Almost a norm in this Test, one wicket led to a heap. Rahul Dravid edged to Lee and then Sachin Tendulkar didn’t bother to look at the umpire after getting rapped straight on his pads against the same bowler. Sourav Ganguly walked in at number six and left immediately for no score while overnight bat Pathan stood at the other end, looking at the scoreboard moving from 79/2 to 125/5 where just 16 came from the established men. Just when it all smelled of a familiar Indian plot, the climax came with a pleasant twist with Laxman as a superhero. Chastised for his hesitancy to bat along with the tail, Laxman cleared himself of that charge by forging three sizeable partnerships of 35, 75 and 51.

Laxman first joined Pathan before lunch and stopped the carnage. Pathan left off the eighth ball in the second session for a well-complied 46, and Dhoni proved a great ally for the highest partnership of the innings—the Indian deputy in command curbed his natural stroke-making, moving over from a cautious first 5 runs from 43 balls and pulping two sixes against each only when Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke sent down 16 overs in a row between them.

Dhoni made a sedate but timely 38 but lost his wicket to a cheeky attempt at a sweep.

Laxman reached his half-century from 97 balls with just four boundaries, but each of those was a signature shot. Today he showed more responsibility than elegance, playing a caretaker role, especially in that ninth wicket partnership with RP Singh that lasted 17 overs. He absorbed most of Lee’s lethal stuff and allowed RP to wander into Shaun Tait and Clark. RP made 30 with one six and three boundary hits as the lead stretched into 400-plus. Clark and Lee bowled outstandingly to share seven wickets, getting the opposition for under 300.

... contd.