Related Links : India in South Africa 2006-07 : Scorecard
India is five wickets away from its first Test Match victory in South Africa. The Proteas have shown no interest in chasing down the huge 402 runs target but have provided the much needed resistance through a better application from the batsmen in their second innings. It was once again Sreesanth doing the damage for the visitors, he has dismissed three batsmen so far and was unlucky not to get another one that of Ashwell Prince who has been leading the stubborn resistance for SA.
In the first innings, South Africa was bundled out in just over 25 overs but today they lasted out for 58 overs losing five wickets. The Indians have been made to work hard ever since the two opening batsmen – Gibbs and Smith departed playing flashy shots. South Africans had come this morning believing that they were still in the game and they had to take wickets quickly. They had a decent chance of winning the match if the target was anything under 350, a couple of good partnerships in their second innings could well turn the tables on India. The bowlers were right on the money and VVS Laxman and Dhoni couldn’t break free. Dhoni lost his patience and fell playing a loose drive on the up to give Shaun Pollock a wicket very early in the day. Anil Kumble got out too without hanging long enough. India were going nowhere, their lead was well past 300 but they still had to get some more runs to feel safe and for providing cushion for the bowlers.
Just when things were going against the touring side, VVS Laxman got an able partner in the form of Zaheer Khan who batted with great responsibility. Zaheer cut loose when Graeme Smith had decided to come in to bowl his friendly off breaks, both batsmen had 26 from the three overs of spin. Zaheer had carted the opposition Skipper for a couple of sixes that got India into a massive lead. Meanwhile VVS Laxman’s invaluable innings had come to an end after he couldn’t avoid playing a delivery that held its line around the off stump from Ntini. Laxman was the top scorer of the match with 73 having played 154 balls. Makhaya Ntini all of a sudden had started to find the fire back in his belly and without wasting any time he got Zaheer Khan to fend his rising delivery behind the stumps. Zaheer had done his damage before that scoring 37 which had helped India from a tricky 148 for 7 to 218 for 8. India were eventually bowled out for 236 in 64.4 overs. The talking point of the morning session was Sreesanth who was sledged on the face by Andre Nel. The Keralite replied with a six over the bowler’s head which followed with an unbelievable wild dancing and bat whirling on the cricket pitch to insult Andre Nel who didn’t bother to look at that! It was arguably the first of its kind in a test match at least in modern day cricket!
After a quick change of innings, Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith had to bat out just the one over before the lunch break. Graeme Smith decided to be at the non striker’s end suddenly and Gibbs in the fourth delivery of Zaheer’s over played an atrocious expansive drive to be safely caught by Tendulkar in the slips. Gibbs bagged a pair as he didn’t trouble the scorers in both the innings playing ambitious drives. After the lunch break, it was the turn of Graeme Smith to head back to the pavilion as he uppishly drove a widish delivery from Sreesanth to be brilliantly caught by Sehwag at point. Hashim Amla joined Kallis and the two batsmen got their heads down to calm the nerves of the dressing room. But an unplayable delivery from Sreesanth had squared up Hashim Amla to take an edge in the 12th over to reduce the homeside to 34 for 3. The bowlers didn’t get any other wicket in the rest of the session with Kallis and Prince batting sensibly.
In the last session, Jacques Kallis had lost his concentration to play a careless drive off Sreesanth to be caught by Sourav Ganguly in the slip cordon. It was Sreesanth’s wonderful mix of lengths and lines along with a perfect release of the ball with an upright seam that had been causing the ball to dart around. Occasionally the batsmen were getting foxed by the juiciness of the deliveries that they get induced in playing the false drives like Smith and Kallis did. South Africa’s best batsman, Kallis could survive 72 balls having made 27. India could just get one more wicket before the close of play which was a bonus one with AB de Villiers paying price for going for a non-existent single towards mid on. Zaheer Khan was the fielder who helped his side get that run out. Boucher supported Prince till the rest of the play to take the match into the fourth day. Sreesanth has taken his match tally to 8 wickets and Anil Kumble who has been expected to be the chief tormentor has remained wicketless but he was there to sustain the pressure from his end.
Ashwell Prince had ended up not out on 54 from 148 balls, but he didn’t deserve to have been there in the middle. Prince was very lucky not to be given caught behind after he had got a clear nick off Sreesanth’s away going seamer when he was on 49. It was a poor decision from Umpire Daryl Harper who was unmoved despite a convincing and spontaneous appeal from the slip cordon. The last over of the day’s play also had a similar situation when Mark Boucher was beaten all ends up by a nasty lifter from Sreesanth around the offstump. This time the right decision was made as the ball climbed up a lot to avoid getting contact with the bat. Boucher lived dangerously throughout that last over from Sreesanth, he even had a top edge in his hook that wasn’t picked by Zaheer at fine leg who had the sun beating on his eyes.
India will have to wait for tomorrow, their historical moment should come but might take some time. The likes of Boucher and Pollock wouldn’t be surrendering so meekly but having said that the first half of the morning session always aids the ball to move around because of the moisture in the wicket. So it could be one more session wait before India does pull off their maiden Test victory over here.