Zeenews Bureau
Kolkata, Dec 04: A brilliant effort by the experienced pair of Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf helped Pakistan to draw the second Test against India at Eden Gardens. The anchor role played by the two batsmen ensured that Pakistan would have a chance to level the series in the final match at Bangalore on the 8th of December.
Younus Khan completed his 15th Test century and kept the Indian war horses at bay. India were all set to seal the series with a win at Eden Gardens but the master batsman from Pakistan upped his game by a level to come up with a brilliant batting display. The effort helped Pakistan reach a position from where it would be unlikely for them to lose. The scorecard read 207 runs with only a handful of overs remaining for the match.
The combination of Yousuf-Younus completed their centurion partnership and steered Pakistan away from the certainty of a second Test loss in succession against India. With less than 13 overs to be bowled before the final day of the Test ended, Pakistan looked all set to be headed for a draw. Pakistan were 181 runs after 68 overs for the loss of four wickets.
The duo of Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf adopted a defensive strategy as they milked the spin attack for runs. They managed to take the Pakistan total to 111 runs without any further damage to the batting line-up. Younus stood like a pillar for his team when it mattered the most, piling up a brilliant and hard earned half-century in the process.
Speedster Munaf Patel took his first wicket of the second innings in the form of the in-form batsman Misbah-ul-Haq. He could muster a score of just six runs before he was clean bowled by Munaf off a brilliant off cutter. The scorecard was gloomy for the Pakistan squad as it read 78 runs for the loss of four wickets.
The third wicket spelled grave trouble for Pakistan as Kumble spun a deadly web around the Pakistan batting line-up. The latest batsman to walk back to the pavilion was Salman Butt. He could add only 11 runs from the 91 balls he faced as he was given LBW after being plumb in front of the wicket to a low delivery from the master spinner. Pakistan scorecard read 65 runs for the loss of three wickets.
Prior to this, Indian skipper Kumble got the desired breakthrough as he clean bowled Akmal. The batsman exited after scoring 14 runs and Pakistan were 37 runs for the loss of two wickets. The break claim shortly after the second session of play started. With the wicket of a key player gone on a turning pitch, Pakistan were slightly on the back foot.
The first session of play on the final day of the second Test ended with Pakistan avoiding any further damage. The visitors mustered 37 runs from their quota of overs from the morning session to lower the target to 308 runs. The duo of Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt held over the reigns and milked the bowling for some precious runs. The key for them was to hold on to the wickets and not allow the Indian spinners run away with the game.
India’s ace paceman Zaheer Khan struck first for the home team has he got the wicket of Yasir Hamid in the first session of Pakistan’s play. The batsman departed at a score of 14 runs due to a great piece of reflex action by the bowler who caught him off his own bowling. Pakistan were 22 runs for the loss of a wicket in the early stages of their innings.
The Indian team scored some quick runs in the morning session to elevate the overnight lead to 344 runs. The wicket of Sourav Ganguly off Akhtar’s bowling saw India declare their innings and set Pakistan a steep total to chase. Ganguly was clean bowled after he hit 46 runs.
Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar struck gold early on as he got MS Dhoni’s wicket using a slower delivery, something rare from the speed demon of international cricket. Dhoni could not read the ball in time and was clean bowled in the meantime. He departed at a score of 37 runs as India were 116 runs for the loss of three wickets.
The proceedings started off on a positive note for India initially, with Ganguly saving his wicket from a run out despite a direct hit from the vigilant fielder. He also crossed a personal landmark of scoring 600 Test runs playing for India at the highest level. The first over saw India score nine runs and reach 150 runs for the loss of two wickets that were taken on the previous day.
