RAWALPINDI, 15 April 2004 — The difference in the “Line of Control” persisted. While India found their rhythm and line on Tuesday, Pakistan’s attack failed to find a dedicated line and was in danger of losing control on the second day of the “Golden Jubilee” Test here yesterday.

In addition, Pakistan came up against “The Wall” and failed to break it allowing India to consolidate slowly but surely. India’s position of strength was built around Rahul Dravid’s painstaking unbeaten 134 as they overhauled Pakistan’s 224 to end the day at 342 for four and a lead of 118 runs.

Dravid, nicknamed “The Wall” for his patience in building his innings, shared in two century partnerships with Parthiv Patel and V.V.S Laxman respectively, and is involved in an unbroken 81-run stand with his captain Saurav Ganguly, who is 53 not out.

Ganguly, coming in to lead India in the decisive Test with the teams level at 1-1, posted his fifty in a 72-ball innings that included eight fours, the last one off the last ball of the day taking him to the landmark.

On a wicket that offered some life early in the day, Pakistan needed to bowl a tight line if they hoped to keep the match from slipping away. But what they produced was a display of speed, while firing away at a line that was way out of the corridor, in sharp contrast to what the Indians did on the first day.

This and the tenacity shown by the Indian batsmen, led by Dravid, allowed the Indians to take a firm grip of the match despite the slow grind. Dravid’s hundred came up in 341 minutes after facing 251 balls told the weary tale.

The Indian game plan was evident from the start — play out the first session without much fuss and then with wickets in hand pile up the score. To counter this Pakistan needed to bowl with fire and also on line. As the day wore on the team that stuck to their plan emerged stronger.

Overnight batsmen, Dravid (10) and Patel (13) took the score from 23 for one to 119 for one by the lunch break. And that Pakistan could only threaten these two batsmen twice in this session told the tale of their pace attack’s performance.

Shoaib Akhtar, Muhammad Sami and Fazle Akbar rarely troubled the batsmen who left the ball pitched outside the line of the stumps well alone, and that was most of the time. And on the occasions they made contact, both batted out the nip in the attack confidently.

Shoaib, playing in front of his home crowd, was the only bowler to reap some success despite some very poor bowling. Ironically he did finish with the best figures for the day among the Pakistani bowlers while enjoying some luck.

The same cannot be said about Sami, who was decidedly unlucky not to take a wicket. He could have had Dravid twice before the batsmen had reached the personal landmark of notching his maiden hundred against Pakistan.

First Sami seemed to have done enough to claim Dravid when he was on 21. A swinging in-cutter caught the batsman plumb before the wicket but umpire David Shepherd was unmoved.

Then with Dravid on 71, the Indian vice captain failed to control his square drive off Sami. The ball rocketed toward Yasir Hameed, who floored a sitter at point.

Dravid cashed in on these blemishes and plodded toward what could well be a decisive century. His bunched fists and the bat in the air were about the lone excessive emotions he exhibited in a knock of high value.

Patel too passed his highest for India yesterday when he bested his personal best effort of 62 not out in the second Test at Lahore with a gutsy 69.

It was the dogged efforts of Dravid and Patel that enabled India slowly wear out the Pakistan attack.

Patel was the more enterprising of the two in the morning with some cracking drives to the square of the wicket and past the mid off region. But like the slow grind of the millstone, runs came at a decided pace and in ones and twos mostly till Patel shifted gears just before lunch. The two had put on 119 runs by that time. The only period Pakistan could view with some success was the hour after lunch. And two wickets came when they stuck to a nagging line.

The first to go was Patel, who was forced to play at an angled delivery outside the off stump and managed to snick it to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who took the catch gratefully. The bowler to break through was Akbar, who had in his earlier over seen Patel being put down by Imran Farhat in the gulley.

And when Shoaib soon got Sachin Tendulkar fending at a rising delivery for one, Pakistan felt that they could yet restrict India. The score then was 130 for three.

But Laxman, in company with Dravid, batted India past the Pakistan total. Laxman took the bowling apart with some smashing drives and pulls and was picking runs at a canter as Dravid inched his way toward the three-figure mark.

Just as the fourth-wicket partnership was in full bloom, Shoaib pulled off a stunner to send Laxman back for a topnotch 71. Bowling his second over of the second new ball, he let fly a scorching full toss that whizzed past a bemused Laxman to clatter his stumps.

But by then the 131-run association had taken its toll and with more batting to come, India could well end up with a substantial total. And “The Wall” is still there.

Dravid, in a press conference later, said: “After our bowlers had done so well, we had to bat well today and consolidate to put pressure on Pakistan. Another 150 runs more would do it.”

“It was hot and tough out there, but I had to hang in there. Though it was difficult, I managed it,” he added.

While describing Parthiv’s knock as fantastic, Dravid said: “He was called upon to do a difficult job, and he showed character and courage to play a fine knock,” while adding that the reason Parthiv was asked to open because the team felt that it would be bat to disturb the line up.

“The other batsmen have their comfort zone and today our decision proved right with Ganguly coming good when we needed it.”

He praised Shoaib’s bowling, calling it at sometimes difficult. “He produces two gems that got Sachin and Laxman, and he bowled with lots of speed.

But we had to hang in there. It was tough, but we played Shoaib out of the attack,” he said. Pakistan’s day of whammies continued when a freak injury knocked Shoaib out of the attack briefly.

Shoaib fell on his follow through, and in trying to break the fall landed heavily with his left arm taking the brunt of the fall.

Doctors reported a swollen left thumb and Shoaib returned to bowl after treatment. Along with Shoaib nursing this injury, Pakistan could well be without Asim Kamal, who has been taken to the hospital for X-rays following a solid blow to his elbow.

He sustained this hit of a Ganguly pull shot off Danish Kaneria while fielding at silly mid on.