Pathan the saving grace

If it was Dravid as a makeshift opener and Dhoni yesterday, it was Irfan Pathan today. Watching him bat was the most interesting aspect of the day8217;s play. For one who resents the all-rounder tag, his pyrotechnics with the bat gave his game away. Indeed, he has of late resembled more a top-order batsman than the team8217;s frontline bowler.

But Pathan8217;s resilience is admirable. After being smashed all over the park in the first two days of the match, Pathan walked in to bat yesterday with his usual confidence, which was further boosted by the rampant Dhoni at the other end.

Pathan is himself an aggressive batsman, but he put his head down to play a sheet-anchor role to the wicket-keeper-batsman.

Though he fell in the nineties once again he8217;d lost his wicket on 93 against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, Pathan clearly understood his responsibilities well, changing them as the game progressed. His first 25 runs came in 81 balls, and by the time he reached his 50 he had already faced more than 130 deliveries.

Indeed, he spent a total of 269 minutes out in the middle 8212; against a ferocious Pakistan attack 8212; to help India reach safety. Against the likes of Akhtar and Razzaq, there were shots that neatly cut the mid-field with the precision of a top-order batsman. At other times, there was enough determination shown by a cricketer who knew that saving his wicket was more important than anything else.

After the day8217;s play, Dhoni paid tribute to his partner. 8216;8216;We are similar batsmen who like to keep scoring runs all the time. Therefore, Pathan8217;s composed innings, as he played the sheet-anchor, gave me the confidence to go for the shots.8217;8217;