Younis Khan With 533 runs at the staggering average of 110.60 from three Tests, Younis Khan was Pakistan's most successful batsman. He has shown an unbridled hunger for Indian bowling attacks, and the manner in which he picked runs off both pace and spin does not augur well at all for India. His ability to dig in when needed has reaped dividends for his side in the past, and India seem to have no clue as to how to dislodge him. On the small grounds of Multan and Peshawar, Younis's big hitting and effortless ability to pierce the gaps may well prove the difference between a sub-par total and a monumental one. Really?
Rahul Dravid Rahul Dravid, the India captain, goes into the one-day series as India's most fluent batsman. Opening the batting in all three Tests he carved out two hundreds. With Virender Sehwag not his usual bustling self in the shorter format of the game, Dravid will be expected to shoulder much of the responsibility of both building good totals and properly executing the chase. His recent one-day exploits have been spectacular, and his form in the Test series was workmanlike and full of grit. Always a steady hand down the order, Dravid has shown an appetite for a challenge in the recent past, and if his hundreds at Lahore and Faisalabad are any yardstick, Dravid will carry his form into his next assignment

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar has over 10,000 one-day runs under his belt, has more international hundreds than any other batsman, has scored runs the world around, has helped end bowlers' careers (Any doubts? Look up a certain Heath Davis), and is the classic model for many a coaching manual. But in the Test series against Pakistan he cut a poor figure of himself; in fact, he was a phantom throughout - lurking in the shadows and never revealing his true self. Expected to lead India's batting as opener, against the likes of Shoaib Akhtar with the new ball, Tendulkar goes into the one-day series an out-of-form batsman. He has aged, yes, and he has been dogged by a severe bout of tennis elbow, but his dismissals in his last two one-day series have been unflattering. The Mumbai maestro will need to really pull his socks up if India hope to get decent starts during the next two weeks.
Mohammed Sami Dropped from the eleven for the final two Tests against India following a miserable first outing, Mohammad Sami has gone from pace ace to bench warmer. That he was included in the squad for the one-day series - one that includes six fast bowlers - is an indication that the management sees him as vital to some aspect of their planning. Touted by none other than Imran Khan as the future of Pakistani fast bowling, Sami has plenty to prove if selected for any of the five fixtures against India. In his last 10 matches, he has taken just 8 wickets at 54.50, a figure that will do his confidence no favours. Imran's backing aside, Sami needs to work on his line, length, and temper if he has any aspirations of troubling India.