Pakistan A 212 for 4 (Farhat 107, Raza 75) trail Indians 414 for 7 dec (Laxman 54, Yuvraj 59) by 202 runs
Scorecard

Imran Farhat's blazing hundred required cooling off, despite the chilly conditions © AFP

An assertive century from Imran Farhat, with rollicking support from Hasan Raza, led Pakistan A's scorching response on the second day of the warm-up game at the Bagh-e-Jinnah ground in Lahore. Motoring along at 4.42 an over thanks to a blistering 160-run third-wicket partnership, Pakistan A reached a healthy 212 for 4 at stumps, 202 adrift of the Indians' total. The counterattack came after the Indian batsmen had continued their half-century spree, with VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh emulating what the top four had done yesterday, and finding their groove ahead of the first Test in five days' time.

Having last played for Pakistan in the Melbourne Test of 2004, Farhat unveiled a rich array of strokeplay, thrilling the crowd with his upbeat hundred. There was a certain rasping quality in his shots, with the bandana, sticking out of the helmet, adding to the dash. Even though Pakistan A were on a slightly slipper slope - reduced to 26 for 2 after Bazid Khan drove away from the body and Mohammad Wasim missed the line of a straight one - he counterattacked at every given opportunity.

Once Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan were done with their opening spells - both probed outside off and asked a few probing questions - the Indians were subjected to some serious drilling. Rudra Pratap Singh was shredded in his first spell of the tour while Zaheer Khan, fighting for a recall, was subjected to similar punishment. Both were slightly guilty of an errant length and Farhat pierced the packed infield with some flourish. He offered a tough chance on 98, when Yuvraj, at backward square leg, grassed one after diving to his right. He tried to accelerate once he crossed the landmark, lofting Harbhajan Singh over midwicket for six, but was undone by the same bowler soon after, cutting uppishly to point.

In Raza he found an able ally, zooming along at more than a run-a-ball, thumping the full ones down the ground and pelting away the rest. Oozing ebullience, Raza kept the scoreboard ticking along at a fair clip. Fifty of his 75 runs came in boundaries and he made a great sight in full flight. In numerical terms, they ravaged 160 in 172 balls but the main concern for the Indians will be the confidence-denting manner which they employed. Considering the flat nature of the surface, a result was virtually ruled out but the Indians will be concerned about the lack of incision in their bowling set-up, one that could turn out to be their weak link in the series.

The Indians can take heart from the batting of Yuvraj Singh during the morning session © Getty Images

Their batting, though, was in fine fettle. Earlier this morning, Laxman and Yuvraj complemented each other - one gliding softly, the other smearing forcefully; one almost apologetic after driving on the up, the other pumped up after biffing powerfully. The surface stayed true and there was little the pace attack could extract for the second day running. Barring two bouncers from Irshad that surprised Laxman, there was nothing that the batsmen needed to worry about. Laxman, using the pace of the ball, nudged past the slips and flicked fine, caressing nine delicate fours on his way to fifty.

Yuvraj's strokes were tough to miss, pulling with a brute force that sped the ball to the pickets. He showed good judgement while leaving the ball and looked solid while blocking the good deliveries. He tried to play straight whenever possible and a couple of creamed drives through the covers provided ominous signs for the series. With the middle order in such fine fettle, it is tough to imagine any change for the Tests and, barring any injuries, Sourav Ganguly, who joined the squad last night, might have to watch from the sidelines. Both retired after reaching their fifties, not because of injury, but to give the lower order a chance to gain some form ahead of the first Test in five days' time.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni blitzed five fours in his brief cameo, before holing out to fine leg, and India declared at the stroke of lunch, giving their bowlers a chance to get into some rhythm. It was all going according to plan, till Farhat and Raza threw them off balance.

How they were out

Indians

VVS Laxman retired 54

Yuvraj Singh retired 59

Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Mudassar Ibrahim (sub) b Irshad 22 (402 for 7)
Pulled straight to fine leg

Pakistan A

Bazid Khan c Laxman b Agarkar 6 (14 for 1)
Drove away from his body

Mohammad Wasim lbw b Pathan 1 (26 for 2)
Missed a straight one while trying to flick to leg

Hasan Raza c Dhoni b Pathan 75 (186 for 3)
Tried to pull but under-edge collected by the wicketkeeper

Imran Farhat c Zaheer b Harbhajan 107 (198 for 4)
Cut uppishly to point