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Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a lusty unbeaten 116 as the lower order batsmen pulled India out of the pits and restored balance in the second cricket Test against Pakistan at the Iqbal Stadium in Faislabad.
Captain Rahul Dravid's gritty 103 was overshadowed as the swashbuckling Dhoni gave a breathtaking display of strokeplay to not only notch up his maiden Test century but steer his team to a relatively safe position of 441 for five at stumps on the third day.
The prospects of a follow-on loomed large at one stage when the visitors were left struggling at 281 for five but Dhoni showed no signs of nerve by unleashing a blistering assault on the Pakistani bowlers who bowled well in patches.
The wicket-keeper batsman found an able ally in young Irfan Pathan (49 not out) as the sixth wicket pair put on a record unfinished 160-run partnership to leave the tourists 147 runs adrift of Pakistan's mammoth first innings total of 588 on a placid track at the Iqbal stadium.
Resuming at the overnight score of 110 for one, Dravid recorded his 22nd Test ton and stitched 197 runs for the second wicket with the stylish VVS Laxman (90) to put India in a comfortable position.
But the dismissal of Laxman triggered off a middle order collapse as Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar (14) and Yuvraj Singh (4) perished in quick succession to leave the visitors in a spot of bother.
The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman paid scant respect either to the bowlers' reputation or the situation the team was in as he counter-attacked the fiery Shoaib Akhtar-led rival attack with gusto to race to his ton in only 93 balls.
Dhoni tamed Akhtar and company with his forthright batting -- hooking, cutting and pulling the short balls served to him repeatedly even as a senior like Tendulkar struggled to find his feet. His 123-ball essay was embellished with four huge sixes and 14 fours.
The Indian stumper's knock, that bettered his previous best of 51 not out made in Delhi in the last series against Sri Lanka , guided the tourists out of trouble after a dramatic mid-session collapse reduced India from 236 for one to 281 for five in just 11 overs.
The day, interspersed with a lot of chanting between the Pakistani players and the Indian batsmen, turned out to be the best of the series so far in terms of intensity and sudden change in fortunes.
Pathan was at the receiving end of most of these taunts as the host team resorted to sledging to give a vent to their apparent frustration over their inability to separate the sixth wicket pair.
Left-handed Pathan, who played second fiddle to a nicety, was one short of his third half century in 20 Tests after being let off towards close by wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, when on 48.
He had so far hit 4 fours and a six in his 96-ball knock when play was called off six overs before scheduled close due to bad light.
Earlier Dravid struck his 22nd Test hundred and fifth against Pakistan, in making 103, before being run out by a brilliant pick-up and throw at the non-striker's end by Imran Farhat, substituting for injured home team captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
It was also Dravid's second successive three-figure innings of the series, having made an unbeaten 128 in the drawn first Test at Lahore .
The Bangalore stalwart put on 197 runs with VVS Laxman for the second wicket in 396 balls after India resumed from overnight 110 for one before the tourists suffered a sudden and alarming slump from a comfortable lunch-time score of 227 for one.
The wickets lost during this dramatic collapse were those of Laxman, caught off Danish Kaneria who broke the stubborn stand in the third over of the post-lunch period, Dravid, Yuvraj Singh -- caught hooking off Mohammed Asif, and Tendulkar who walked off without waiting for the umpire's finger to go up.
As it emerged later in TV replays, Tendulkar could very well may have been ruled not out as the ball had brushed past his right glove when it was not in contact with his bat.
Tendulkar, who like Laxman and Yuvraj from among the frontline batsmen was batting in a match situation after a fortnight, looked unduly subdued during his short stay at the wicket.
However, undanuted by these reverses, Dhoni took over the attacking reins to slam a quick-fire half century, in only 60 balls and with the help of three huge sixes and seven fours.
At tea, Dhoni was unconquered with 56 in a team score of 338 for five. He continued in the same vein after the interval and also singled out Kaneria for severe punishment, clubbing the leg spinner for three sixes over the straight field to force him out of the attack.
Later he attacked the other leggie, Shahid Afridi, by cutting the bowler for three fours after hitting Abdul Razzaq off the attack with a flurry of offside fours.
Pathan, a bit subdued initially, also took charge of the tired bowling after tea as India added 103 runs in the last session in quick time.
Earlier, Pakistan got the vital breakthrough after India resumed at their lunch score of 227 for one. Kaneria lured Laxman with a flighted ball outside the off and the batsman tried to cut it but only to get a snick which was caught by Akmal.
The Hyderabadi struck eleven fours in his 268-minute, 208-ball innings.
Dravid, meanwhile, completed his 22nd Test hundred, second successive one of the current series following his unbeaten 128 in the drawn first Test at Lahore and fifth against the arch-rivals in 11 Tests.
The second wicket partnership between Laxman and Dravid realised 197 runs and came off 396 balls.
Charged up by Laxman's dismissal, the home team struck again when Dravid, running a bit casually to the non-striker's end, was beaten to the crease by a bullet-like pick-up and throw from square leg by substitute Imran Farhat.
Yuvraj Singh (4) fell to the bouncer bait of Mohammed Asif, as he hooked the tall bowler straight down the throat at long leg after having essayed a short-arm pull to the previous ball dug in short.
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