LAHORE, 6 April 2004 — Two individuals dominated the first day of the second cricket Test between India and Pakistan with personal bests that saw the initiative swing from one team to another on a lively wicket at the Qaddafi Stadium here yesterday.
First, Pakistan’s Umar Gul ripped through the heart of the vaunted Indian batting for a first five-wicket haul, then No. 6 Indian batsman Yuvraj smashed 112 in an 129-ball cameo to bring the Test back on balance.
Yuvraj’s knock contained 15 fours and two sixes.
Yuvraj’s maiden Test hundred and his 122-run partnership with Irfan Pathan helped India climb out of the hole they had dug themselves in, and by the time he was last out he had seen his team to relative safety — from 147 for seven to a fighting 287.
Pakistan had knocked off 61 runs in the 94 minutes they had to see out, but had lost Taufeeq Umer in the process.
Imran Farhat (25) and Yasir Hameed (4) will resume the fight today, on a wicket that seamed and had variable bounce.
Though the pitch played easy as the day wore on, the occasional delivery that kept low and the one that seamed out at an angle had the batsmen in all sorts of trouble.
In the morning however, it assisted the bowlers in pace and swing.
Indian captain Rahul Dravid won the toss and the strength of his batting lineup must have prompted him to bat first on this wicket.
Also the fact that his team would not have to bat fourth on this wicket must have lent weight to this decision.
But as things turned out, the much-blasted Pakistan attack made use of the conditions superbly to leave the Indian innings in near shambles.
Indian openers Vierender Sehwag, the triple century maker in the first Test in Multan, and Aakash Chopra were treated to a steaming opening spell, with Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Sami bowling some of the finest deliveries to this Indian pair in their first overs.
A shaky Chopra, who got a streaky boundary from the first ball he faced, never settled and was trapped leg before by an angled inswinger from Sami.
It was the last ball of his first over and Chopra played late and was caught plumb lbw. The trend of the day was set.
Sehwag and Dravid promised a treat as they batted at a fast clip, but one gem of a ball from Gul suddenly had the Indian middle wobbling.
Sehwag after blasting 39 in his usual fashion, got overambitious as he tried to drive the first change bowler out of the attack.
All he succeeded was to snick a catch to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, lighting the fuse for an one-man demolition job.
Sachin Tendulkar, V. V. S.Laxman and then Dravid, who made 33, all were sent back by a rampant Gul, whose forte was the ability to hit the wicket hard with the seam and sticking to an admirable off and middle line.
India slipped to 127 for six when Gul won another lbw decision, this time against Parthiv Patel, and were further rocked to a measly 147 for seven with Akhtar landing Ajit Agarkar and the possibility of reaching 200 looked bleak.
It was at this moment that Yuvraj and Irfan came together.
Yuvraj played his normal game in an entertaining innings, and the young Irfan, showing maturity beyond his years, kept pace with Yuvraj.
Both drove and cut with panache.
Yuvraj making the area between the fine leg and midwicket his domain, while Irfan relishing the drives on the off side.
His two classic cover drives off Sami off consecutive balls were the pick of the day as the two racked up a hundred partnership in just 110 balls.
Just when he was looking assured of locking up his first fifty, Irfan played a loose shot and managed to spoon a return catch to Danish Kaneria at 49.
He hit a six and seven fours inn his 80-ball knock. India managed 23 more runs, in which Yuvraj also gained his landmark, and this could prove more than adequate on this pitch. This was evident at the cautious start by Pakistan.
Both Farhat and Taufeeq were occasionally troubled by the bounce, but they managed to graft themselves in.
But India once again seized the initiative when Balaji broke through just before time.
The ball kept low and Taufeeq, playing a loose shot, saw his stumps shattered.
Pakistan made four changes to the side that played in the Multan Test.
Kamran Akmal and Kaneria were straight replacements for Moin Khan and Saqlain Mushtaq, while Asim Kamal and Gul took Abdul Razzaq and Shabbir Ahmed’s place Shabbir was reported to be unfit with a shin injury, while Razzaq was sidelined by a back strain.
India made one change, Agarkar coming in for the injured Zaheer Khan.
