da jogodeouro： Dramatic interventions from Anil Kumble and Yuvraj Singhpushed Pakistan to the precipice before bad light intervened
Dileep Premachandran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium12-Dec-2007India 626 (Ganguly 239, Yuvraj 169, Pathan 102, Arafat 5-161) and 284 for 6 dec (Ganguly 91, Karthik 52) drew with Pakistan 537 (Misbah 133*, Younis 80, Butt 68, Akmal 65, Ishant 5-118) and 162 for 7 (Iqbal 51, Kumble 5-60)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Anil Kumble’s five-wicket haul gave Pakistan a few anxious moments © Getty Images
When India left Pakistan just 47 overs to score an improbable 374 forvictory, the Bangalore Test appeared to be meandering to a draw. As theopening pair added 44, thoughts turned to how soon the match could becalled off but dramatic interventions from Anil Kumble and Yuvraj Singhpushed Pakistan to the precipice before bad light saved them from acuteembarrassment with 11 overs still to be bowled. The playing conditionsdidn’t allow the use of floodlights, leaving India to rue a declaration that probably came half an hour too late. However, they would have been satisfied to clinch their first home Test series victory against Pakistan since 1979-80.Even when Yasir Hameed and Younis Khan fell in the space of four balls,one bowled by a Kumble express and the other popping up a return catch, itappeared to be a wobble rather than a quake. Salman Butt and Faisal Iqbalsteadied the innings with a 29-run stand and, when Butt got a thin edgebehind to give Kumble his third wicket of the innings, Pakistan decided toblast their way out of trouble.With the fielders crowding the bat, cuts and drives flew to the boundaryas Misbah-ul-Haq and Iqbal added 73 at seven an over. Only nine ballsremained for the mandatory overs to start when Kumble struck again. Ashort and fast one drew Iqbal into the pull, and when it looped up toIshant Sharma at mid-on, all thoughts of handshakes and an early finishdisappeared.Kamran Akmal walked out to join Misbah, but this time Pakistan’s premierrescue act couldn’t even get started. Kumble started his cricket as amedium-pace bowler and those roots were very much in evidence in thequicker delivery that deviated away just enough to peg back Akmal’s offstump. Mohammad Yousuf avoided the hat-trick, but Yuvraj Singh, thebirthday boy, then left his mark on proceedings.An arm ball ended Misbah’s cameo on 37, while Yasir Arafat had no answersto one that went straight on. Given the batting qualities of Shoaib Akhtarand Danish Kaneria, India were effectively three decent balls away from afamous victory, but Mohammad Sami kept Yousuf company long enough for theumpires to bring their light-meters out. Once they asked the question, thebatsmen were off like a cannonball shot.India had their chances before tea as well. Rahul Dravid couldn’t grab athick outside edge from Butt off Kumble’s bowling, and the captain washimself the culprit moments later when he spilled a chance at gully afterHameed had flashed outside off stump. Hameed rubbed it in with three foursin an Irfan Pathan over but batting, by and large, was no picnic on apitch where the bounce had become impossible to predict.India certainly found that to be the case when they resumed in themorning, in the lead by 220 runs. There was no excessive urgency orinterest in a challenging declaration. With the odd delivery not risingabove shin height, their approach was understandable, though any fearsthat Pakistan might chase down a target in excess of 300 weren’t groundedin reality.Sourav Ganguly started the morning with an inside edge for four off Sami,and there was four too for Dravid as Yousuf made a complete hash ofbacking up a throw. But with Shoaib bowling at serious pace and pitchingit short, scoring opportunities were hard to come by.Kaneria was also brought on early, and proved equally difficult to putaway, bowling into the leg-stump rough. Ganguly tried to force the issuewith a sprightly saunter down the pitch and an off drive, and when Samisubsequently dropped one short, he played a withering pull to themidwicket boundary.Then came the sticky patch. The partnership was worth 152 when Dravid was deceived by a googly from Kaneria, and three ballslater, Ganguly slashed a wide ball from Sami straight to Iqbal at gully.His knock ended on 91. Another nine runs and he would have become only theseventh man in history to make a double-hundred and a century in the sameTest.India will reflect on missed opportunities, but at the end of the day, they’ll take a 1-0 series win, their first against Pakistan on Indian soil since the days when a fresh-faced Kapil Dev was leading the attackThe sheen was then taken off Yuvraj’s birthday celebrations as RudiKoertzen gave him out caught behind off Sami for two. Replays suggestedthe bat had made contact with boot rather than ball. Suddenly, 178 for 2had become 184 for 5, but instead of retreating into a shell, VVS Laxmanand Dinesh Karthik upped the ante. Laxman flicked and then square droveSami for two fours in an over, while Karthik took a shine to Kaneria, clouting a sixand two fours over the leg-side field.Three balls after lunch, India’s immediate prospects, with a tour ofAustralia looming, were dealt a sickening blow when Laxman took his eyesoff a Shoaib bouncer and was struck on the elbow. The physio came out andhad a look, but Laxman was clearly in so much pain that there was nooption but to come off and perhaps head for a precautionary X-ray.Pathan came out to replace him, and his batting form was evident in thecover drives that he played off Shoaib and Kaneria. Karthik, who had apoint to prove to the knee-jerk-reaction crew questioning his suitabilityfor Australia, was playing a busy little innings at the other end,sweeping and cutting Kaneria for fours as thoughts turned to sendingPakistan in.A straight drive off Arafat got him to his half-century from 66 balls, butwhen the next ball was edged behind, Kumble called them in. You couldhardly have predicted what happened next. India will reflect on missedopportunities, but at the end of the day, they’ll take a 1-0 series win,their first against Pakistan on Indian soil since the days when afresh-faced Kapil Dev was leading the attack.