Their knocks were, indeed, from the top draw, but the second day of the second Test still failed to generate any gripping moments.

The overall ennui apart, it might have been a highly satisfactory day for the weekend crowd, who witnessed two of their favourite stars getting past personal landmarks at the Eden Gardens. From the team point of view, the hosts ran up an imposing 616 for five declared, and then plucked a Pakistan wicket to leave them at 50 for one when bad light ended the second day's play.

Skipper Anil Kumble trapped Yasir Hameed in front of the wicket to draw first blood for the hosts. Pakistan need another 367 runs to cross the follow-on target of 417.

There was considerable pressure on both Laxman and Ganguly to notch up big scores, with Yuvraj Singh breathing down their necks. Both Laxman and Ganguly are past masters in wriggling out of pressure situations, and they silenced their detractors with two fine centuries.

Ganguly had not made a three-figure mark at his home ground and the Kolkatan was determined to set that record straight on the day, as he played with determination. The early part of the morning session, though, belonged to Wasim Jaffer who finished the opening day just eight runs short of the second double hundred of his career. The Mumbaikar did not waste too much time as two boundaries off Shoaib Akhtar carried him past the coveted mark.

Jaffer’s exit
But Jaffer did not last long as he tamely snicked left-arm paceman Sohail Tanvir to Kamran Akmal behind the wicket. Laxman then joined Ganguly in the middle and the duo batted smoothly during their fifth-wicket association that produced 163 runs. Both the batsmen ran the Pakistan bowlers ragged with calculated strokeplay as runs came at over four runs per over.

Ganguly did not disappoint a cheering crowd, playing some patented shots that rocketed to the fence through his favoured off-side area. He eschewed all the risks once he closed in on the hundred, and the crowd too egged him on with loud chants. The much-awaited moment came when he pushed leg-spinner Danish Kaneria to the mid-off region, and took off for a single to reach his 14th Test century.

The left-hander leapt high and punched the air in a show of joy and relief. Ganguly was in trouble only once during his innings, a nasty rising one from Shoaib Akhtar brushed his gloves, but a diving Hameed failed to grab the chance.

It has taken a while for Ganguly to score a hundred against a top Test playing nation, and this knock will certainly instill a lot of confidence in him ahead of the future campaigns.

Laxman too has missed the three-figure mark quite often in the recent past, owing to the position he comes in for batting. But there was a century for the taking on the day, and he fully exploited a placid pitch and flat bowling to optimum use, registering his 11th Test ton and the first against Pakistan.

No dull moment
There never can be a dull moment when Laxman is in flow. The Hyderabadi hinted a substantial innings from him when he straight-drove Tanvir to the ropes. Then came a flowing drive through the cover off the same bowler, the shot was a paragon of timing and revealed the touch in which Laxman was in. His hundred came in a far assured manner than his Ganguly’s, a pull off paceman Mohammad Sami to deep square leg area fetching him the precious run.

A piece of drama, conspicuous by its absence till then, arrived shortly after Laxman crossed his hundred. Kaneria beat him for turn with Akmal clipping off the bails in a flash, and umpire Billy Doctrove sought the third umpire's assistance. Amish Saheba, after a few minutes of pondering, ruled Laxman out as Eden Gardens suddenly fell into silence.

It lasted only for a moment as the giant screen quickly flashed 'not out' and the crowd got their voices back. They had plenty more to cheer as Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the third Indian batsman, after Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, to score a fifty in this innings.