LAHORE, 14 January 2006 — Pakistan dominated the proceedings on the first day of the first Test against India as they posted 326 for two at the close of play here yesterday.
The Indians toiled for the whole day, managing to capture just two wickets but without making any impression on the home team.
Pakistan’s vice-captain Younis Khan cracked a fluent, unbeaten 147, his 10th Test hundred. It was his third landmark knock in as many Tests against India, having made 147 in Calcutta and a match-winning 267 in Bangalore in March last year.
Khan was involved in two productive partnerships. He first added 124 runs for the second wicket with opener Shoaib Malik and then he and Mohammad Yousuf, who came in to bat after Malik’s rather soft dismissal, added 190 runs in 163 minutes for the unbroken third-wicket partnership. Yousuf was batting at 95 at the close of play.
Khan’s return to form after failing to get a half-century in the home series against England (in November) was marked with delightful and powerful strokes on both sides of the wicket.
He reached his hundred in the second over after tea with a sizzling straight drive off seamer Irfan Pathan for his 12th boundary and ended the day by adding seven more fours.
Yousuf also looked in a very good touch with 10 fours and a six over mid-wicket against leg-spinner Anil Kumble.
Pakistan captain Inzamam ul-Huq won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat first, although he agreed that the strip might help the seamers in the first two hours. It however did not and India’s only success in the pre-lunch session was the wicket of opener Salman Butt, who tried to take a run, which was not there and then was too casual in returning to his crease. Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh in a brilliant single-action pickup and throw, shattered the wickets on the non-striker’s end to reduce Pakistan to 12 for one.
Younis Khan joined Malik and the two took the score to 110 at lunch without being separated. Malik hit seven boundaries and a six before he half-heartedly drove Irfan Pathan to Harbhajan Singh at covers midway through the post-lunch session. He made 59.
The Lahore wicket had almost nothing for the bowlers. Contrary to the speculations that the hosts will prepare fast and bouncy track it proved to be dull and dead. India, who included former captain Saurav Ganguly in the playing eleven, managed just two wickets during the day before play was called off five overs early due to fading light.
Kumble was the most expensive Indian bowler conceding 92 runs from 23 overs, but none of the others spared by the rampaging Pakistanis. Pathan was the only successful bowler of the six that skipper Rahul Dravid used during the day.
The tourists ended the suspense over their team composition by playing Ganguly in place of two regular openers, Gautam Gambhir and Wasim Jaffar.
The Indians fielded both spinners, Kumble and Harbhajan, to back seamers Pathan and Ajit Agarkar.
Pakistan have a three-pronged pace attack including Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami and Rana Naved and one specialist spinner, Danish Kaneria.
The present series between the two archrivals includes two more Tests in Faisalabad from Jan. 21-25 and Karachi from January 29-February 2 to be followed by a five-match one-day series.
