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India on threshold of victory
Balaji and Kumble shared five wickets as Pakistan ended day four on 257/6. Full Score | Action Replay | Player of the day
Fast bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji and spinner Anil Kumble shared five wickets as India exposed Pakistan's batting limitations to move closer to winning the opening Test on Friday.
Pakistan had few in-form batsmen against a full-strength Indian attack as they reached 257/6 at stumps on the fourth day after trailing by 204 runs.
Skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq (86), Yousuf Youhana (68) and Asim Kamal (48) offered stiff resistance, but their efforts were still not good enough to steer their team to safety.
India look set to wrap up the match on the fifth and final day on Saturday for a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series as Pakistan are just 53 runs ahead with four wickets in hand.
All-rounder Abdul Razzaq was batting on 22 with Kamran Akmal (nine).
Balaji, out of Test cricket for nearly a year due to an abdomen injury, made an impressive comeback, finishing with 3-67 following his maiden five-wicket haul in the first innings.
Veteran leg-spinner Kumble claimed the prize wickets of Inzamam and Youhana just when it looked the Pakistani batsmen would pull their team out of trouble.
Kumble also came close to getting the wicket of Kamal, who was dropped on zero and two by Rahul Dravid at lone slip. Kamal then smashed Kumble for four successive fours before becoming Balaji's third victim.
India were earlier all out for 516 in their first innings in reply to Pakistan's 312.
Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was the most impressive Pakistani bowler as he finished with 6-150, his morning spell reading 6.4-1-29-4.
Inzamam led from the front, following his solid 57 in the first innings with a fluent half-century in the second to help his team avoid the humiliation of an innings defeat.
Pakistan were tottering at 10/3 in 4.1 overs at one stage.
