BULAWAYO (Zimbabwe), Sept 15: Left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan tore through Zimbabwe’s top-order to leave India on the brink of victory in the first Test on Thursday. Pathan took four for 35 to leave Zimbabwe tottering on 67 for six in their second innings at the close on the third day, still 208 runs shy of making India bat again.
India, replying to Zimbabwe’s first innings of 279, accumulated 554 all out with contrasting centuries from Vangipurappu Laxman and captain Saurav Ganguly.
Ganguly went on to complete his 12th Test century, off a pedestrian 261 deliveries, before being caught at deep mid-off off Gavin Ewing next ball for 101.
Zimbabwe, faced with a deficit of 275 runs, were then reduced to 18 for five as Pathan wreaked havoc.
Tatenda Taibu (30 not out) steadied the innings with a sixth-wicket stand of 49 with Charles Coventry (24).
India’s captain broke through the 5000 Test runs barrier when he reached 51.
Scoreboard
ZIMBABWE (1st Innings) 279 (T. Taibu 71 not out, T. Duffin 56; Irfan Pathan 5-58).
INDIA (1st Innings, overnight 325-3):
G. Gambhir c Taylor b Mahwire 46
V. Sehwag b Mahwire 44
R. Dravid c Taylor b Mahwire 77
V.V.S. Laxman run out 140
S.C. Ganguly c Duffin b Ewing 101
Yuvraj Singh b Dabengwa 12
K.K.D. Karthik c Taibu b Blignaut 1
Irfan Pathan c and b Dabengwa 52
A. Kumble c Coventry b Dabengwa 17
Harbhajan Singh c Coventry b Mahwire 37
Zaheer Khan not out 13
EXTRAS (LB-7, W-3, NB-4) 14
TOTAL (all out, 146.3 overs) 554
FALL OF WKTS: 1-88, 2-98, 3-228, 4-356, 5-372, 6-379, 7-476, 8-502, 9-522.
BOWLING: Streak 26-3-91 0 (2w); Mahwire 25.3-4-92-4 (1nb, 1w); Blignaut 19-2-96-1 (2nb); Dabengwa 35-6-127-3; Ewing 41-5-141-1 (1nb).
ZIMBABWE (2nd Innings):
B.R.M. Taylor lbw b Pathan 4
T. Duffin b Zaheer 2
H. Masakadza c Kumble b Pathan 2
D.D. Ebrahim b Pathan 1
T. Taibu not out 30
H.H. Streak lbw b Pathan 0
C.K. Coventry c Gambhir b Harbhajan 24
EXTRAS (W-2, NB-2) 4
TOTAL (for six wkts, 17.2 overs) 67
FALL OF WKTS: 1-4, 2-9, 3-9, 4-16, 5-18, 6-67.
BOWLING (to-date): Irfan Pathan 8-3-35-4 (1w); Zaheer Khan 6-1-17-1 (2nb); Harbhajan Singh 2.2-0-14-1 (1w); Kumble 1-0-1-0.—Agencies