Day 1: VVS comes up with timely special

While Pathan did some lusty hittings, VVS was rock-solid at the other end as India were 247/6 at stumps. Scorecard

There was a chill in the air in the morning and the response of spectators to the final Test, too, appeared lukewarm. Hardly half of the stadium accommodating close to 30,000 was full to watch Anil Kumble play his 100th Test or Sachin Tendulkar in action sans the pressure of scoring a 35th century.

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The world record holder spent a nondescript 81 minutes at the wicket and India's highest wicket-taker was just about a couple of dismissals away from making an anti-climactic appearance with the bat as the hosts overcame a rather cold start to the defence of their lead with a late resurgence on Sunday.

The odd ball kept low, leg-spinner Malinga Bandara tried to exploit roughs caused by the bowler's spike at the opposite end by attacking from outside leg stump round the wicket on the first day of a Test match. But if there were devils on this track, they were merely whispering, not screaming out their presence.

Muttiah Muralitharan was doing everything only he can -- spinning it in either direction with variations in line, length, flight and the amount of turn -- though he can never be an yardstick to measure how much the pitch helps.

He can do it on anything and what others do on the same pitch indicates the actual amount of assistance from the track. In this respect, the Indians should hold themselves responsible for the kind of disaster they had invited before VVS Laxman's rediscovery of himself after being relieved of the agony of batting at No. 6 took them to calmer waters. Not playing the most sparkling of his knocks, Laxman's determination to stay there shouldn't get overshadowed by the quick runs scored by MS Dhoni and Irfan Pathan.

Playing without the indisposed Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando, the visitors were depending heavily on Lasith Malinga in the pace department. He worked up good pace and stunned Virender Sehwag with one that came back instead of going outside off with the slant of his exceptional sling-arm action.

But before that, it was a bright and delayed start due to dew on the greens for the Indians until Gautam Gambhir gifted his wicket away after having looked good playing shots barring the pull.

The hosts kept scoring at a good pace but real trouble started with Sehwag's dismissal after lunch. If he was surprised by pace and the inward movement, Tendulkar was taken aback by the bounce Murali extracted as the ball hit the upper half of his bat and ballooned into the hands of forward short-leg.

The mysterious master of spin took two balls more to tweak one across the face of Yuvraj Singh's forward-defensive bat for a catch to the first of two slips -- an indicator of the amount of turn Murali was expecting. Mohammed Kaif did his recall to the Test side after over a year no good by pulling Bandara into the hands of mid-wicket.

Judicious shot selection from the other batsmen, a few edges from Pathan which landed safely apart from a run-out attempt he escaped while on zero, put India in a position at the end of the day far better than what was not being discounted in the second session. And they also owed it to one man.

Laxman may have spent the better part of his career trying to open after not getting an opening in the middle-order and then languishing at No. 6 when the door opened, but he looks eager to make the most of this opportunity to bat with specialists instead of tail-enders.

He still has to do just that in the remaining part of this Indian innings.