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India had just 40 overs available on a rain hit day two of the first Test, but they still reached 184-1 in reply to Pakistan's first innings 312.
Virender Sehwag survived drops on 15 and 82 to reach 95 not out, while Rahul Dravid was unbeaten on 39.
Gautam Gambhir was the only wicket to fall, caught off spinner Danish Kaneria for 41 after an opening stand of 113.
Sehwag was left waiting for his ninth Test century after 121 balls, with 12 fours, and a six off Naved-ul-Hasan.
Pakistan's pace bowlers appeared out of sorts after a wait of more than four hours for the rain to relent and play to start.
Gambhir got off the mark in the first over with an edged four, to the delight of a packed house in Mohali, and Sehwag was not far behind.
In the absence of injured pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar, Hasan and Mohammad Sami both struggled to take advantage of swinging conditions, Hasan being taken for 29 off his first four-over spell.
Sami was unlucky not to dismiss Sehwag early, though, when third slip Taufeeq Umar juggled and dropped a simple head-high chance.
It took Kaneria's arrival to bring some sort of calm, Gambhir falling shortly after tea as he got a leading edge to mid-on looking to loft the leg-spinner over the top.
By that point, in the 19th over, though, India were already over a third of the way to their rivals' first innings mark.
Sehwag got another life on 82 when he edged Kaneria while attempting an expansive drive but Younis Khan put the chance down at first slip.
Dravid played with his usual calm before umpires Darrell Hair and Rudi Koertzen decided natural light was not strong enough to continue.
Floodlights had been used throughout, with dark clouds ever-present.
India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Dinesh Karthik, Ifran Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, Laxmipathy Balaji.
Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Salman Butt, Taufeeq Umar, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.
Umpires: D Hair (Aus), R Koertzen (SA).