Wasim Jaffer slammed a majestic unbeaten 192 as India took firm control
of the second cricket Test against Pakistan by laying the foundation for
a mammoth first innings total here today.
The 29-year-old Jaffer notched up his fifth Test century as
he stole the limelight with some breathtaking shots while Sachin Tendulkar
(82) and Rahul Dravid (50) chipped in with notable contributions to steer
the home team to a commanding 352 for three at close on the opening day.
Local hero Sourav Ganguly (17) was giving Jaffer company
when play was called off early due to bad light with 5.3 overs still remaining
to be bowled.
Electing to bat, the Indians lost opener Dinesh Kaarthick
(1) cheaply but the other batsmen made the most of the ideal batting track at
the Eden Gardens to put the team in the driver's seat.
Jaffer seemed to be in imperious form as he first added 136
runs with Dravid for the second wicket and then stitched 175 runs for the third
wicket with Tendulkar against an insipid Pakistani bowling attack.
Pakistan's gamble to include Shoaib Akhtar, who had
not fully recovered from a viral infection, proved quite costly as the temparamental
fast bowler could manage to bowl just nine overs during the day.
None of the Pakistani bowlers could really make much of an impact as the Indians
scored at a brisk pace to compound the misery for stand-in captain Younis
Khan, who led the team after Shoaib Malik was ruled out of the match
because of an ankle injury.
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