India started superbly, then stuttered, but by the end of the day looked primed to dominate Pakistan for the rest of the third Test in Rawalpindi.
At the end of day one, India, after bowling Pakistan out for 224, were 23 for the loss of Virender Sehwag's wicket. Parthiv Patel (13) and Rahul Dravid (10) were at the crease.
A strong batting performance by India can end their drought of overseas series victories. They are on top in this Test and need to go out and finish the Pakistani challenge once and for all.
Earlier, Mohammad Sami and Fazl-e-Akbar lifted Pakistan from the dumps with a 70-run partnership. The duo frustrated the Indians after Pakistan were eight wickets down for 137.
Sami scored a career-best 49 while Fazal added 25 valuable runs before Pakistan were bowled out for 224 an hour before close of play.
Laxmipathy Balaji claimed four wickets for 63 runs. He received good support form Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan who claimed two wickets each.
Morning session
India made two changes from the side that lost the second Test, dropping opener Akash Chopra to accommodate Sourav Ganguly, who missed the first two Tests due to a back injury, sustained in last month's fifth One-Day International, which India won to clinch the series 3-2, and bringing in left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra for medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar.
Pakistan replaced injured seamer Umar Gul, man-of-the-match in their nine-wicket win at Lahore last week, with medium-pacer Fazl-e-Akbar.
Paceman Mohammad Sami, who was struggling with back pain, was declared fit for the match.
India won the toss and elected to bowl on a pitch that had a greenish tinge and lots of moisture on the surface.
For the first time in the series the Indian bowlers were given the opportunity to take advantage of the conditions on day one of the Test. The pitch had a good covering of grass but it was nowhere near quick. In fact, the first ball of the second over from Lakshmipathy Balaji bounced twice before reaching the wicket-keeper. And given the heat and prevalent conditions, the moisture was sure to disappear after the first session. The Tamil Nadu seamer sprayed the ball around and was generally too wide off the stumps in his first spell, which lasted just three overs. The batsmen were easily able to leave a majority of the deliveries as they tried to get their eye in.
At the other end, Irfan Pathan got extravagant movement but he too bowled a little too wide. Pakistan openers Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar were circumspect early on, but thanks to some wayward bowling scored at a fair clip. After 10 overs, Pakistan were 33.
The conditions favoured the bowling side but the bowlers just could not make the best of them. One felt they needed to attack the stumps. Their line, to this point, had been just outside the off-stump. With the swing they generated they took it further away from the batsmen.
Ganguly effected another early change in the bowling. After Balaji had been replaced by Nehra, the Indian skipper reintroduced medium-pacer for Pathan into the attack.
Balaji was still wayward but, sometimes, that is when a bowler is most dangerous. That's because a batsman does not quite know where the ball will pitch as there is no consistency.
That's exactly what happened. After bowling a wide way outside the off-stump, Balaji bowled a full-length delivery swinging into Umar. The right-hander was caught in his crease, surprised by the delivery and trapped plumb in front of the stumps for 9. (34-1)
India finally had the elusive breakthrough. Things got even better for the visitors when Nehra struck in the very next over to send Imran Farhat back to the hut. The good length delivery pitched outside the off stump and angled back in sharply to the left-hander. Farhat (16) was slow to adjust and paid the price. Umpire David Shepherd had no hesitation in adjudging him leg before wicket. (34-2)
Two quick wickets meant India were in the driving seat. Pakistan had skipper Inzamam-ul Haq to bank on, but if India could grab two more wickets then Ganguly's decision to bowl first would be vindicated. And it was.
Inzamam announced his arrival at the wicket with a beautiful drive through the covers -- a clear indication of the brilliant touch he has been in lately. Yasir Hameed gave him good company and for a while things seemed to settle down. Then, Hameed, on 24, survived a huge appeal for leg-before. The ball pitched on the off and in sharply to the right-hander, hitting him in line with the middle-stump. Replays later showed that it might have clipped the bails but there was enough doubt to save the batsman.
The next over, Hameed (26) moved forward and played at a Pathan delivery that he would have done well to leave alone. He paid the highest price possible. The ball took the edge and V V S Laxman, at second slip, reacted well to take a high catch. The partnership of 43 runs came to an end and Pakistan were reduced to 77 for the loss of three wickets.
Once again, as it happened in the first session, India struck a double blow. With the score still on 77, Inzamam (15) was dismissed by Nehra. The delivery before the dismissal saw Inzamam survive a huge leg-before appeal. The ball would have crashed into the middle stump but the umpire ruled in the batsman's favour. But Nehra got his revenge off the next ball. After getting the ball to come into the batsman, the left-armer got it to slant across Inzamam, who tried to guide the ball to third-man. Patel grabbed the edge without any ado. (77-4)
There were a lot of close leg-before appeals before the morning session came to an end, but the batsmen survived.
At lunch, the score after 27 overs was 96 for the loss of four wickets, but Pakistan could have easily been five or six down.
The Indian bowlers came into their own after the first ten overs and made life difficult for the Pakistan batsmen.
Ashish Nehra bowled his heart out and troubled batsmen no end to finish the morning session with two wickets for 36 runs.
Yousuf Youhana (1) and Asim Kamal (16) were at the crease at the break.
Post-lunch session
17 consecutive dot balls did the trick for India in the post-lunch session. The batsmen were starved for anything loose and then Youhana cut one for four. The very next ball, he played on to give Pathan his second wicket of the innings.
Youhana (13) played the ball with soft hands, trying to pinch a single and rotate the strike, but only succeeded in giving his wicket away. For the fifth time in the series, Pathan claimed the middle order batsman's wicket. Only Muthaih Muralitharan, eight times, has claimed his wicket more times. (110-5)
The partnership was worth 33 runs but did not cause much harm to India's cause. The runs had come in a slow, controlled manner and the momentum was still very much with India.
Ten runs were added before Pakistan lost another wicket. This time it was their last recognized batsman - Asim Kamal (21), who was snared by Balaji.
Balaji bowled another beauty after a spate of wayward deliveries. The good length delivery pitched in-line, straightened and hit the pad plumb in front even as the batsman stood rooted to the spot. (120-6)
Two new batsmen, Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Sami, were at the wicket and the hosts had very little on board. It would be an uphill battle from here on for Pakistan. But when Akmal (17) and Shoaib Akhtar (0) were dismissed in the same over by Balaji, it looked like the Pakistan innings would be wrapped up in quick time. (137-8)
Akmal flicked a Balaji delivery off his legs for a four, but the medium-pacer came back in the over to get the young Pakistan wicket-keeper's wicket. The ball took the edge and was dying on VVS Laxman, in second slip, but he moved forward to take a superb catch.
The next ball was a superb out-swinger that beat Akhtar all ends up and sent his off-stump cartwheeling.
The Indians would have done well to wrap up the innings at this stage but somehow their old failings against the tail-enders surfaced. Sami (19) and Fazl-e-Akbar (8) put on 29 vital runs to guide the hosts to tea without further loss.
Post-tea session
Back after tea, the Indian bowlers seemed to lose the plot. In the earlier session, Fazl had showed that his ability with the bat was just about as bad as that of Courtney Walsh, the West Indies batsman who has scored the most ducks in the history of Test cricket. He looked woefully out of sorts and had virtually no idea about the bowling. But somehow he survived. And once he got set, it was the Indians who were virtually clueless.
India had Pakistan down and out, with their top eight batsmen back in the pavilion, but what do they do? They let the number 9, Sami, and number 10, Fazl, put on an 70-run partnership. The duo were playing the bowling with such ease that all the psychological advantage India had gained seemed to be petering away.
The Indian bowlers, as they had in the first hour in the morning, failed to make the batsman play enough and paid the price. Sami and Fazl scrapped it out in the middle. In the long run, every run scored and every minute consumed may come back to haunt India.
To make matters worse, Patel dropped a skier when Sami was on 35. The batsman tried to hook a short delivery from Nehra but only got a top-edge. The ball went high up even as Sourav Ganguly and Patel positioned themselves to take the catch. At the last moment, Patel waved the India skipper off but promptly dropped the catch.
The wind no doubt played a part, but if a wicket-keeper can't take that catch then nobody can. While Patel's batting form has improved drastically, his keeping seems to have deteriorated equally dramatically. There were several blunders behind the stumps throughout the day and one wonders what's gone and where.
Anil Kumble, first introduced into the attack in the 50th over, finally got the long awaited breakthrough. Fazl (25) misread a googly; padded up and was trapped in front of his stumps. (208-9) He had done his job. When he walked in to bat Pakistan were 137 for the loss of eight wickets.
Pakistan were down to the last wicket, but the Indians almost seemed to be lacking the will. If you let a number 9 batsman dominate you after you have run through the entire top-order, then something's got to be wrong with your thinking.
Yes, Sami batted with grit; he got hit on the helmet, on the ankle, the abdomen, the thigh and the arm. But why is it that tail-enders are often at their best against India?
Sami was run-out on 49, attempting to take a single that would get him his first half-century in Test and first-class cricket. He stroked Kumble to Pathan, at mid-off, who picked up and hit the stumps on the full to catch Sami short of his ground and the milestone.(224 all out)
The last two wickets put on a valuable 87 runs to give the Pakistan total of 224 and a semblance of respectability.
India innings:
Ganguly had earlier said he or Yuvraj would replace Chopra in the opener's slot. But he surprised the Pakistanis and onlookers by sending Parthiv Patel out instead along with Virender Sehwag. A funny decision, really.
In doing so, Ganguly and the team management sent out a message to openers around India that they are not required.
The opening position needs specialization. That's why before every tour, whether it is Down Under, South Africa, England or West Indies, we all lament the lack of a regular opener. Now, we have one in Chopra, who has done well so far, but we replace him with a non-regular in Patel!
Chopra normally takes first strike, but in his absence it was Sehwag who was forced to take up the responsibility. Nine times out of ten Chopra would face the first ball with a dead bat; but Sehwag belongs to a different school of thought. He tried to turn the first delivery of the innings from Shoaib Akhtar to the leg side, but played his shot even before the ball reached him. The ball hit the back of his bat, took the edge and flew towards the gully region, where Hameed, dived to his left and juggled the ball thrice before finally holding on to it. The dangerman was gone for a duck. (0-1)
In his five matches against Pakistan, Dravid has averaged just 22.33 as against his Test average of 56-plus. He approached the wicket determined to set the record straight.
Fazl, not Sami, opened the attack with Akhtar. There was no explanation from the Pakistanis but one reckons it had more to do with the blows the latter had taken while batting.
Patel stood his ground. The 18-year-old has scored fifties in his last three knocks in Test cricket and was obviously confident.
The Pakistanis bowled with fire but the pitch had become good for batting. The moisture had disappeared and, but for an exceptional display of bowling, the hosts are poised for for a long time in the field.
India ended the day on 23 for the loss of one wicket. Now they must guard against only one thing: complacency. They are in command and must bat Pakistan out of the match and the series. This is their chance to etch their names in the annals of history.
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