By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
New Delhi : V.V.S. Laxman (batting 57) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (57) pulled India back from the brink after Pakistan bowlers struck back to send the top half of the batting order for less than a hundred runs Friday, the second day of the first Test here.
A match that seemed to be going India’s way Thursday was balanced on a knife’s edge by stumps Friday with India still three runs short of Pakistan’s first-innings total of 231. The home side finished the day at 228 for six.
Laxman (107 balls, 172 minutes, 7x4s) and Kumble (7, 24 balls) were at the crease when stumps were drawn 13.4 overs short of the day’s quota due to poor visibility at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium.
India would have been in dire straits had it not been for the face-saving 115-run sixth-wicket stand between Laxman and Dhoni.
Earlier, Pakistan’s first innings folded up in 96.2 overs with Misbah-ul-Haq making a priceless 82 (243 balls, 313 minutes, 6x4s, 1×6).
Misbah and Sami, who scored a responsible 28 (101 balls, 3x4s, 1×6), put on a record 87 runs for the ninth wicket to save Pakistan from total humiliation after their mainline batsmen had failed Thursday.
Captain Anil Kumble was the top wicket taker with four all-bowled victims at his favourite venue.
Replying to Pakistan’s total on a pitch that still had something for disciplined bowlers, India lost Dinesh Karthik quickly, fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar inducing an edge for wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal to take the catch.
Wasim Jaffer (32, 65 balls, 6x4s) and Rahul Dravid (38, 73 balls, 8x4s) then added 56 for the second wicket before two telling blows in three balls of a Shoaib Akhtar over put India on the back-foot.
First the Rawalpindi Express found Jaffer plumb in front and then Mohammed Yousuf ran out Sachin Tendulkar to reduce India to 73 for three.
Tendulkar wanting a second run slipped as Dravid said ‘no’ and he could not regain the crease to beat Yousuf’s throw to Akmal.
Sourav Ganguly (8) followed soon, playing on to give left-arm medium-pacer Sohail Tanveer his first Test wicket. Tanveer went on to make it terrific double by castling Dravid to leave the Indian innings in tatters. At 93 for five, India had their back to the wall.
Then came the best partnership of the match, between Laxman and Dhoni and India were breathing easy by the time Dhoni departed and the total had crossed 200. Laxman batted fluently using his famous wrists and Dhoni produced his power-packed shots to take the Indians to safety from a precarious 129 for five at tea.
The stand was broken when Dhoni got ambitious and charged down the pitch to leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, edged the ball and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal took the catch and also stumped him to be doubly sure. Match referee Ranjan Madugalle later clarified that Dhoni was out caught.
Akhtar and Tanveer captured two wickets apiece while Kaneria bagged one.
Earlier, the day started with Pakistan at 210 for eight wickets, with Misbah batting on a gritty 71 and pacer Mohammed Sami giving him company with a responsible 28.
Misbah missed a golden opportunity to notch up his maiden Test century when he ran himself out in a peculiar way when 18 short of the landmark. He appeared to have crossed the crease comfortably when he leapt in the air to avoid a Karthik throw. As a result he was airborne when the stumps were broken by the direct hit.
Misbah and Sami, however, raised 87 precious runs for the ninth wicket, saving Pakistan from total humiliation after their mainline batsmen had failed.
Last man Kaneria did not last long as Kumble bowled him with the Pakistani innings lasting 96.2 overs and 413 minutes.
Apart from Kumble, who took four wickets, India’s other wicket-takers were left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan who captured two while Munaf Patel, Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh took one wicket each.
SCOREBOARD
Day Two, First Test, India vs. Pakistan, Ferozeshah
Kotla Stadium, Delhi
Pakistan (1st innings, overnight 210/8):
Salman Butt b Khan 1
Yasir Hameed b Kumble 29
Younis Khan c Patel b Khan 7
Mohammad Yousuf lbw b Ganguly 27
Misbah-ul-Haq run out (Dinesh Karthik) 82
Shoaib Malik c Dhoni b Patel 0
Kamran Akmal b Kumble 30
Sohail Tanveer lbw b Harbhajan 4
Shoaib Akhtar b Kumble 2
Mohammad Sami not out 28
Danish Kaneria b Kumble 0
Extras: (byes 6, leg byes 12, wides 2, no ball 1) 21 Total: (all out in 96.2 overs) 231
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Butt, 4.6 overs), 2-35 (Younis, 12.6), 3-59 (Hameed, 21.2), 4-76 (Yousuf, 29.1), 5-83 Malik, (38.5), 6-122 (Akmal, 47.2), 7-137 (Tanveer, 52.1), 8-142 (Akhtar, 53.6), 9-229 (Misbah, 95.4)
Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 20 5 45 2 (1nb, 2w)
Munaf Patel 24 5 61 1
Anil Kumble 21.2 6 38 4
Sourav Ganguly 14 5 28 1
Harbhajan Singh 15 1 37 1
Sachin Tendulkar 2 0 4 0
India (1st innings):
Wasim Jaffer lbw b Akhtar 32
Dinesh Karthik c Akmal b Akhtar 9
Rahul Dravid b Tanveer 38
Sachin Tendulkar run out (Akmal/Mohammad Yousuf) 1
Sourav Ganguly b Tanveer 8
V.V.S. Laxman batting 57
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Akmal b Kaneria 57
Anil Kumble batting 7
Extras: (b 7, lb 8, nb 3, w 1) 19
Total: (for six wickets in 63.2 overs) 228
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Karthik, 4.2 overs), 2-71 (Jaffer, 21.3), 3-73 (Tendulkar, 21.5), 4-88 (Ganguly, 25.2), 5-93 (Dravid, 27.5), 6-208 (Kumble, 56.2)
Bowling:
Shoaib Akhtar 13 2 36 2 (nb 1)
Sohail Tanvir 19.2 4 75 2 (nb 2)
Mohammad Sami 14 1 58 0
Danish Kaneria 17 3 44 1 (w 1)
Umpires: Simon Taufel (Australia) and Billy Doctrove (West Indies)
Third umpire: Suresh Shastri (India)
Fourth umpire: Harnarain Singh Sekhon (India)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)