Younus Khan hit 80 before playing one reverse sweep too many

Pakistan enhanced their hopes of saving the third and final Test against India after a dogged effort with the bat on Monday's third day in Bangalore.

The tourists ended on a respectable 369-5, 257 runs behind, and needing a further 58 to avoid the follow-on.

The principal contributors were captain Younus Khan (80) and the new middle order sensation Misbah-ul-Haq.

Misbah ended the day unbeaten on 54 while India were left to rue their luck over a string of lbw appeals.

Neither Rudi Koertzen nor Simon Taufel were in the mood to give a single decision in favour of India's bowlers on Monday.

But Faisal Iqbal looked extremely fortunate to be reprieved twice before he was dismissed for 22.

Kamran Akmal had a big let-off on four off Ishant Sharma, who really impressed with the second new-ball.

Nineteen-year-old Ishant Sharma bowled well with the new ball

And even Misbah, on 45, had reason to count his blessings after Anil Kumble appeared to have him trapped with his googly.

India seem certain to at least get a draw here - enough for their first home Test series victory over Pakistan since 1979-80.

But with more generous umpiring they would be approaching day four in an excellent position to force a win.

Despite all that, Pakistan's batting was impressively defiant for much of the day, although the pitch continued to pose few problems.

Younus, leading the side in the second successive Test in the absence of the unfit Shoaib Malik, did the bulk of the scoring in the morning to help his team add 94 runs to their overnight total of 86-1.

India captain Kumble kept rotating his bowlers, but none could unsettle Younus who hit some handsome shots, including two reverse-sweeps for four off spinner Harbhajan Singh.

606: DEBATE I am not sure umpiring standards are very high across world cricket at the moment BBC Sport's Oliver Brett

Lunch was taken with the score on 180-2 and the only man to fall in the morning was Salman Butt (68), tickling a little off-cutter from Sourav Ganguly to wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik.

Harbhajan attacked Younus from around the wicket after lunch, and finally scuttled one through the right-hander's defences as he paid the penalty for a fourth attempt at a reverse sweep to be clean bowled.

In the very next over, Mohammad Yousuf (24) lazily speared Irfan Pathan to point to bring two fresh batsmen, Misbah and Iqbal, to the crease.

They survived until tea, but not long afterwards Iqbal's unconvincing innings was ended to leave the score 288-5 - Sharma having him caught at short-leg for his maiden Test wicket.

The way the wicket is behaving, it will not be easy for their lower-order batsmen Sourav Ganguly

Misbah and Akmal, with a little bit of help of the umpires, defied everything India's bowlers could throw at them for the remainder of the day.

And barring a collapse on the fourth morning, India's victory ambitions appear to be dwindling.

They will hope for some cleaner glovework from Karthik, however, after he let through 31 byes in an Indian extras total of 70.

Two more extras and a new world record for extras in an innings will have been set.

India's Sourav Ganguly: "Tomorrow's morning session will be important. The ball does a bit early morning, and this is their last recognised batting pair.