Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal on 94 embodied a speckled third day for India in the first Test against Pakistan on Thursday.
Like the master batsman's innings, it had some breathtaking moments, but somehow could not rise to being a spectacle.
India ended the day on 447 for 6, 135 runs ahead of Pakistan, but Wednesday's appetizer would have suggested a lot more.
India scored only 129 runs in the last two sessions, after scoring 134 runs off 31 overs in the first.
Play was called off due to bad light after 131 overs in an extended day's play. A steady drizzle welcomed VVS Laxman (33 not out) and Irfan Pathan (1 not out) as they returned to the pavilion.
With the threat of rain looming on the fourth day, the slow scoring could cost India victory.
Morning session (134 runs, 31 overs, 1 wicket)
After the second day's play that belonged entirely to him, Virender Sehwag had said that he would be looking to bat out the third day. If Wednesday was a nightmare for the visiting team, then they were still to wake up on Thursday. Sehwag's blows were still fresh and Inzamam started with one slip and a third man for the batsman.
The Delhi opener, resuming on 95, came out a bit subdued. The slashes over point were not cut out but Sehwag wasn't the usual man in a hurry. He brought up his ninth hundred in 32 matches with a push past point for two runs. The job was only half done and there were no histrionics to celebrate the hundred.
It is amazing how such a soft-spoken calm, young man sets the field afire. He is no Jonty Rhodes or Michael Clarke, who are as excitable as their game. It is as if the electric shots he hits stirs everyone but the man conjuring them.
The Pakistani bowlers bowled a more disciplined line on the third morning. Rana, who had been taken apart by Sehwag on Wednesday, kept the ball on the off stump and did not try to bounce out the batsmen.
Clear white skies greeted the teams and despite overnight rain, Mohali was ready for a big day of cricket. The game started 30 minutes early and though the bowlers did not get any movement on Thursday either, Rana gave the first hint of reverse swing in the 46th over.
He had the ball swing in to Rahul Dravid, the right-hander hitting the ball hard onto the backfoot, and followed it with a delivery just short of length. The Indian batsman tried to duck under it but the ball, in a rare occurrence, crashed on his helmet. Shaken by the thump, Dravid called for the physiotherapist on the field.
Out came Harbhajan Singh with the first aid kit, much to the delight of the morning crowd. The Indian off-spinner may have missed out on his home Test, but the locals were out with the drums as soon as he stepped on to the field.
But Dravid, solid as ever, had slowed down considerably from last evening.
The attack was sharper and the field spread out. Pakistan had conceded only 47 runs in the first 15 overs of the morning. The run-rate was more than acceptable but Pakistan would be happy as they had got India off the murderous mood. The home team had been blazing away at more than five runs per over on the second day of the Test.
The Indian vice-captain used up 35 balls to score the 11 to complete his fifty. He dragged on through the 40s to tediously reach the 36th half-century of his Test career. Two balls later, he reached out to a wide delivery from Sami and guided the ball straight to Asim Kamal at point. (216 for 2)
The 24-year-old pacer was consistently bowling outside the off stump. Sami was also able to reverse swing the ball, changed in the 54th over, as the earlier one lost its shape, and the Indian batsmen gave him the due respect.
Rana, who bowled some well-directed bouncers, was more effective against Sehwag when he came round the wicket. Though Sehwag picked him for three fours in an over, the Indian looked more tentative. One of the boundaries came off an outside edge that found the gap between the wicketkeeper and a wide first slip.
Inzamam, who had persisted with Rana and Sami, belatedly brought about a bowling change in the 18th over of the morning, when he called on Danish Kaneria.
The leg-spinner, after one quiet over, was planting doubt in Sachin Tendulkar's mind. The 31-year-old master had been out in single figures in seven off the last 12 innings. It could have been eight in 13 but for umpire Rudi Koertzen's generosity.
Kaneria's delivery, pitching outside the off stump, licked the inside edge of Tendulkar's bat on its way to the pad and into silly point's hands. The Indian batsman did not budge and neither did the umpire. The Pakistanis, who had been up in arms just minute before, dispersed, taking the decision sportingly.
Sehwag greeted Abdul Razzaq with a blistering six over long-off. The fast bowler, loosening up, bowled a half volley for Sehwag to launch into.
After a relative calm, the storm again started blowing over Mohali. With the opening bowlers out of sight, Sehwag thwarted Razzaq and Kaneria. The leg-spinner did not bowl badly, but the Indian batsman was into the thrash mode.
Sehwag went ballistic with the fours and while most batsmen fold their wings with the last 30 minutes to go before the close of session, Sehwag was adventuring into the higher skies, literally. He tried to lift every ball, and the ball by itself found a lonely spot to drop. It also frequently shot past the boundary rope too.
His senior partner, Tendulkar, took the cue and treated the crowd to some of his specials. They were all there -- the cover-drive, the square cut and the thumping straight drive.
Before Pakistan could start shielding themselves the roller-coaster was brought to an abrupt end with the call for lunch.
The crowd had shouted themselves to a crescendo as the extended session was called off, as if the slaughter was almost too swift.
Post-Lunch session: (59 runs, 29 overs, 1 wicket)
The Pakistani bowlers, who had looked hapless just an hour ago, used the break to chalk out new strategy for the Indian batsmen. Kaneria mixed his deliveries nicely and Razzaq kept peppering the batsmen with short balls. Unlike yesterday, he found the right length, getting the ball to rise about chest-high to the discomfiture of the Indians.
Kaneria, coming round the wicket to Sehwag, attacked the leg stump to lock him for space. He was successful, at least in the first over. The batsman's attempts to break free were foiled even as Sehwag stepped back to create room or tried to nudge it down the leg side. The reverse sweep also came unstuck and Sehwag, unable to get the ball off the square, conceded a maiden over.
Tendulkar, resuming on 47, took 16 balls to bring up his fifty. He worked Kaneria for a single down the leg side for a single to complete his half-century.
The runs were coming in a trickle and boundaries were cut off completely as India scored 15 runs in the ten overs following lunch. With the bowlers keeping him on a tight leash, Sehwag tried too hard to manufacture shots.
On 173, he pulled Razzaq down mid-on's throat. Youhana, who had previously been unable to pick up a similar shot off Kaneria, held on to an easy catch. Sehwag was looking good to kick off the Pakistan series with a double, but had to pay for his indiscretion.
Ganguly broke the drought of boundaries. He leaned into a cover drive off Razzaq to the ropes to score India's first four in 15 overs. The storm that had brewed up before lunch had blown over as suddenly.
Kaneria once again lugged the weight of Pakistan's bowling attack. The leg-spinner bowled with a beautiful loop and his googlies were almost unreadable. Inzamam helped Kaneria keep the edge over India with an attacking field.
Ganguly, who is usually confident against the spinners, looked tentative as he had problems picking up Kaneria's length. The Indian captain was trying to sweep almost everything but could not get the ball past the three fielders round the bat.
The Pakistan bowlers gave a much-improved performance, but Inzamam let the batsmen off the hook by handing them tiring long spells. Pakistan were able to keep things quiet in the afternoon session, but the captain needed to be more innovative to pick a few wickets too. He did not opt for the new ball till the tea break, after 100 overs.
In what is turning out to be an interminable spell, Kaneria has bowled 22 overs on the trot on the third day of the match.
Mohammed Sami, who replaced Razzaq with five overs to go for the break, used the old ball to his advantage. Hiding the seam position through his run-up, the bowler was immediately able to cause some problems for the Indian captain.
Luck again favoured the home side as Ganguly survived off consecutive balls during Sami's penultimate over before tea.
The fast bowler induced the outside edge from the left-hander and Younis Khan, at first slip, held on to a superb catch to his left. The Pakistan camp was so relieved at getting the wicket that most of them turned a blind eye to umpire Darrel Hair's signal for a no-ball. The next delivery, Ganguly hit the ball hard to the point fielder. Taufiq Umar grassed the dipping ball to give the Indian captain a life.
Pakistan have given too many chances already and they desperately need to add some frolic to their showing, with the captain leading the way. Even robots are more expressive than the Pakistan skipper.
Post-Tea session (70 runs in 31 overs, 3 wickets)
Ganguly was never in command and finally fell to Kaneria in the fourth over after tea. Planting his front foot across the wicket, the left-hander tried to turn the ball round the corner but a lunging Salman Butt, at silly point, held the bat-pad chance.
The Indian captain lived out another uncomfortable innings, scoring 21 runs from 74 balls.
With Kaneria the most successful and effective bowler for Pakistan, Inzamam refused to get him off the attack as well as take the new ball.
Kaneria was getting enough bite and turn from the wicket and there was the danger of the Indian batsmen using the harder new ball to their advantage.
Tendulkar's scoring rate had plummeted from a healthy 75 in the first session to 46. VVS Laxman's tentativeness at the other end did not help either as India rolled on over-cautiously.
Laxman was off the mark with a boundary off the outside edge. Younis Khan, standing at first slip, made a frail attempt to stop the ball and hurt his finger in the process after a terrible day in the field.
Inexplicably, the batsmen had slipped into the shell. With Sehwag on fire, India had looked like emphatically overtaking the Pakistan score, but the Indian middle order hardly showed the urgency. Two sessions of the game had already been lost due to rain on the second day. Instead on capitalizing on the lead the top order had provided, the Indian team looked satisfied just playing out the overs.
Tendulkar, probably weighed down by the impending milestone of 10,000 runs and a record-breaking 35th century, kept poking at deliveries even when he was well into his eighties. Sami, particularly, was able to beat the batsman after drawing him into a drive. The Indian master was unusually edgy on the day.
A paddle sweep off Kaneria was the only reminder that Tendulkar was alive to a little cheek.
Stuck in the 90s for almost six overs, the batsman finally caved in to Rana's pace in the first over bowled with the new ball. Inzamam finally gave Kaneria a break, the leg-spinner having bowled 32 overs on the trot, and handed the new cherry to Rana.
Tendulkar tried to slam the ball through cover, but the ball flew off the bat to Asim Kamal at point. The crowd hushed in disbelief as Tendulkar departed for 94, his head bowed in disappointment. As he ambled to the pavilion he hoisted the bat in acknowledgement almost as an afterthought.
Many stands started to empty with fifteen overs to go for the end of the day's play after Tendulkar was dismissed.
If the new ball brought about a big breakthrough for Pakistan, Inzamam's fears seemed to come to life as Laxman magically found his silken touch. The wrists looked well oiled as the Hyderabadi flicked Rana through mid-wicket and then glanced it to fine leg fence. He then dashed the ball past point and before Rana could judge the right line, Laxman had picked 14 runs from the over.
Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik also came out positive. He tried to dissect the field and rotate the strike. He was out flicking a waist-high delivery from Sami to Rana at short square leg.
Irfan Pathan joined Laxman in the fading moments of the day. Fast bowlers, almost by birthright, tonk the bowling right from the first ball. But the 20-year-old left-hander brings a stubborn air, trying to get behind the line of the ball rather than going for the wild swings. He looked unflustered with just a single behind his name from 16 balls.
Pathan's solid approach kept India from losing any more wickets in the day.
India ended the third day on 447 for 6, a few runs shorter than they would have expected after the explosive start to the day.
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