If you are a batting aficionado this test is manna from heaven. Albeit aided by the pitch, we  are seeing a special test match. In 25 years of following the game, I have never quite seen anything like this. India ended the day on 403 for no loss - that's right - no loss! Sehwag is unbeaten on a marauding 247 (240 balls) with Rahul on a solid 128 (227 balls). They are 10 runs shy of the world record of 413 that stands in the name of our very own Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy, made before I was born.

Have you ever seen a score of 403 for no loss scored in 75 overs (5.36 per over) in a test match before? Have you ever seen a batsman go from 183 to 199 with 4 consecutive boundaries? Have you ever seen a team maintain a scoring rate of over 5 for over 400 runs in a test match? If you have, please let me know because I haven't.

Scoring 400 without loss is a feat, irrespective of the batting surface. Consider this. With Sehwag on 183 Rana Naved starts an over over the wicket and bowls one on a good length just a little outside off which Sehwag late cuts to the fence. Rana then goes round the wicket and angles the next three balls across Sehwag at varying lengths with the same result - a boundary every time. You bat an eyelid and Sehwag is on 199. The next ball he cuts uppishly just short of Malik at square thirdman for a single to reach 200. Just breathtaking!

All this while, Rahul Dravid keeps going, solid in defence and punishing the bad ball with minimum fuss - the perfect foil for Sehwag. The Pakistan bowlers tried everything, the short balls were left alone, balls outside off were caressed to the fence and in one delightful exchange, Shoaib Akhtar was stared down without a word being spoken. I had said yesterday that Rahul is a courageous captain and he gave ample evidence of that all day.

The Faisalabad pitch may not be a lot different from this one and the weather likely to be worse. It may well be that Karachi produces the only result of this series.

I welcome many of you who are new to this site and have begun to visit over the last 2 weeks. Please feel free to  leave me your comments. If you wish to make a point, feel free to do so even if you totally disagree with me. Have fun.