Mohali, March 12
Pakistan staged an incredible fightback to save the first cricket Test match against India from the jaws of defeat, finding an unlikely hero in Kamran Akmal, who slammed a maiden century under immense pressure here today.

The 23-year-old Akmal produced a match-turning 109 and shared a record 186-run seventh wicket partnership with Abdul Razzak (71) to thwart India's march towards victory on the fifth and final day, which saw fortunes change dramatically for the visitors.

When the Pakistanis started the day at 257 for six, it was expected that India would wrap up the innings in the first session itself.

Instead Pakistan, who had conceded a first innings lead of 204, rode on the wicketkeeper-batsman’s brilliance to declare their second innings at 496 for nine, giving India an improbable target of 293 from 25 overs.

India were 85 for one in 17 overs when the match was called off. Virender Sehwag was the batsman to be dismissed for 36, while Gautam Gambhir remained unbeaten on 32.

When play started on the final day, the Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, made it clear that he meant business by taking the second new ball in the 81st over itself and handing it to his most successful seamers, Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji.

But the two overnight batsmen Akmal and Abdul Razzaq stood firm, defying the Indian attack for almost two sessions today, making the issue safe for Pakistan.

This was Pakistan's highest score in India, improving upon their 487 for nine they made at Chennai in 1986-87.

Akmal and Razzaq joined hands when the side was struggling at 243 for six yesterday and they stitched together an innings that turned the match on its head, helping Pakistan salvage a draw from a grim situation.

Akmal was the more attacking of the two, scoring his runs from 154 balls with the help of 15 fours, while his senior partner, Razzaq, was content playing the sheet-anchor's role.

Razzaq curbed his attacking instincts, as was the demand of the situation, to come up with his knock from 260 balls with four fours and one six off Anil Kumble.

The two added 184 runs, a Pakistani record for the seventh wicket against India, to frustrate the home team bowlers who had an ordinary outing at the PCA stadium today.

The Indians had themselves to blame for allowing Pakistan to see off the morning session, as they failed to come up with a disciplined bowling attack that had given them an upper hand coming into the final day.

The two batsmen appeared tentative early on when they played and missed on a number of occasions. But once they settled down, there was nothing the Indian bowlers could do to trouble them.

Barring Laxmipathy Balaji, no other bowler was looking like taking a wicket even though Anil Kumble finished with four scalps to take his Test tally to 450 wickets.

Balaji followed his maiden five-wicket haul in the first innings with figures of four for 95 in the second, assuring himself a place in the final eleven for the second Test at Kolkata, starting on March 16.

After failing to get a wicket in the first session with both Akmal and Razzaq playing cautiously, India broke the partnership four hours into play today when Balaji dismissed the wicketkeeper-batsman at the team's score of 427.

But by then it was too late for India as Akmal had done much more than what his team could have asked for.

After frustrating the Indians for close to four hours on the final day, Akmal was dismissed when he was brilliantly caught by substitute Harbhajan Singh in the cover region.

Seven runs later, Razzaq edged Kumble to Rahul Dravid in the slips.

Their seventh-wicket stand was the best ever for Pakistan against India, improving upon the 154 put together by Imran Khan and Ijaj Faqih in Ahmedabad during the 1986-87 series.

The tail-enders then chipped in as Pakistan declared their innings at 496 for nine with Naveed-ul Hasan, with a quick-fire 38, and Danish Kaneria (4) remaining not out.

India opted for useful practice in their second innings with opener Gautam Gambhir executing some stunning shots on the offside.

Virender Sehwag, on the other hand, was in a more sedate mood and scored only eight in the team's first 50, but he began to hit some booming drives and overtook his younger partner before losing his wicket to Younis Khan. — PTI