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Untitled Document
 Harbhajan takes five as India take big lead at Eden Gardens
3rd Dec 2007 22:03 IST
Agencies
Harbhajan Singh registered his 20th five-wicket haul in Test cricket as India took a commanding lead of 301 runs at the end of the fourth day’s play of the second Test against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata today.
At the end of the day’s play, India were 141/2 in their second innings after the hosts batsman scored on brisk rate in their second essay to give Pakistan a challenging total after the visitors avoided the follow-on.
Earlier, a gritty Misbah-ul-Haq (161 not out) continued to lead Pakistan's recovery and enabled his team avoid the ignominy of a follow-on with a 91-run seventh wicket stand with Mohammad Sami (38) for the seventh wicket.
Resuming the day at 352/6, Pakistan managed to stave off the follow-on when they reached 417 in the penultimate over of the morning session with Misbah taking a couple by dispatching Sourav Ganguly to deep square leg.
The Indians went luckless in the pre-lunch hours as they floored easy chances and the visitors reached 418/6 in their first innings.
Misbah, who lofted Harbhajan over long on for a six in the day's fifth over, continued to play with determination and a great sense of responsibility to slowly lead his team into a position of relative safety.
Sami seemed to be riding on his luck as even before opening his account he was dropped at second slip by Wasim Jaffer off Harbhajan, who was finishing his overnight incomplete over.
The tail-ender got another lifeline on his individual score of 7, when he fended at a Anil Kumble delivery that suddenly jumped and flew straight to Rahul Dravid, who failed to latch on to the offering at second slip.
29 runs came in the first hour, before Sami took a single of Harbhajan to complete Pakistan's 400 in 129.4 overs.
However, the Indian bowlers tasted success in the post lunch hours as they polished off the visitors' late order by grabbing four wickets within a space of eight runs.
Kumble's strategy of employing part-time bowler VVS Laxman bore fruit as Sami tried to loft a flighted delivery from the Hyderabadi but ended in the hands of Jaffer at mid-off.
Sami faced 123 balls and hit two fours and a six as Pakistan score was reduced to 448/7.
Kumble then got into the act and foxed Sohail Tanvir (0) with a googly in the next over, before Harbhajan saw the back of Shoaib Akhtar (0) and Danish Kaneria (0) to finish with figures of 45.5-9-122-5.
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