It was Laxman's crucial partnership with Rahul Dravid that consolidated India's postion and gave them a real shot at the target. Dravid, in particular, was magnificent. Pacing his innings to perfection, he started off rotating the strike and leaving as much of it to Laxman as possible. When he himself came to terms with the pitch, the boundaries started to flow. Delicate glances, impeccably timed drives, rasping cuts - they all flew to the fence, eight times in all in Dravid's knock of 109.