Yuvraj rescues India after Umar destroys top order
By Rehan Siddiqui
LAHORE, April 5: A wonderful exhibition of seam bowling by Umar Gul and a brilliant maiden century by Yuvraj Singh stole the limelight on an absorbing first day's play in the crucial second Test at the Qadhafi Stadium on Monday.
Pakistan, having dismissed India for 287 in the first innings after Rahul Dravid had called correctly and opted to bat on a greenish strip, were 61 for one in reply. The home team is still 226 runs behind the visitors' total.
Umar, a last-minute replacement for the unfit Shabbir Ahmed, ripped the hearts out of India's highly talented batting line-up in an inspired unchanged 12-over spell that also fetched him his first five-wicket haul in Tests for just 31 runs.
While Umar provided the fireworks for the home team, desperately in need to perform well after the Multan debacle, India were rescued by Yuvraj from being shot out for less than 200. Yuvraj, playing only because of the enforced absence of the injured Saurav Ganguly, the regular Indian captain.
Showing no signs of nerves, Yuvraj, normally regarded as a one-day specialist, grabbed the chance with both hands and batted beautifully to score 112 off just 129 balls, hitting two towering sixes and 15 cracking fours. Yuvraj must be thankful to young wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal who spilled a catch off Mohammad Sami when the batsman was 97.
The powerfully-built left-hander from Jalandhar rescued India from being bowled out much cheaply as he and youngster, Irfan Pathan, put on priceless 117 runs for the eighth wicket before Danish Kaneria accepted a return catch from Pathan who contributed an invaluable 49.
Pathan, tipped by many to become a fine all-rounder, showed he can also bat under pressure and struck one six and seven fours in his 80-ball knock. Pakistan might have bowled out India for much lower total had Umar not left the field due to cramps in his left calf and been unable to bowl after his destructive opening spell.
Umar showed his other more illustrious new ball bowlers the virtue of bowling straight and on a length and line as he removed Multan Test's triple century-maker Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Dravid and Parthiv Patel to reduce India to 147 for seven in the first hour of the afternoon session.
Mohammed Sami, who proved expensive while removing opener Akash Chopra cheaply and tailender Lakshmipathy Balaji, finished with figures of two for 117 from 23 overs. Leg-spinner Kaneria, severely punished by Yuvraj and Pathan, however, had the last laugh claiming both the left-handers to end with two for 56 in 13.1 overs.
The much-trumpeted Shoaib Akhtar was once again a huge disappointment and ended up with the scalp of Ajit Agarkar, his first wicket of the series after having gone wicketless at Multan.
Although there was some assistance in the first session in the pitch for the pacers, both Shoaib and Sami were all over the place without ever looking menacing.
The strip after the initial help to the seamers became as benign as the one in Multan as the Indian pacers barely made any impression on the Pakistan openers who put on 47 before Taufiq Umar played all over a straight delivery from Balaji to have his stumps uprooted.
Pakistan made four changes to the team that played in Multan. Batsman Asim Kamal, Umar, Kaneria, and Kamran replaced Abdul Razzaq, Shabbir, Moin Khan and Saqlain Mushtaq. India inducted medium-pacer Agarkar for the injured left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan.
Scoreboard
INDIA (1st Innings):
A. Chopra lbw b Sami 4
V. Sehwag c Kamran b Umar Gul 39
R. Dravid c Inzamam b Umar Gul 33
S.R. Tendulkar lbw b Umar Gul 2
V.V.S. Laxman c Taufiq b Umar Gul 11
Yuvraj Singh c Imran b Kaneria 112
P.A. Patel lbw b Umar Gul 0
A.B. Agarkar c Kamran b Shoaib 2
Irfan Pathan c and b Kaneria 49
L. Balaji c Kamran b Sami 0
A. Kumble not out 6
EXTRAS (B-6, LB-8, W-6, NB-9) 29
TOTAL (all out, 64.1 overs) 287
FALL OF WKTS: 1-5, 2-69, 3-75, 4-94, 5-125, 6-127, 7-147, 8-264, 9-265.
BOWLING: Shoaib Akhtar 16-1-69-1; Mohammad Sami 23-1-117-2 (5nb, 6w); Umar Gul 12-2-31-5 (4nb); Danish Kaneria 13.1-1-56-2.
PAKISTAN (1st Innings):
Imran Farhat not out 25
Taufiq Umar b Balaji 24
Yasir Hameed not out 4
EXTRAS (LB-6, W-1, NB-1) 8
TOTAL (for one wkt, 23 overs) 61
FALL OF WKT: 1-47.
TO BAT: Inzamamul Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria.
