The Pakistanis kept the umpires on their toes appealing for anything that touched or went off the pads. It was Saqlain who struck next, when Azhar fell lbw while playing forward without offering a shot, not the first time in the match a batsman had been dismissed in this fashion. Akram set an intimidating field for Ganguly with four fielders in an arc around him on the off side. It brought immediate results - Ganguly cut Saqlain on to the shin of one of the silly points and it hit the ground before a diving Moin picked it on the rebound. Umpire Dunne, after some consulations, ended up giving a shocking caught decision.
Great men have a penchant for choosing moments to display their greatness.
Sachin Tendulkar chose this one. With the top-order gone and only a frail lower order to give him company, he crafted an innings of rare genius to push closer to the target. Progress in the morning session was painfully slow, as India pushed and prodded for 46 runs in two hours. After lunch, Tendulkar cut Saqlain to the point boundary signalling the first four in 111 balls, an indicator of how tough the going was. Mongia also gained in confidence and his first boundary was a square cut off Afridi.