Ganguly Gorges on an Indian Feast

Just a week ago India and Pakistan played out a fascinating Test in Delhi, one the visitors lost, with a fervor that some suspected would be absent. In a complete contrast to the first match, the second Test assumed a predictive nature with India taking a long upper hand at the end of the second day. With three days left in Kolkata, Pakistan are staring at a long and treacherous trail at 50 for one after a double century, two centuries and three half-centuries helped India to a massive 616 for five.

With an intensity that could be described as remorseless batsman after Indian batsman battered a hapless, erratic and out-of-sorts bowling attack after the minor blip at the beginning when Sohail Tanvir teased Dinesh Karthik with an angled delivery the Indian fell for and Younis Khan, at second slip, happily accepted the offer.

The Pakistan captain might have imagined it was not such a bad toss to lose after all. But for the best part of the two days Eden Gardens erupted with an uncontrollable joy as the willows of Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni rode roughshod over the opposition without any sympathy.

Riding on Jaffer's heroics - he scored an unbeaten 192 on Friday, his personal best in a day - India were sitting pretty at 352 for three at the end of the first day. Jaffer duly completed his second double century, cutting past backward point, to raise both his hands. Jaffer's aura lies in those rubbery wrists and, coupled with a certain laziness in his movement, his shot-making is a treat for connoisseurs.

If it was a good Friday for Jaffer, the City of Joy saw its own son completing the home run on the second day. Walking in amid diminishing light the previous evening after the fall of Tendulkar, Ganguly had slapped a listless Shoaib Akhtar for a boundary past square. With India and Jaffer on top, Ganguly had all the time to settle himself. But that comfort was short-lived as Jaffer failed to move his legs and nicked one going away in Tanvir's first over of the day. Jaffer's 202 was 10 short of his career-best. Even though he had tormented them Shoaib and Salman Butt congratulated him on his way back.

If Pakistan dreamed of a fightback, it remained a dream. Ganguly and new batsman VVS Laxman steadily dispatched the fielders to all parts. The batsmen shared a pair of fours in a Tanvir over with Ganguly opening the face of the bat. Tanvir came round the wicket to the right-hander, but Laxman rubbed it in by going back and punching through point and then used those precious wrists to construct an elegant on-drive.

On a benign pitch with a low bounce, bowlers had to stretch more than that the extra yard, but the bowlers were wayward. Danish Kaneria, who had been criticized for his blank in Delhi, failed to produce the discipline that is the hallmark of great spinners. Pakistan took lunch with an uncertainty that is fast becoming a regular characteristic.

The moment of the day arrived just after lunch when, coming round the wicket, Shoaib delivered a snorter that lifted to Ganguly's throat that the Indian tried to fend off but his edge flew past the outstretched hands of the gully Yasir Hameed. It was a fine example of Pakistan's flawed strategy: ideally for such a ball one would have had at least two slips and a gully, but Younis decided to spread his field. The scene was repeated in Shoaib's next over except it was Laxman who got away this time with the ball safely landing past an empty slip cordon.

Younis, leading the side after Shoaib Malik failed to recover completely from an ankle injury, should have set a close-in field to impose some control. India were smiling: Ganguly pushed one to the cover and rushed to take a single in an uncharacteristic hurry that would finish with him jumping in the air and pumping the air with both hands to celebrate his maiden century on his home ground in the eight Tests he has played here and also his first against Pakistan.

It was a moment to savour for Ganguly who, after his comeback, now has two hundreds and five half-centuries. Even if he managed only two more runs after reaching his landmark, he lofted Kaneria's flighted one to Tanvir at long-off, the Prince of Kolkata (as Geoffrey Boycott calls him) walked back for, possibly, one final time in a majestic fashion.

The fifth-wicket partnership was worth 163 runs and Laxman had scored the better share. Always soft-spoken, the mild-mannered gentleman from Hyderabad marched to his first century against Pakistan and the 11th of his career in a silent fashion. He was joined by Dhoni, who was not going to waste an opportunity to trample the opposition to become the third half-centurion.