Batsmen from both sides refused to let up on the flat track as the game settled into a monotonous rhythm on the fourth day of the second Test at Faisalabad.

Some good contributions from the lower order helped India gain a slender lead before Pakistan responded confidently, moving to 152 for 1 at stumps.

Barring the first hour, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni thumped 33 off 29, the day had a certain predictability about it.

Irfan Pathan, fell just ten runs short of his maiden century, and he calmly guided the tail before the last four batsmen scored 74 to edge India ahead.

It would have required a collapse of sorts for Pakistan to lose the plot but Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal, opening for the first timein a Test, piloted them to safety with a cheery 100-run stand.

Pakistan were 137 ahead at the end of the day but by then the game had entered a point of no return.

We are surely now looking at a very boring day 5 of this match, unless pakistan decide to make it interesting by declaring and setting India a relitively small target to chase. This is however extremely unlikely.

Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Dhoni walked out with the team still needing 51 runs to avoid the follow on. In seven frenetic overs, 46 of those runs had been knocked away, the team had been hauled out of imminent danger, and the two felt comfortable enough to throttle back and focus on the bigger picture.

It was a remarkably mature display from two youngsters; their batting ability lower in the order at least in part influenced India's decision to go in one batsman short -- and when it was asked of them, they delivered, and delivered in style.

When Rahul Dravid makes statements like "It's one of the best innings I have seen under pressure", you know it's something special.

At stumps Dhoni amassed 116 runs of just 123 balls with 13 fours and 4 huge sixes at a strike rate of 94.31 , while Pathan is just 1 short of his half century with 4 fours and a six.

The most remarkable aspect of the partnership was the way the two batsmen counter-attacked when Pakistan seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

It will be interesting to see tomorrow if Dhoni can carry on and maybe score a double hundred, who knows? but the match seems to be going in direction of a draw again; with a very low possibility of a result.