November 7, 2001	Wednesday	Shaba’an 20, 1422

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BLOEMFONTEIN (South Africa), Nov 6: South African captain Shaun Pollock sent India crashing to a nine-wicket defeat Tuesday on the fourth day of the first Test.

Pollock took six for 56 as India slid to 237 all out, losing their last six wickets for 49 runs.

South Africa needed only 54 to get off to a winning start in the three-match series. Herschelle Gibbs was out for a single, lbw to leg-spinner Anil Kumble but Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis took South Africa to an easy win.

Pollock praised the way his side had hauled themselves back into the match after India made 379 in the first innings.

“We were in a difficult situation but the guys fought back. It’s the sort of thing we have do if we want to be the best side in the world. We have to learn to win from all situations.”

Pollock took key wickets at the start of both the first and second sessions of the day, then ripped out three tail-end batsmen as he took 10 wickets in a match for the first time in his 59-Test career.

He took four for 91 in the first innings and had match figures of ten for 147.

India coach John Wright meanwhile said the tourists had got their selection all wrong for the Test, and blamed poor shot selection for his team’s dramatic second innings collapse.

“To lose nine wickets in a day in any Test match in any conditions makes it difficult,” said Wright.

“All our players are wonderful to watch but against a good attack where there is some movement (off the pitch) you have to be judicious in your shot selection.”

India’s troubles started early. Resuming on 96 for one, they made a brisk start to the day with Shiv Sunder Das hitting two boundaries off the first over from Kallis. Vangipurappu Laxman thrashed Pollock past backward point for four but two balls later he fended a lifting ball to Kallis at second slip.

Kallis was taken off and Mornantau Hayward struck with his first delivery when Das flashed at a wide, short ball and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

Das made 62 off 96 balls with 13 fours. India had lost two wickets to the first 13 balls of the day.

Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Indian captain Saurav Ganguly put on 46 in what shaped as a crucial partnership. Tendulkar, who twice needed treatment after being struck on the right forefinger by the first ball he faced from Pollock, scored 15 before edging a drive against Kallis to Herschelle Gibbs at backward point.

It was Kallis’s 100th Test wicket. The South African all-rounder became the first South African and eighth player of all time to score 3,000 runs and take 100 wickets in Tests. He joined Ian Botham and Tony Greig of England, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri of India, Gary Sobers of the West Indies, Imran Khan of Pakistan and Richard Hadlee of New Zealand.

Ganguly was dismissed for 30 in the last over before lunch when a ball from Makhaya Ntini lifted sharply and flew off his glove to Boucher.

Before he was out, Ganguly took a heavy blow above his right knee from a ball by Hayward. He did not take the field when India went out for the final innings.

India went in to lunch just seven runs ahead with five wickets standing. It could have been worse if Neil McKenzie had held a straightforward chance when Virender Sehwag, on 16, turned Kallis to square leg when India’s total was 170 for four.

Sehwag, who made a century on his Test debut in the first innings, made 31 before Pollock struck again in the second over after lunch, bowling him off an inside edge.

Anil Kumble, Deep Dasgupta and Zaheer Khan fell within the space of 11 balls. Kumble went back on his stumps and was trapped lbw by Hayward before Pollock had Dasgupta and Zaheer caught behind.

Last man Ashish Nehra had scored only one when he skied Pollock to deep mid-off and Makhaya Ntini ran backwards but could not catch the ball in a swirling wind.

Nehra and Javagal Srinath added 31 for the last wicket, with Nehra going for his shots. He hit a straight six off Kallis before Srinath was caught at long-on by Neil McKenzie off Pollock.

Kumble shared the new ball with fast bowler Srinath and took a wicket with his seventh delivery when Gibbs, who made 107 in the first innings, went back on his stumps and was trapped by a ball which hurried through straight.

Kallis attacked Kumble, however, and the leg-spinner conceded 23 runs in four overs.