Laxman, Dhoni prop up India to 228 for 6
New Delhi (PTI): Mahendra Singh Dhoni and VVS Laxman pulled India out of the woods with a crucial stand as the hosts weathered a wobbly start to finish day two with a slight upper hand over Pakistan in the first cricket Test here today.
On an absorbing day's play, India first scalped the remaining two Pakistani wickets to restrict them to 231 but found themselves in a rut at 93 for five before the stylish Laxman (57 not out) and Dhoni (57) brought the hosts back in the game with a 115-run stand for the sixth wicket.
With three full days' play left and the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch expected to deteriorate, a result is very much on the cards. India will therefore look to take a sizeable first innings lead to give themselves a chance of going one-up in the three-match series.
Laxman and Anil Kumble (7) were at the crease when bad light stopped play with India at 228 for six three runs behind Pakistan's first innings total.
Laxman was not out on 57, which came off 107 balls and included seven delectable hits to the fence.
Fortune fluctuated on the second day with India managing to polish off the Pakistani tail in the morning session before succumbing to a second session batting collapse. In fact, the post-lunch session yielded 93 runs for the hosts but it cost them four frontline batsmen.
With Laxman and Dhoni in charge of proceedings, the final session, however, saw India strongly come back in the match.
The hosts did not have the best of starts today with Shoaib Akhtar removing Dinesh Kaarthick (9) in the fifth over, courtesy a thick outside edge that nestled in Kamran Akmal's gloves.
Wasim Jaffer (32) and Rahul Dravid (38), however, ensured that there was no other casualty soon.
Greeted with a huge leg before appeal on his arrival, Dravid silenced the visitors with three boundaries in the next over when Tanvir was drove once through cover and twice past the mid-wicket region.
Jaffer, who got off the mark with a crisp flick off Akhtar that raced to square leg boundary, looked enthused as well as India went into lunch at 46 for one.
Disaster struck India in the post-lunch session and from 71 for one, the hosts suddenly slumped to 93 for five, thanks to a spectacular batting collapse.
Shoaib trapped Jaffer with a full and fast delivery and two balls later, Sachin Tendulkar (1) committed hara-kiri, paying the price for attempting a non-existent second run.
Dravid had pushed it to square leg and changed end but Tendulkar set off for a second run that was just not there. Dravid sent him back but it was too late as Mohammad Yousuf's throw reached Akmal in time to whip off the bails and effect the crucial run out.
Tendulkar returned as much dejected as the Kotla crowd, which had anticipated some batting fireworks from the master batsman.
Sohail Tanvir then came up with a double-wicket burst as India found them in a soup with top half of their illustrious batting order cooling their heels in the pavilion and the score reading just 95.
Sourav Ganguly (8) dragged a Tanvir delivery onto his stumps in the 26th over and in his next over, the left-arm seamer castled Dravid with a beauty.
Dravid's 73-ball 38 included eight boundaries and the former captain looked in good nick before being removed by Tanvir.
With his exit, what looked like mere hiccups now appeared as a full-flegded crisis for the hosts.
Fortunately, the hosts had Laxman's sublime touch and Dhoni's belligerence to bank upon and the duo did not let down the side.
Laxman's languid grace found its perfect foil in Dhoni's daredevilry and the pair milked the Pakistani attack with consummate ease to steer the side to safety. Danish Kaneria eventually had Dhoni caught by Akmal.
Dhoni's 93-ball 57 included eight hits to the fence.
Earlier this morning, Misbah-ul-Haq (82) and Mohammad Sami (28 not out) thwarted the Indian attack for another 10-odd overs before the hosts finally managed to brought curtains down on what turned out to be Pakistan's best ninth wicket partnership against India.
India needed 54 overs to grab the first eight wickets but the Pakistani tail had enough sting in it to frustrate the hosts for 41.4 overs. During this period, Misbah and Sami lent some respectability to the team total, adding invaluable 87 runs, before Misbah fell to a weird run out.
The right-hander pushed a Sourav Ganguly delivery to point and set out for a single when fielder Dinesh Kaarthick had a go at the non-striker's end. Trying to avoid the throw hitting him, Misbah inches away from the crease leapt only to allow the ball hit the stumps with the batsman in the air.
It was a tragic end to Misbah's five hour and 13 minute vigil in the middle, during which he faced 243 balls and hit six boundaries apart from a six.
Two runs later, Anil Kumble rocked Danish Kaneria's (0) stumps with a faster one and Pakistan were all out for 231.
Kotla remained benign for Kumble who emerged as the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming four for 38, while Zaheer Khan scalped two for 45.
