Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday described Anil Kumble's first day as Test skipper as fantastic.
"He was fantastic on his first day at office. Even when he was not the captain he was giving inputs. It could have been a better day for him, but that's the way it is in international cricket. But we are still well-placed on day one," Ganguly said in Delhi.
At close on day one of the opening Test, Pakistan posted a healthy 210 for eight wickets, courtesy a brilliant 71 not out from Misbal-ul Haq.
His unbroken partnership of 68 runs for the ninth wicket with Mohammad Sami (20) helped Pakistan rally from a precarious 142 for eight.
"There was a bit of movement in the pitch, especially in the hour after the lunch and I enjoy my bowling because there is no pressure. All credit to Samui and Misbah for the way they batted. The wicket has also eased out a bit and there was not much help for the spinners," he said.
For India, captain Kumble led from the front with figures of 3 for 38 in his 20 overs, while Zaheer Khan claimed 2 for 36 before Pakistan fought back in the final session.
"To be honest, there has to be one partnership at least in Test cricket and here it happened for the eighth wicket. We have to maintain our discipline in the next four days as there is a lot of cricket left in this Test," Ganguly said.
Asked whether he is feeling the heat from youngsters like Yuvraj Singh, Ganguly replied: "I have been through it earlier also. It has not created any pressure and if you check the records for the last 10-12 months I was one of the best batsmen. Yuvraj has done well and it is good for him that he is pushing for a place in the Test side."
The left-hander also gave credit to pacer Munaf Patel, who impressed on the opening day with accuracy and pace to finish with 1 for 54.
Munaf was a late addition to the squad after R P Singh and S Sreesanth were ruled out with injury on Tuesday.
"Munaf Patel bowled well in his comeback and it is not easy when you comeback. He was out for some time and there was a lot of talk about his fitness and his attitude. I felt it was very harsh on him. He has comeback well," he said.
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