. "We are professionals and we do not get affected by these criticisms. We have two more days to go in this Test match and we will try our best," he concluded.