Jaffer fifth Indian to record double-ton against Pakistan

Kolkata, Dec 1 (UNI) Stylish Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer took just eight minutes and four deliveries to walk into the record books of becoming the fifth Indian to score a double-hundred against Pakistan today.

Beginning the day at 192, Jaffer was focused on reaching the landmark. The second delivery from Shoaib Akhtar saw him driving through the covers, the next ball he played defensively, the very next ball he cut ferociously to the square boundary to complete the magical 200.

If the innings he played had class written all over it, his dismissal was soft as he nicked an away going delivery from Sohail Tanvir to Kamran Akhmal. Understandably, the concentration was broken after he completed his double ton, and the charged, wide-eyed Jaffer was savouring the moment.

A walk to the middle of the pitch, raising his helmet and bat and then kissing the Indian logo spoke it all.

The other batsmen to have crossed this milestone against Pakistan are Anshuman Gaekwad in 1982-83 when he scored 201 in Jalandhar, followed by Sanjay Manjrekar (218) at Karachi in 1989-90.

Rahul Dravid got 270 at Rawalpindi in 2003-04 and Virender Sehwag repeated it three times over -- 309 at Multan in 2003-04, 204 at Bangalore in 2004-05 and 254 in Lahore in 2005-06.

As Jaffer walked back to pavilion, the 60,000-strong crowd at the Eden Gardens rose in unison applauding a heroic innings. It was an innings marked by class, poise, aggression and quality of a batsman matured after repeated comebacks.

UNI