PTI

Faisalabad, Jan 24: 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 in Faisalabad on Monday.

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. For all the action from Pakistan CLICK HERE

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. 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.