Searing pace, and a tremendous riposte

Over the past decade, there have been many critics who have questioned Shoaib Akhtar's commitment and appetite for the game. If they had been at the Kotla today, they might have seen a man transformed, someone who finally appears to have grown into the role of the leader of the pack.

He was searingly quick, animated and a constant threat. He went into a sulk when Billy Doctrove turned down a very good shout in his first over, and spent much of his opening spell complaining about the landing areas and asking for sawdust. There was even time for a change of boots, and the odd snarl and stare at batsmen who dared front up to him.

Dramatics can only get you so far though. When it came to the crunch, Shoaib also delivered. A quick outswinger accounted for Dinesh Karthik, who came into this match with a century and five 50s from his six Tests as opener. And the next time he speared one into Wasim Jaffer's pads, Simon Taufel was in much more obliging mood than Doctrove.

He could have had more, and most of the Indian batsmen were more than happy to see him off, or rotate the strike when they could. Even when he came back for a final burst just before stumps, he was nudging the speedo past the 150 km/hr mark - not bad for someone whose heart allegedly isn't in it.

It would almost certainly have been Pakistan's day but for a tremendous fightback from MS Dhoni and VVS Laxman. Rather than choose the path of attrition from 93 for 5, Dhoni and Laxman opted to unveil their strokes, and the bold approach wrested the initiative back after tea. Dhoni pushed Laxman hard for singles and twos, and played his own inimitable way. The straight slap past Danish Kaneria was something perhaps only he would attempt, though there was finesse too in a couple of cracking square drives he played off the luckless Mohammad Sami.

As for Laxman, he was grace itself. These days, every time India embark on a Test, Laxman is supposedly playing for his future. If that pressure was weighing him down, it didn't show, with some majestic drives down the ground and through the leg side punctuating a 115-run partnership. He last made a Test century - 10 is far too few for a man of his class - at Basseterre almost 18 months ago, and India will need him to push on to another in order to prevent a decidedly tricky fourth-innings chase on a wearing pitch.

One man who will be ruing his failure to carry on is Misbah-ul-Haq. He was seldom in trouble on his way to 82, but his dismissal was touched with farce. With all the protective armour that they wear these days, batsmen rarely take evasive action when a throw is fired in at the stumps. His vertical jump as Karthik threw was inviting trouble, and as soon as the stumps were broken, even he knew that a golden opportunity had been squandered.

He could have learnt a lesson from a younger team-mate who made the best of a chance that wouldn't have come his way but for an injury to Umar Gul. Sohail Tanvir offered the batsmen a few free hits on the pads, but he also came up with the odd peach as Rahul Dravid could testify. Pitched on middle and leg, it angled away to clip off stump. By then, he had already celebrated a maiden wicket, with Sourav Ganguly's leaden footwork contributing to a thick inside edge.

Tanvir will have a big role to play on the third morning as India look to eke out as many runs as they can. The new ball is another 17 overs away, and how Pakistan use this old one in helpful morning conditions will dictate the course of this match. So far, it's more than lived up to the hype.

Comments

[Dileep]

Certainly wasted at 6. I'd have him at 3, Dravid at 4 and Tendulkar at 5. But I don't pick the side or decide the batting order.

[Googly]

Hi Dileep,

Great blog. Don't you think a class act like Laxman is being wasted at no.6, behind Ganguly, having to shepherd the tail every time?

[Dileep]

Too early to say much about Misbah. Inzi's great quality was that he always stuck around to get the job done, whether it be Karachi '94 or Ahmedabad '05. Though unflappable, Misbah's game seems a bit too flaky at the moment for such comparisons.

[Avinash Subramaniam]

I was thinking of exactly this. The older, chastised and seemingly more mature Shoaib has been my tragic hero of the series. Speaking of heroes, there's one I'm putting my money on. My short take on the man. You agree?
http://thepitchreport.blogspot.com/2007/11/first-look-misbah-ul-haq.html

[v]

Laxman has this habit of getting bogged down while playing with the tail so hope kumble has a word or two with him to be his normal self.

[Dileep]

I can't see a team making 500 in the second innings like Karachi. This should get worse for batting. A lead of less than 70 or 80 will put India in a precarious situation, especially if Younis or Yousuf really dig in the second time. I'd say that Laxman holds the key.

[Tarun Y]

Hi Dileep,

Do you think this test will make it into the fifth day? Is there any chance that this pitch will do a complete '180' and become better as the game goes on for the 2nd innings(eg, Karachi 2006)?

Based on what you've seen, how much of a lead is a 'good lead', and how much 'commanding lead'?