Yuvraj Singh had just jammed the bat down in defensive mode to a fuller delivery on the off-stump from paceman Yasir Arafat. But the ball rocketed to the fence past the mid-on fielder, leaving the bowler in disbelief. The shot was not just a manifestation of Yuvraj's timing, but an emphatic statement that he merits a place in the Test team as well.

His place in the longer version has been a topic of constant debate over the last few months after some scintillating knocks in the one-dayers and Twenty20. The Punjab left-hander, on the first day of the third Test against Pakistan here, slammed a superb hundred to state that it was time to put an end to those deliberations.
Yuvraj's 169 (252m, 203b, 28x4, 1x6) and his 300-run partnership for the fifth wicket with the day’s other centurion, Sourav Ganguly (125 n.o, 294m, 214b, 20x4), propelled India to 365 for five at close on Saturday after the home side elected to bat first at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Batting splendour
With two of the most graceful batsmen out in the middle, the splendour of batting was on full view. But scratch the top, and you will get an even clearer picture. The situation when they joined forces was not entirely suitable to unadulterated stroke-makers like Yuvraj and Ganguly.

The fire of debutant Yasir Arafat had flattened the Indian frontline batsmen, and at 61 for four, the home side was staring down the barrel. Ganguly is a past master at in soaking in pressure, but his younger partner is yet to find his feet in the traditional format even after seven years of international cricket. Together, they guided India to a commanding position with sublime batting.

Pressure
There was a lot of pressure on Yuvraj to cash in on the opportunity that came on his way after a considerable gap. His last Test was against the West Indies in Kingston in July 2006. But even if he was nervous, he hid it well and batted with calm assurance throughout his innings.

The absence of paceman Shoaib Akhtar midway through the day due to a back spasm limited Pakistan skipper Younis Khan's options, and Yuvraj just had to show the patience to stay in the middle and garner runs. Yuvraj did just that, and his innings was awesome for its sheer simplicity.

He did nothing extravagant, just timing the ball to perfection and picking up the gaps with élan to leave the Pakistan bowlers a despondent lot. If the Yuvraj treatment was not enough, Ganguly too bruised the visitors in his inimitable style. The Kolkatan took his time to settle, and opened up immediately after lunch.

By then, the pitch too transformed into a batsman's ally, and whatever little bounce it had offered in the morning session too vanished once the sun blazed in full glory.

It was Ganguly who took the initiative during the primary stages of their partnership alongside an initially tentative Yuvraj.
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The former skipper was in his elements as he deflated the Pakistani attack with an array of fours through the off-side. Yuvraj, however, could not be kept a silent spectator for long, and a sweetly timed boundary off Arafat instilled confidence in him.

Yuvraj did not look back from that point as he slipped into the familiar role of enforcer, reaching three figures with a fierce cut off Arafat. A leap and punch in the air illustrated the value he attached to the knock, which also relieved the youngster of a lot of nagging doubts.

Ganguly reached the coveted mark -- his second successive against Pakistan 00 with a boundary off Yasir Hameed. Their alliance looked good for much more, but Yuvraj fell against the run of play. He tried to turn Mohammad Sami to the on-side, but only managed to give a simple catch to Faisal Iqbal. Before Yuvraj and Ganguly forged their partnership, India were in deep trouble with the top-order succumbing to their own follies and Arafat.

Rahul Dravid looked in good touch, but a cavalier moment ended his stay, snicking Arafat to first slip. The paceman also dismissed Wasim Jaffer soon after. VVS Laxman's bat came down a wee bit late. The ball crashed on to the stumps after taking the under edge of his bat as Arafat went up in animated celebration. But Yuvraj and Ganguly doused the flicker in splendid fashion.

India went in without both Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

SCORE BOARD

INDIA (I Innings):
Jaffer lbw Arafat 17
(95m, 62b, 3x4)
Gambhir c Akmal b Sami 5
(40m, 19b, 1x4)
Dravid c Misbah b Arafat 19
(45m, 18b, 3x4)
Ganguly (batting) 125
(294m, 214b, 20x4)
Laxman b Arafat 5
(19m, 10b, 1x4)
Yuvraj c Iqbal b Sami 169
(252m, 203b, 28x4, 1x6)
Kaarthick (batting) 3
(11m, 10b)
Extras (B-9, LB-7, NB-6) 22
Total (for 5 wkts, 90 overs) 365
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Gambhir), 2-44 (Dravid), 3-51 (Jaffer), 4-61 (Laxman), 5-361 (Yuvraj).
Bowling: Akhtar 10-3-23-0, Sami 23-4-103-2 (nb-4), Arafat 22-2-98-3, Kaneria 23-5-75-0, Younis 2-0-14-0, Butt 5-1-10-0 (nb-1), Hammed 5-0-26-0 (nb-1).