Iqbal impressed in chilly Lahore

Faisal Iqbal added his name to the list of Pakistan batting hopes as India's tour-opener headed towards a draw.

Iqbal hit 87 before Pakistan A declared on 358-9, trailing by 56, to give the tourists some extra batting practice.

Left-arm pace bowler Rudra Pratap Singh bolstered his Test credentials with two wickets in Lahore and Irfan Pathan returned figures of 3-82.

Openers Wasim Jaffer and Gautam Gambhir then put on 72 in 13 overs before stumps at the Bagh-e-Jinnah ground.

With Jaffer making 35 and Gambhir 28, after a first innings stand of 81, the selectors will be hard-pressed to decide who will partner Virender Sehwag in the first Test, which starts on Friday.

Test incumbent Gambhir hit five boundaries while a confident-looking Jaffer hit six.

Pakistan struggled early on as Asim Kamal, left out of the Test squad on Monday, mistimed a hook off paceman Singh and was caught behind for 14.

All-rounder Mansoor Amjad fell leg before to Zaheer Khan without scoring, leaving the home team at 227-6.

After two early wickets Faisal, nephew of former captain and coach Javed Miandad, restored order with some fine batting in chilly and overcast conditions.