Pakistan hit back against India
CALCUTTA, India (Reuters) -- Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan and Yousuf Youhana stroked magnificent hundreds to lift their team against India in the second test on Thursday.
Younis hit an unbeaten 108, his seventh hundred, while the experienced Youhana was 101 not out as Pakistan cruised to 273 for two on a slow Eden Gardens pitch, 134 runs behind India's first innings 407 all out.
Youhana reached his 13th hundred with a four against off spinner Harbhajan Singh off the day's final delivery. The unbeaten third-wicket partnership of 203 was a record for Pakistan in India.
The 27-year-old Younis lifted Pakistan from 70 for two with powerful shots to all parts of the ground and ran superbly between the wickets with Youhana in energy-sapping humidity.
Younis has hit 14 fours in his 167-ball innings spanning four hours while Youhana's chanceless knock contained 13 fours.
Youhana needed nine runs to reach his hundred in the final over, but he swept Harbhajan for four and picked up a couple before hitting another four to reach three figures.
Both batsmen kept up an excellent scoring rate to force India captain Saurav Ganguly to spread his field, also showing their command against leg spinner Anil Kumble and off spinner Harbhajan.
Younis had made only one fifty in six innings during the recent 3-0 series rout in Australia and managed just nine and one in the drawn first test in Mohali.
However, he vindicated captain Inzamam-ul Haq's decision to retain him at number three with an innings of real authority.
The well-built batsman drove strongly on the off side for his early fours before settling down to play delicate late cuts and drives to frustrate Kumble.
He could have been run out for 68, playing Kumble to short-leg and blindly taking off, but wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik threw wildly with the batsman well short of safety.
Younis pulled and cut Kumble to move into the 90s before edging a pull against Irfan Pathan over slips for four to complete his hundred.
Youhana showed his class at the other end, lofting both spinners for straight fours before playing his trademark cover drives against Pathan to keep pace with his partner.
Shahid Afridi had lashed a 21-ball 29 with all but one of his runs coming in boundaries and left-handed opener Taufeeq Umar made a shaky 18 after he was dropped on nought and one by slip fielders Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag.
India, overnight 344 for six, added 63 runs before being all out 30 minutes before lunch.
Harbhajan (27) and last man Kumble (21 not out) added 44 runs after Pakistan's bowlers made quick inroads into the tail.
Abdul Razzaq trapped Harbhajan leg before to finish with best figures of three for 62 with both leg spinner Danish Kaneria and Afridi picking up three wickets.
Dravid top-scored with 110, his 19th hundred, and opener Sehwag made an aggressive 81 on Wednesday after Ganguly chose to bat. Sachin Tendulkar added 52, becoming only the fifth batsman to pass 10,000 runs in test cricket.
