I am going to make just a few points about the days play. India started the day at 110/1 and finished the day on 441/5, a great fight back by any standard. It could and should have beeen better, though.

I have never seen Rahul concentrate harder. He was looking at every ball so hard I thought he would bore a hole in it! He looked in total control before getting run out for 103 (241/3) - a superb innings. VVS had fallen earlier for a well made 90 (236/2). Both these men shared a 197 run partnership to bail India out once again.

Yuvraj threw his wicket away for 4, playing a pull early and was well taken by Kaneria on the boundary. Sachin was looking good when he literally gave his wicket away.

Trying to run a short ball down the leg side he appeared to make contact with glove and his pullover enroute to the keeper off Shoaib Akhtar. As the fielders went up Sachin walked! Replays showed that the ball had brushed his right glove which was off the bat. Hence, he was actually not out. I have for the first time in my life seen a player walk when he was actually not out! That's a dubious record for the great master! I generally have no time for people who unfairly criticise Sachin. Most of these people do not understand the game and have no idea what they are talking about.

However, with all due respect I think Sachin was utterly stupid and naive today. He has let the team down. The team was struggling to save the match at 281/4, still 108 short of following on and he chose to walk! - Unbelievable! Whether a batsman chooses to walk or not is a personal decision. In my opinion, batsmen should let the umpires do their job. If you have nicked the ball but the umpire gives you the benefit of doubt, take it, it is only fair and partly makes up for the times when you have been wrongly given out. Over the span of a career, it balances out.

When your teammates are fighting tooth and nail to save the match you have to take every break that comes your way- you owe it to yourself and your team. It is especially galling because he was not out after all. At the press conference, Rahul said that Sachin himself wasn't sure of exactly what had happened because it all happened so quickly - this is just the reason to not walk, buddy. You mean you walked even though you were not sure of exactly what had happened - it is beyond stupid. I think the player in question is sometimes too aware of his own greatness and the need to keep a squeaky clean image that he acts instinctively to keep to a high moral standard of behaviour without thinking about the consequences to the team. Had it not been for Dhoni's blistering counterattack and Irfan's superb batting, our second innings would have begun already.

This opens up the 'walking' debate once again. This is the subject of our poll this week. Please take a second to vote as I am very keen to know what the readers feel about this topic. Feel free to send in your comments too.

No words can describe the value of Dhoni's batting today. Coming in at 258/4 and facing a barrage of hostile short pitched balls over 90 miles an hour with the new ball, he blasted the bowlers into submission. The plan was obvious - every ball bowled to him was short and rising. The Pakistan bowlers had learnt their lesson and were not going to pitch it up to him. Dhoni's first 50 runs were almost entirely from pulls and hooks. A six off Shoaib and two consecutive sixes off Kaneria, the first of which landed outside the stadium, were breathtaking in their sheer ferocity. 

Irfan batted beautifully and remains unbeaten on 49 with Dhoni on 119.

There was a lot of 'lip' on the field today. Irfan was upset enough to complain to Rudi and Afridi was reprimanded. One has to ignore it as it is only designed to upset the batsman. That the perpetrators betray no trace of class or sophistication  is too obvious to point out.

I just hope Dhoni and Irfan bat long and hard - we need it. Well done boys - you did us proud today.