They did not exactly scythe through the Pakistan line-up, but inflicted damaging blows at crucial junctures to leave the first Test finely balanced.
The batsmen were expected to carry the hosts well beyond the Pakistan total, but they could only manage 276 for a lead of 45, which looked woefully inadequate. The bowlers, however, rose to the challenge, picking up important wickets to leave Pakistan at 212 for five on Saturday when bad light brought a premature end for the third consecutive day. The visitors were 167 runs ahead.
Costly miss
Had Wasim Jaffer latched on the chance Misbah-ul-Haq offered, the scene would have been entirely different. Misbah, suffering from flu, prodded tentatively at Anil Kumble, and Jaffer fumbled at forward short-leg. The middle-order batsman fully exploited the reprieve, adding 51 for the unfinished sixth-wicket alliance with Kamran Akmal.
India will have to snap the burgeoning alliance sooner than later on the fourth day to wrest complete command. Before Misbah-Akmal pair saved Pakistan from capitulation, it was the Indian bowlers who called the shots. In this Pakistan line-up, there are no bigger wickets than those of Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, and the host bowlers did well to prise out the dangerous duo cheaply.
Superb records
Both Yousuf and Younis boast superb records against India and during their stay at the wicket, they had indicated big innings. Kumble sent Younis on his way when he caught the batsman in front with a straighter one.
His spin partner, Harbhajan Singh, looked innocuous in his first spell but stuck by jettisoning Yousuf. After bowling five overs immediately after the lunch, the Punjab player had to wait another 19 overs for his second spell and he made it count.
The Pakistan middle-order batsman was playing fluently, but a casual uppish forward push off the off-spinner, which the bowler grabbed easily, led to his peril. He later added Shoaib Malik to his account.
The early departure of their batting mainstays shackled the Pakistani scoring. But before the jolts, the visitors were cruising along nicely, making a mockery of predictions about the pitch.
Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed started the innings as if there was no tomorrow, and the Indian pace bowlers had to bear the brunt of their aggression. The good start Pakistan enjoyed was as much the result of their bold approach as the wayward Indian bowling.
Munaf Patel fed the Pakistan openers with half-volleys and they were too good to miss out on the freebies. Zaheer Khan, on the other hand, tried to trouble the batsmen with short-pitched deliveries and the strategy was a futile one on this wicket.
Sensing the ineffectiveness of his pace bowlers, Kumble came into the attack and soon bagged the wicket of Hameed, then returned for his second spell to dislodge Butt, who looked well set to see his team through.
Kaneria strikes
Earlier, VVS Laxman too was in good touch. In Kumble’s company, Laxman pushed India ahead of Pakistan. The morning conditions brooked a careful approach from both batsmen and it was Kumble who fetched boundaries at regular intervals. Till the duo was in the middle, India were in with a chance to extend the lead beyond the three-figure mark. But leg-spinner Danish Kaneria discovered his wicket-taking ways all of a sudden.
Kaneria forced Kumble to edge to Younis at slip, and India's downfall started as the later order batsmen failed to negate Kaneria's bag of tricks. They also showed a distinct lack of will to stay at the crease and support Laxman. The Hyderabadi appeared determined to steer the team to safer shores, and he played with a lot of concentration and purpose.
Harbhajan and Zaheer -- both handy lower-order batsman -- had the opportunity to contribute with the bat, but they selected a hit-or-miss approach and perished soon, leaving Laxman stranded.
