Zeecric Bureau
Kolkata, Dec 02: : Just when it looked that Pakistan were looking down and out a defiant Misbah ul Haq and Kamran Akmal brought some hope for Pakistan at Eden Gardens. Along with Kamran Akmal he ensured Pakistan does not lose another wicket post lunch. Both the batsmen kept dancing down the pitch to reach to the length of balls and keep it away. Kumble employed Sachin Tendulkar post tea to give India a break through but did not get any success. The duo approached centuries bringing 150 run partnership.
Misbah batted aggressively in early stages and looked to settle as the game progressed. Misbah in course brought his fifty in just 65 balls and hitting 6 boundaries. Akmal followed him soon to bring his eighth fifty by pulling Munaf Patel delivery for a four.
Earlier, it was a case of script gone awry for Pakistan on the third day of Kolkata Test. Trailing by over 400 runs Pakistan lost half of their side for just 152 runs. Yousuf, Younis, Butt and Faisal Iqbal all were back to pavilion cooling their heels. Kumble utilized all his bowling resources to great effect and was duly rewarded. Harbhajan Singh provided India the first breakthrough in the morning inducing Salman Butt to a false shot.
For Pakistan it was again on Misbah ul Haq to do the rescue act along with wicket keeper batsman Kamran Akmal. Post lunch Pakistan resumed their batting from 154/5. This batting collapse comes after Geoff Lawson described the Eden pitch as a dead batting wicket.
After being tormented by Indian batsmen on the field, it was the turn of Indian bowlers to give Pakistan some torturous time at the crease. Pakistan, which had good start on Day 2, began the third day on back foot as they lost Salman Butt and Mohammed Yousuf early.
Harbhajan Singh who managed to use the rough to great effect undid both batsmen.
Fourth batsman to be dismissed was no other than Vice Captain of the team Younis Khan. Khan, who was playing well until then played a forgettable shot on a wayward delivery from Munaf Patel. Kumble then broke the backbone of Pakistan batting by dismissing Faisal Iqbal who was clueless against a Kumble googly.
Pakistani team put up some resistance to end the second day’s play at 50 for 1. While Salman Butt was playing at 26 from 55 balls, stand-in skipper Younis Khan had just come in the middle and was playing at 3 from 19 balls. The day was totally dominated by Indians as Kumble declared the innings at 616 for 5. Jaffer completed his double hundred and Ganguly added another century to his career, only his first one at Eden Gardens.
Earlier, hitting form before the all-important series Down Under, Indian batsmen dominated proceedings at Eden Garden declaring after scoring 616 runs against a depleted Pakistan attack. India took 152 over and five balls to score these runs as three batsmen went on to score a memorable ton. Helped by Jaffer’s double century India led the base for the onslaught. For Sourav and Laxman this century will help a long way in giving their ageing carrear a much-required fillip.
Seven bowlers operating for Pakistan failed to stop VVS Laxman from completing another ton at Eden Gardens as he became the third Indian batsman to hit a century in the first innings. Failed to make any further in road Pakistan started a negative line against Laxman but it was he who had the last laugh. Be it Laxman’s square cuts from back foot or straight drive of Kaneria, his batting was nothing short of poetry. His eleventh century comes at a moment when critics had slammed Kumble’s decision to pick him ahead of Yuvraj Singh.
India’s dominance over the proceedings was such that every hundred runs added to Indian total saw just one Indian wicket added in the wicket column. Score board at one point read 111/1, 222/2, 333/3, 444/4, 555/5. Laxman meanwhile in this series remains the not out batsman in four innings. Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored a fifty before Kumble decided to declare the innings.
Showing glimpses of his old form and clearly stamping his authority over bowlers Sourav Ganguly ended a 97 Test match wait to hit his first ever century at Eden Garden. Ganguly however was out after scoring a majestic 102 runs. Trying to up the score card Ganguly was caught at mid off as he miscued a Salman Butt delivery. Tanvir took a simple catch and all Pakistan players went in a rare hurdle. Dhoni arrived on the crease to give company to Laxman. India meanwhile completed 550 run mark.
Their form and age was in question before the start of the Test series against Pakistan. The two contemporary great of Indian cricket defied age and pundits by their stroke play and class. One has a very very special attachment with the Eden Garden and other is the ‘Maharaj’ of Indian cricket. Laxman and Ganguly both delighted almost packed capacity crowd with their delicate shots. This is Ganguly’s first century at his home ground.
For, Ganguly this probably was the last chance to play in front of his home crowd and the southpaw looked in no mood to disappoint his supports. Both ensured that India cross 500 runs without any further damage. Ganguly completed his maiden ton at Kolkata facing just 144 balls.
After hitting an awe inspiring 202 runs, Waism Jaffer walked back to the pavilion to a standing ovation from the crowd here at the Eden Gardens. Pakistan who was at the receiving end of Jaffer`s play finally got some respite when Sohail Tanvir induced an edge from Jaffer on an away going delivery. This time Kamran Akmal made no mistakes and latched to a sitter to signal curtains for Jaffer.
Pakistan’s Danish Kaneria bowled the danger batsman Sachin Tendulkar just as he looked set to make a century. Tendulkar was done in by a gyrating googly and could not read the ball in time. He was clean bowled in the process at the score of 82 runs. The Indian team were 313 runs for the loss of 3 wickets with the Little Master’s departure.
Tendulkar and Jaffer had powered India beyond 300 run mark in the first innings of the second Test match at Eden Gardens. Tendulkar scored a swashbuckling half-century and proved to be the perfect accomplice to Jaffer, who hit a breathtaking 150 runs to put the home team in command over the bowling attack of Pakistan. India were comfortably placed at 306 runs for the loss of two wickets in the last session of the day’s play.
Rahul Dravid’s wicket came as the second jolt to the Indian campaign. He edged a delivery from Danish Kaneria to Kamran Akmal. This came after he smashed his 49th half-century on the first day of the second Test match here at Eden Gardens. The Indian scorecard read 138 runs for the loss of two wickets after his departure. The new batsman who came in to fill in the vacant spot left by Dravid was Sachin Tendulkar.
India had crossed the hundred run mark post lunch as Pakistan bowlers struggled to crack down the Jaffer-Dravid code. With the Indian opener Jaffer smashing 65 runs accompanied by Dravid`s 35, Pakistan bowlers looked desperate for a quick wicket to bring things under control on the first day of the second Test match. The Indian scorecard at lunch read 104 runs at the loss of one wicket.
Earlier, Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir claimed his first victim in the form of Dinesh Karthik by taking the opener down in the second over of the second Test match. Karthik who was given out cheaply in the first Test match at the Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi, continued to struggle against the Pak bowling attack as he was sent back to the pavilion after hitting a mere three runs.
India won the toss and opted to bat on the first day of the second Test match here at Eden Gardens on Friday. The injured Pak unit announced some last minute changes naming Younis Khan as the acting captain as Shoaib Malik injured his ankle while playing football. India went in with the same winning combination.
India:
Anil Kumble (C), Ms Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthick, Murali Kartik, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman, Munaf Patel, Yuvraj Singh
Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (C), Younis Khan, Abdur Rehman, Danish Kaneria, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-Ul-Haq, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Yousuf, Salman Butt, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Yasir Hameed.
