Misbahul Haq relished India’s attack with a second successive century' to boost Pakistan's hopes of forcing a draw in the third and finalTesthereon’hiesday.
The middle-order batsman followed his second-Test 161 with a brilliant 133 not out as Pakistan warded off a threat of follow-on to post 537 in their first innings in reply to India’s 626.
N India were strongly placed to clinch their first Test series against Pakistan at home since 1980 after reaching 131-2 in their second innings at slumps on the penultimate day for an overall lead of220.
Tlie hosts lead 1-0 in the series, with the final Test heading for a draw.
India lost openers Gautam Gambhir (three) and Wasim Jaffer (18) before former captains Sourav Ganguly (63 not out) and Rahul Dravid (35 not out) steadied the innings with an unfinished 105-run stand for the third wicket.
Ganguly, who smashed a maiden Test double-hundred in the first innings, raced to his half-century off 57 balls with a six off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and nine fours.
’fhe hosts needed a couple of early wickets in the morning to raise victory hopes after Pakistan had resumed at 369-5, but had to wait for Iwo sessions to wrap up the innings on a track where the ball sometimes kept low.
"Our first target was to avoid the follow-on and we did that. If India set a target then we will go after it. The pitch surprises me as the odd ball keeps low, but it’s getting better and better," said Pakistan's coach Geoff Lawson.
”1 think this needs to be a five-Test scries. It’s little unsatisfactory’ to have three Tests because it's tough to come back after losing the first. India and Pakistan deserve a five-match series."
India also earned a dubious distinction of conceding a record 76 extras in a Test innings, surpassing the previous highest of 71 by the West Indies against Pakistan at Georgetown in 1988.
The sundries were the third-highest contributor in the innings after Misbah and stand-in captain Younis Khan (80).
Misbah, who had played just seven Tests before this series since his debut in 2001, was Pakistan's find of the tour as he remained a thorn in India's flesh with scores of 82, 45, 161 not out, six and 133 not out in five innings.
The33-year-old played a key role in two useful partnerships to thwart
India, adding 144 for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal (65) and 93 for the next with debutant Yasir Arafat (44).
"It surprises me that he (Misbah) has not played much, but he has been outstanding in tins series. Il needs an unplayable ball to get him out. He concentrates hard and has shown he is a worldclassplayer," said Lawson.
India's 19-ycar-old seamer Ishant Sharma, playing only his second Test, claimed the last four wickets to finish with 5-118, but Pakistan had already saved a follow-on at that stage.
Needing 427 to make India bat again, Pakistan achieved their objective in the second hour of the morning during the Misbah-Akmal partnership.
There was no slopping Misbah, who continued to frustrate the Indian attack with a solid defence and a flawless shot-selection. He hit 17 fours in his 322-baU knock.
It was the second successive time Misbah and Akmal helped their team avoid the follow-on, having already done so in the drawn second Test in Kolkata wilh resolute centuries.
With the pilch offering little help to seamers and spinners, India found wickets hard to come by as iheygoljustoneinthemoming. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the lone wicket-taker in the morning, when he had Akmal stumped by Dinesh Karthik.
Akmal executed some handsome shots and added 33 to his overnight score of 32. He hit 12 fours in his eighth half-century.
SCOREBOARD
Scoreboard atstumps on the fourth day of the third and final Test between India and Pakistan on Tuesday:
INDIA: First innings 626 (Ganguly 239, Yuvraj 169, Pathan 102; Arafat 5-161, Kanerla3-168)
PAKISTAN: First innings (overnight 369-5)
Butte Karthik b Ganguly 68 Hameed lbw b Kumble 19 Younis b Harbhajan 80 Yousufc Yuvraj b Pathan 24 Misbahulnotout 133 Iqbal cGambhirb Sharma 22 Akmal st Karthik b Harbhajan 65 Arafat b Sharma 44 Sami b Sharma 1 Akhtar cGambhirb Sharma 1 Kaneriac&b Sharma 4
Extras: (b-35, lb-26, nb-15) 76
Total: (All out in 168. lovers) 537
Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-149, 3-221,
4-227,5-288,6-432,7-525,8-527,9-529.
Bowler O M R W
Pathan 37 14 80 1
Sharma 33.1 10 118 5
Kumble 44 12 116 1
Ganguly 10 2 20 1
Harbhajan 38 7 131 2
Yuvraj 6 2 110
INDIA: Second innings
Jaffer lbw b Arafat 18
Gambhirb Akhtar 3
Dravid not out 35
Ganguly not out 63
Extras: (lb-6, nb-6) 12
Total: (For two wkts in 37 overs) 131 To bat: Laxman, Yuvraj, Karthik, Kumble, Harbhajan, Sharma, Pathan.
Fall of wickets: 1-17,2-26. :
Bowler O M R W
Akhtar 9 2 21 1
Sami 11 1 36 0
Arafat 9 2 38 1
Kaneria 8 0 30 0