CALCUTTA, 20 March 2005 — The second Test at the Eden Gardens is evenly poised and Pakistan set to make 422 runs to win will need all the luck in the world to survive the final day’s three sessions today to save the game. With 95 for one at close on the fourth day Pakistan still require a mammoth 327 more runs to win. Under pressure it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will get to it but they certainly have the ability to bat through the day and earn a draw which may not be beyond them.
The wicket is still in good shape except the odd ball keeping low at one end. In twenty overs possible after India had declared their second innings closed at 407 for 9 after tea, Pakistan openers Shahid Afridi and Taufiq Umar showed no signs of nerves as they tackled first the hostility of Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji and later the tantalizing spin of Anil Kumble and off spinner Harbhajan Singh to help Pakistan reach 50 in only the tenth over.
Afridi, a freak performer with the bat, drove and cut imperiously to reach his fifty with nine fours and a huge six off Harbhajan having faced only fifty deliveries, later he hoisted Irfan Pathan as well for a towering six to long leg. It was a cameo innings full of powerful hits.
He was however out in the penultimate over of the day when sweeping Kumble he top edged the ball to short fine leg where Saurav Ganguly did not falter to send Afridi back for 59. Taufiq survived the day having made 29. On the final day of course it will be up to him and the rest to make sure that they keep their cool and just graft their way to a draw.
If they go for the target they may perish because chasing fourth innings totals are not very easy.
The day, however, belonged to India who resuming at 133 for 3 scored a massive 407 before declaring fifty minutes after tea. Their hero of course was Rahul Dravid who had started the day at 54 with his captain Ganguly on 4. Out of form Ganguly did not last long as he holed out to Mohammad Sami who took a catch off his own bowling when Ganguly mistimed a pull when 12. But Dravid reliable as ever made another century in the match to add to his century in each innings in 1999 at Hamilton against New Zealand when he made 190 and 103.
This was only the sixth instance in Indian cricket that a batsman had scored a hundred in each innings of a match. Sunil Gavaskar did it three times, Dravid twice and Vijay Hazare once.
VVS Laxman who had come at the fall of Ganguly’s wicket received a bouncer from Sami which went through his visor and bruised his eyebrows and had to be helped out with India on 156 for 4. Possibly it may have come as a blessing for India as Dravid found in Dinesh Karthik a man who could lift India to an impregnable position.
Dravid 89 at lunch reached his 20th Test century and the third against Pakistan with 13 fours in 301 minutes batting to add to his hundred in the first innings.
Karthik matching stroke for stroke batted brilliantly to reach his maiden fifty in Test matches. He had hit eight fours in 90 balls.
Dravid and Karthik had put on 165 runs for the fifth wicket before Dravid danced down the wicket to spinner Danish Kaneria and was held at long off when 135, an innings which was studded with 15 fours in 378 minutes batting. Not much later Karthik well in control also fell when he was bowled round his legs attempting a sweep off Kaneria when only seven short of his maiden Test century. His innings however showed that he has the potential to establish himself in the side.
At tea, India 331 for 6 led Pakistan by 345 runs but that was extended through some clean hitting by Pathan who hit Kaneria for two huge sixes and added with Laxman 46 runs for the seventh wicket. Laxman made 24 before being stumped off Kaneria and then Abdul Razzaq dismissed both Harbhajan and Balaji before they had scored when the declaration came.
