India secure draw to win series
Thursday, 13 December 2007
BANGALORE, Dec 12 (BBC): India settled for a draw in the final Test with Pakistan in Bangalore to claim a first home series for 29 years against their fiercest rivals.
The hosts won the three-Test series 1-0 but were heading for an unlikely second victory, with Pakistan 162-7 chasing 374, before bad light stopped play.
India declared their second innings on 284-6 with Sourav Ganguly (91) and Dinesh Karthik (52) doing the damage.
Captain Anil Kumble then took 5-60 to give India a sniff of the win.
But with 13 overs lost because of the gloom, the leg-spinner might rue not declaring earlier.
Pakistan raced to 23-0 at tea as they went through the motions of chasing, but the game appeared to be up soon after.
Kumble deceived Yasir Hameed (39) with a quicker ball and then caught Younus Khan (0) off his own bowling three deliveries later.
The skipper struck for a third time to remove Salman Butt for eight after the opener edged behind to wicket-keeper Karthik but Pakistan's Faisal Iqbal and Misbah-ul-Haq stuck around to put on a bit of a show for the patient crowd.
The pair shared an enterprising 71 before Iqbal lofted a skier to 19-year-old Ishant Sharma off Kumble for 51 and then Kamran Akmal was bowled by Kumble's next ball for a golden duck.
But as the match looked like grinding towards the draw, left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh removed Misbah's off stump for 38 off 40 balls to leave Pakistan tottering at 148-6.
The home crowd sensed a chance to skittle Pakistan and the excitement mounted further when Yuvraj bowled Yasir Arafat for another duck.
But with an unlikely victory seemingly within India's grasp, the light worsened and Pakistan wasted no time in accepting the invitation to go off.
The Indians remained on the pitch but eventually the umpires conferred with Kumble and he accepted the bad light was terminal.
Earlier, India resumed on 131-2 with Ganguly on 63 and Rahul Dravid on 35.
The two old hands proceeded serenely for 14 overs and added 46 to their overnight stand of 106 before the innings stuttered.
Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria trapped Dravid lbw for 42 to leave India 178-3, a lead of 267.
Ganguly, playing his 99th Test, was poised to become the seventh player to score a double-hundred and a century in the same match.
India 626 (Ganguly 239, Yuvraj 169, Pathan 102, Arafat 5-161) and 284 for 6 dec (Ganguly 91, Karthik 52) drew with Pakistan 537 (Misbah 133*, Younis 80, Butt 68, Akmal 65, Ishant 5-118) and 162 for 7 (Iqbal 51, Kumble 5-60).
The hosts won the three-Test series 1-0 but were heading for an unlikely second victory, with Pakistan 162-7 chasing 374, before bad light stopped play.
India declared their second innings on 284-6 with Sourav Ganguly (91) and Dinesh Karthik (52) doing the damage.
Captain Anil Kumble then took 5-60 to give India a sniff of the win.
But with 13 overs lost because of the gloom, the leg-spinner might rue not declaring earlier.
Pakistan raced to 23-0 at tea as they went through the motions of chasing, but the game appeared to be up soon after.
Kumble deceived Yasir Hameed (39) with a quicker ball and then caught Younus Khan (0) off his own bowling three deliveries later.
The skipper struck for a third time to remove Salman Butt for eight after the opener edged behind to wicket-keeper Karthik but Pakistan's Faisal Iqbal and Misbah-ul-Haq stuck around to put on a bit of a show for the patient crowd.
The pair shared an enterprising 71 before Iqbal lofted a skier to 19-year-old Ishant Sharma off Kumble for 51 and then Kamran Akmal was bowled by Kumble's next ball for a golden duck.
But as the match looked like grinding towards the draw, left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh removed Misbah's off stump for 38 off 40 balls to leave Pakistan tottering at 148-6.
The home crowd sensed a chance to skittle Pakistan and the excitement mounted further when Yuvraj bowled Yasir Arafat for another duck.
But with an unlikely victory seemingly within India's grasp, the light worsened and Pakistan wasted no time in accepting the invitation to go off.
The Indians remained on the pitch but eventually the umpires conferred with Kumble and he accepted the bad light was terminal.
Earlier, India resumed on 131-2 with Ganguly on 63 and Rahul Dravid on 35.
The two old hands proceeded serenely for 14 overs and added 46 to their overnight stand of 106 before the innings stuttered.
Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria trapped Dravid lbw for 42 to leave India 178-3, a lead of 267.
Ganguly, playing his 99th Test, was poised to become the seventh player to score a double-hundred and a century in the same match.
India 626 (Ganguly 239, Yuvraj 169, Pathan 102, Arafat 5-161) and 284 for 6 dec (Ganguly 91, Karthik 52) drew with Pakistan 537 (Misbah 133*, Younis 80, Butt 68, Akmal 65, Ishant 5-118) and 162 for 7 (Iqbal 51, Kumble 5-60).