Kolkata Test Start

Eden Gardens history inspires Pakistan; India wavering over Singh

Pakistan, high on confidence after a valiant fight-back in the Mohali Test, would make two changes in the playing eleven against India beginning on Wednesday (today). "There will be two changes -- one in the top order and another in the bowling department," skipper Inzamam-ul Haq told reporters.
Seamer Rana Navedul Hasan, suffering from a shoulder injury, is likely to be replaced with left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Khalil who has figured in just one Test. All-rounder Shahid Afridi may also be included in place of left-handed opener Salman Butt, who failed in both the innings at Mohali.

Pakistan will seek inspiration from events six years ago when they return to the Eden Gardens for the second Test against India starting tomorrow. Pakistan posted a stunning victory here in the opening match of the Asian Test Championship in 1999 after losing six wickets for 26 runs on the first morning.

India look set to recall off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to counter a rejuvenated Pakistan in the second Test starting on Wednesday. Harbhajan could return at his favourite Eden Gardens, where he captured 15 wickets to bowl India to a famous victory over Australia in 2001. Harbhajan was left out of the team for last week's first test in Mohali, in which Pakistan staged a superb rearguard action to force a draw.
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq faces a dilemma over his deputy Younis Khan, who failed twice in Mohali at number three with scores of one and nine. Pakistan's top order struggled generally, with left-handed opener Salman Butt falling cheaply to left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan in both innings. The aggressive Shahid Afridi, who hit 141 in the first Test in Madras in 1999, and Yasir Hameed could replace him.
Captain Sourav Ganguly must choose between Pathan and fellow left-arm Zaheer Khan to share the new ball with Lakshmipathy Balaji, India's most successful seamer in Mohali with match figures of nine for 171 on his comeback from a pelvic injury.
The 100,000 fans expected to pack into Eden Gardens will also be hoping that Sachin Tendulkar can complete a record 35th test century after missing out by just six runs in Mohali.

In Picture: Harbhajan rose to international fame at Eden Gardens in 2001 when, against Steve Waugh's Australia, he became the only Indian to grab a Test hat-trick.

Kolkata Test First Day

Sachin's 10,000 and Dravid's ton Sachin

Indian openers had yet another great start on a pitch that was shorn of most of the grass cover after Ganguly won the toss and opted to bat.
At lunch India were 126/1 (30 ov) with Dravid on 22 (48) and Sehwag on 64 (92). Soon after lunch, Sachin Tendulkar 52 (102), who repalced Sehwag 81 (114) reached 10,000 Test runs and Rahul Dravid reached his century.
Abdul Razzaq removed Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman off successive deliveries before Dravid 110 (222) put on 46 with Dinesh Karthik 28* (47) to end the first day on 344-6. Dravid was out in the last over.

India 50 runs in 52 mins, 12.4 overs
India 100 runs in 96 mins, 21.6 overs
Score at Lunch: India 126/1 in 30 overs (Sehwag 64*, Dravid 22*)
India 150 runs in 143 mins, 36.2 overs
Dravid 50 runs in 102 mins, 99 balls, 8x5
India 200 runs in 204 mins, 50.4 overs
Score at Tea: India 225/2 in 60 overs (Dravid 70*, Tendulkar 25*)
India 250 runs in 268 mins, 66.1 overs
Tendulkar 50 runs in 139 mins, 98 balls, 9x4
India 300 runs in 321 mins, 77.1 overs
Dravid 100 runs in 248 mins, 198 balls, 15x4, 1x6

In Picture: Dravid becomes the last of four late wickets to fall on Day one, but completed his ton in style.

Kolkata Test Second Day

Younis and Youhana tame India's attack

India's Dinesh Karthik runs himself out (In Picture, above) as Pakistan make the perfect start to day two. Younis Khan 108 (167) and Yousuf Youhana 101 (172) hit unbeaten centuries as Pakistan made a spirited reply to India's 407 all out on the second day in Calcutta. The tourists were 273-2 at close of play with Youhana striking the last ball of the day for four to reach 101 not out.
The pair shared a stand of 203 after Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji had dismissed the openers.
India had earlier added 63 to their overnight score of 344-6. The last wicket partnership of 44 between Kumble 21* (36) and Harbhajan Singh 27 (39) took India to 407.

India 350 runs in 383 mins, 93.2 overs
New ball taken after 107.3 overs
India 400 runs in 449 mins, 108.5 overs
Score at Lunch: Pakistan 17/0 (Taufeeq Umar 0*, Shahid Afridi 16*)
Pakistan 50 runs in 42 mins, 9.3 overs
Younis Khan 50 in 106 mins, 69 balls, 6x4
Score at Tea: Pakistan 147/2 in 33 overs (Yousuf Youhana 44*, Younis Khan 50*)
Yousuf Youhana 50 in 87 mins, 71 balls, 7x4
Pakistan 150 runs in 145 mins, 34.3 overs
Pakistan 200 runs in 208 mins, 48.4 overs
Younis Khan 100 in 213 mins, 146 balls, 13x4
Pakistan 250 in 246 mins, 56.5 overs
Yousuf Youhana 100 runs in 211 mins, 172 balls, 13x4

In Picture: Youhana notches his 13th Test hundred as the duo put on 203 to leave their side on 273-2 at the close.

Kolkata Test Third Day

Bucknor messes up, Sachin's dismissal might well be the turning point in this series Worst Umpire?

Sachin and Dravid played a vital innings as India battled hard to gain the initiative after three days of the second Test against Pakistan. Dravid was 54 not out at stumps on the third day, having lost Sachin Tendulkar (52) to a poor umpiring decision. Umpire Steve Bucknor gave the batsman out caught behind, although Pakistan barely appealed and replays showed the ball missed the bat by an inch.
The pair had put on a vital 98 as India reached 133-3, an overall lead of 147.
Earlier, spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh had run amok among Pakistan's lower order as the tourists were all out for 393.

In Picture: Azim Kamal was the last wicket to fall before lunch, run out by Tendulkar for 6, while the score was 347. The last five Pakistan wickets fell for 32 runs.

Kolkata Test Fourth Day

Pakistan boosted by Afridi knock

Bold batting from Pakistan's Shahid Afridi has set up an intriguing final day in the second Test against India. Afridi smashed 59 before falling to Anil Kumble as the tourists ended day four in Calcutta on 95-1, chasing 422.
Earlier, India declared on 407-9, with Rahul Dravid (135) posting his second century of the match and putting on 165 with wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik (93). Irfan Pathan weighed in with a rapid 38, while Mohammad Sami and Danish Kaneria ended with three wickets each.

Brief Scores: India: 407 (Dravid 110, Sehwag 81, Tendulkar 52) and 407/9 decl. (Dravid 135, Karthik 93, Tendulkar 52)
Pakistan: 393 (Younis 147, Youhana 104) and 95/1 (Afridi 59)
Pakistan require another 327 runs with 9 wickets in hand on the last day to win the match.

Kolkata Test Fifth Day

Anil Kumble took 7-63 as India wrapped up victory in the second Test against Pakistan by 195 runs in Calcutta. The leg-spinner finished with match figures of 10-161 in Pakistan's first ever defeat at Eden Gardens.
Kumble removed Younis Khan with the first ball of the final day and bowled skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq before Taufeeq Umar edged Laxmipathy Balaji to slip. Kumble and Harbhajan Singh (2-51) then ran through the middle and lower order to put India 1-0 up with one Test left.

In Picture: Top: Kumble's ball beating the batsman and on its way to the stumps.
Bottom: Kumble took his match haul to 10 wickets when Mohammad Sami, who had battled away for 51 balls, was trapped leg before at the start of the final session.

Brief Scores: India 407 & 407-9 dec bt Pakistan 393 & 226 by 195 runs.

India vs Pakistan Kolkata Test Match Scoreboard

India First Innings 407 all out (111.1 overs)	India Second Innings 407 for 9 (104.0 overs)
Pakistan First Innings 393 all out (113.1 overs)	Pakistan Second Innings 226 all out (91.3 overs)

Batsman			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
V Sehwag	c Inzamam-ul-Haq	b Shahid Afridi	81	114	11	0
G Gambhir	lbw	b Danish Kaneria	29	48	4	0
R Dravid	c Kamran Akmal	b Danish Kaneria	110	222	15	1
S R Tendulkar	c Kamran Akmal	b Shahid Afridi	52	102	9	0
S C Ganguly	c Kamran Akmal	b Abdul Razzaq	12	14	3	0
V V S Laxman	lbw	b Abdul Razzaq	0	1	0	0
K K D Karthik	run out		28	52	3	0
I K Pathan	c Younis Khan	b Danish Kaneria	8	35	1	0
L Balaji		b Shahid Afridi	3	20	0	0
Harbhajan Singh	lbw	b Abdul Razzaq	27	39	4	0
A Kumble	not out		21	36	4	0
Extras		16nb 6w 2b 12lb	36
Total		all out	407

Bowler O M R W Mohammad Sami 22.0 3 76 0 Mohammad Khalil 11.0 3 39 0 Danish Kaneria 35.0 1 136 3 Abdul Razzaq 22.1 4 62 3 Shahid Afridi 21.0 0 80 3

Fall of wicket Batsman 80 G Gambhir 156 V Sehwag 278 S R Tendulkar 298 S C Ganguly 298 V V S Laxman 344 R Dravid 345 K K D Karthik 357 L Balaji 363 I K Pathan 407 Harbhajan Singh

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Batsman			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Taufeeq Umar	c Harbhajan Singh	b L Balaji	18	44	3	0
Shahid Afridi	c S R Tendulkar	b I K Pathan	29	21	7	0
Younis Khan	c V V S Laxman	b A Kumble	147	258	19	0
Yousuf Youhana	lbw	b L Balaji	104	178	13	0
Inzamam-ul-Haq	c K K D Karthik	b I K Pathan	30	43	4	0
Asim Kamal	run out		6	28	1	0
Abdul Razzaq	c R Dravid	b A Kumble	17	59	2	0
Kamran Akmal	c S R Tendulkar	b Harbhajan Singh	0	13	0	0
Mohammad Sami	c S C Ganguly	b Harbhajan Singh	7	26	1	0
Mohammad Khalil	c V Sehwag	b A Kumble	4	10	1	0
Danish Kaneria	not out		3	8	0	0
Extras		8nb 2w 5b 13lb	28
Total		all out	393

Bowler O M R W I K Pathan 23.0 6 90 2 L Balaji 21.0 1 81 2 A Kumble 37.1 11 98 3 S C Ganguly 2.0 0 12 0 Harbhajan Singh 30.0 5 94 2

Fall of wicket Batsman 35 Shahid Afridi 70 Taufeeq Umar 281 Yousuf Youhana 331 Inzamam-ul-Haq 347 Asim Kamal 361 Younis Khan 362 Kamran Akmal 378 Abdul Razzaq 378 Mohammad Sami 393 Mohammad Khalil

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Batsman			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
V Sehwag		b Mohammad Sami	15	10	3	0
G Gambhir		b Mohammad Sami	1	2	0	0
R Dravid	c Asim Kamal	b Danish Kaneria	135	283	15	0
S R Tendulkar	c Kamran Akmal	b Abdul Razzaq	52	91	9	0
S C Ganguly	c and b	Mohammad Sami	12	32	2	0
V V S Laxman	st Kamran Akmal	b Danish Kaneria	24	29	2	1
K K D Karthik		b Danish Kaneria	93	140	13	0
I K Pathan	not out		38	30	3	2
Harbhajan Singh		b Abdul Razzaq	0	3	0	0
L Balaji	c Kamran Akmal	b Abdul Razzaq	0	3	0	0
A Kumble	not out		14	13	3	0
Extras		12nb 1w 5b 5lb	23
Total		for 9	407

Bowler O M R W Mohammad Khalil 12.0 0 64 0 Mohammad Sami 23.0 5 82 3 Danish Kaneria 34.0 7 123 3 Shahid Afridi 15.0 2 47 0 Abdul Razzaq 19.0 3 80 3 Younis Khan 1.0 0 1 0

Fall of wicket Batsman 14 G Gambhir 23 V Sehwag 121 S R Tendulkar 154 S C Ganguly 321 R Dravid 331 K K D Karthik 377 V V S Laxman 378 Harbhajan Singh 378 L Balaji

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Batsman			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Taufeeq Umar	c V Sehwag	b L Balaji	35	88	4	0
Shahid Afridi	c S C Ganguly	b A Kumble	59	59	9	2
Younis Khan	st K K D Karthik	b A Kumble	0	2	0	0
Inzamam-ul-Haq		b A Kumble	13	27	2	0
Yousuf Youhana	c G Gambhir	b A Kumble	22	89	3	0
Asim Kamal	c (sub)	b A Kumble	50	144	9	0
Abdul Razzaq		b A Kumble	6	12	0	1
Kamran Akmal		b Harbhajan Singh	7	22	1	0
Mohammad Sami	lbw	b A Kumble	9	51	1	0
Mohammad Khalil	not out		0	32	0	0
Danish Kaneria		b Harbhajan Singh	3	24	0	0
Extras		1nb 1w 17b 3lb	22
Total		all out	226

Bowler O M R W I K Pathan 7.0 1 32 0 L Balaji 16.0 4 60 1 A Kumble 38.0 16 63 7 Harbhajan Singh 30.3 16 51 2

Fall of wicket Batsman 93 Shahid Afridi 95 Younis Khan 115 Inzamam-ul-Haq 115 Taufeeq Umar 178 Yousuf Youhana 188 Abdul Razzaq 203 Kamran Akmal 214 Asim Kamal 223 Mohammad Sami 226 Danish Kaneria

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Indian Cricket Team for Kolkata Test

1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag , 3 Rahul Dravid , 4 Sachin Tendulkar , 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Irfan Pathan, 9 Anil Kumble, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 Lakshmipathy Balaji.

In Picture: Indian Team practising at the Gardens

Pakistan Cricket Team for Kolkata Test

1 Taufeeq Umar, 2 Shahid Afridi, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Asim Kamal, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Mohammad Khalil, 11 Danish Kaneria.

In Picture: Inzamam Ul Haq during training at Eden Gardens

The Venue

Sometimes as many as 100,000 cricket-mad fans pack into Eden Gardens, one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. It is home to Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Mohammad Azharuddin made his Test debut here and after seven Tests could boast a proud batting average of 107.5 at Eden Gardens.