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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Amit Varma in Kolkata

Decisive Younis gives Ganguly lesson in leadership

Many years from now people may look back and say this was the day the curtain began to fall on Sourav Ganguly's captaincy. He was helpless in the field as Pakistan took charge for the first time in the series, cruising to 273 for two, 134 behind India, at the close of the second day of the second Test.

Oddly, though, Ganguly can take some solace from Pakistan's hero of the day, Younis Khan. Younis too has been reviled, had his abilities questioned and his commitment examined. But yesterday at Eden Gardens everyone stood up and applauded.

Younis made 108 not out, adding an unbeaten 203 with Yousuf Youhana, who also made a century. They accumulated their runs briskly, following a principle that Younis later outlined pithily: "Enjoy, and keep taking singles."

The two men ran with an urgency more usually associated with the closing overs of a one-day match, though without the desperation. They were calm and focused. They punished loose balls, respected good ones and frustrated the bowlers with unerring shot selection.

Younis, recently and controversially made vice-captain and even tipped for the captaincy by Imran Khan, played as a captain should. "The vice-captaincy had nothing to do with my innings," he said, but his century was chock-full of the qualities a captain needs: responsibility and initiative. He was also decisive: when he left a ball outside off stump, it was emphatic; when he hit a ball to the boundary, it left a red mark on the advertising hoardings.

Youhana's game consists of flamboyance and finesse in equal measure, and both were on view. His delicate cuts and glances brought gasps of delight from the Kolkata connoisseurs who reminisce about Gundappa Viswanath, one of the most polished batsmen India has produced, and his drives and pulls drew lusty cheers from the stands. He reached his 13th Test century off the last ball of the day, hoisting Harbhajan Singh to the midwicket boundary, but he was still not satisfied. "To put pressure on India," he said, "we need to get a lead of 150 or 200."

India's bowlers had a hard day. Anil Kumble's metronomic accuracy lulled the crowds rather than the batsmen, and Irfan Pathan bowled slower than normal, just as he had in Mohali.

Harbhajan and Kumble did better with willow than leather. After Pakistan grabbed three wickets early in the day the spinners added 44 for the last wicket with some feisty strokeplay. But the rest of the day was dominated by Pakistan, and Ganguly looked more despondent than defiant as he left the field.

If India lose this Test, it will be Ganguly's first defeat as captain at his home ground. If they lose the series, it is likely to spell the end of his tenure. The prospect is a heavy burden to bear, but Ganguly is used to such weights. He is, after all, India's captain.

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