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| December 17, 2006 | Sunday | Ziqa'ad 25, 1427 |
India take control after South Africa batting collapses
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 16: India took control on the second day of the first Test after bowling out South Africa for 84 at the Wanderers Stadium here on Saturday.
India stretched their overall lead to 311 when they scored 146 for five in their second innings by the close of play. The tourists were well placed to win a Test match in South Africa for the first time on three tours of the country.
Opening bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth claimed his first Test five-wicket haul as South Africa crashed to their lowest Test total since their return to international cricket in 1991. Replying to a modest Indian total of 249, South Africa were bowled out in only 25.1 overs to give India a first innings lead of 165.
India made a bad start to their second innings before VVS Laxman (42 not out) and Saurav Ganguly (25) shared a 58-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Twenty wickets fell for 323 runs during the day. Sreesanth, 23, took five for 40 with a fine display of attacking seam and swing bowling. Playing in his sixth Test, at one stage he had five for 19 after dismissing five of the first seven batsmen.
In one of the few bright spots for South Africa, Shaun Pollock became the first bowler from the host nation to take 400 Test wickets when he had Indian captain Rahul Dravid caught behind in the second innings.
It was a dramatic change of fortune after South Africa dominated a one-day series leading up to the Tests and appeared on target to take charge on a pitch which offered bounce and some movement to the fast bowlers.
But the Indians used the conditions better as they sent the home side tumbling. Whereas the South Africans peppered the Indian batsmen with short-pitched bowling, Sreesanth and new-ball partner Zaheer Khan bowled a fuller length and made the batsmen play at more deliveries.
South Africa's first three wickets fell with the total on five. Captain Graeme Smith was out leg before to Sreesanth for five and Herschelle Gibbs was out without scoring in the next over when he edged a drive off Khan to backward point.
Hashim Amla was also out for nought, edging an out-swinger from Sreesanth to VVS Laxman at second slip.
Jacques Kallis survived a close appeal for leg before by Khan before relieving the pressure slightly by hitting two boundaries in the same over. But Kallis was out soon after lunch for 12 when he edged Sreesanth to provide Laxman with a second catch.
Left-hander Ashwell Prince, who top-scored with 24, staged a brief fight-back as he and Andre Nel put on 39 for the eighth wicket before Prince was caught behind off leg-spinner Anil Kumble.
Makhaya Ntini was bowled first ball by Kumble and although Dale Steyn survived the hat-trick ball, Nel was out for 21 in the next over when he skied VRV Singh to deep mid-off.
Earlier, India lost their last five first innings wickets for 93 runs. Ganguly scored 51 not out while last man Singh slogged effectively to make 29 in a last-wicket stand of 44 before Shaun Pollock wrapped up the Indian innings.
Pollock held a sensational catch and took four wickets for 39 runs. Resuming at 156 for five, India quickly lost Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who drove Ntini uppishly. The veteran Pollock, 33, dived full length to his left from mid-off to hold what was no more than a half chance.
Kumble survived a chance to Gibbs at third slip off Ntini before he had scored but made only six before steering Nel to Kallis at second slip.
Khan and Sreesanth fell to Pollock within three balls as India slumped to 235 for nine.
Singh provided an entertaining boost to the total by stepping away towards square leg and slogging cross-batted at almost every ball, hitting six boundaries in a 19-ball innings before he finally top-edged a hit against Pollock and hit the ball almost straight up in the air to present Pollock with a return catch.
Scoreboard
India (1st innings) (overnight 156-5)
W. Jaffer lbw b Ntini 9
V. Sehwag c Boucher b Pollock 4
R. Dravid c Smith b Kallis 32
S. Tendulkar c De Villiers b Kallis 44
V. Laxman c Boucher b Ntini 28
S. Ganguly not out 51
M. Dhoni c Pollock b Ntini 5
A. Kumble c Kallis b Nel 6
Zaheer Khan lbw b Pollock 9
S. Sreesanth c Amla b Pollock 0
V. Singh c and b Pollock 29
EXTRAS (NB-6, LB-15, W-11) 32
TOTAL (all out, 79.5 overs) 249
FALL OF WKTS: 1-14, 2-14, 3-83, 4-110, 5-156, 6-167, 7-188, 8-205, 9-205.
Bowling: Steyn 10.1-3-26-0 (2nb); Ntini 18-1-57-3; Pollock 17.5-7-39-4; Nel 18.5-5-45-1 (1nb, 1w); Kallis 15-0-67-2 (3nb, 10w).
South Africa (1st innings):
G Smith lbw b Sreesanth 5
H Gibbs c Sehwag b Zaheer Khan 0
H Amla c Laxman b Sreesanth 0
J Kallis c Laxman b Sreesanth 12
A Prince c Dhoni b Kumble 24
A de Villiers c Sehwag b Zaheer Khan 6
M Boucher b Sreesanth 5
S Pollock lbw b Sreesanth 5
A Nel c Zaheer Khan b Singh 21
M Ntini b Kumble 0
D Steyn not out 0
EXTRAS (NB-1, B-2, W-3) 6
TOTAL (all out, 25.1 overs) 84
FALL OF WKTS: 1-5, 2-5, 3-5, 4-21, 5-33, 6-38, 7-45, 8-84, 9-84.
BOWLING: Zaheer Khan 10-3-32-2; Sreesanth 10-3-40-5 (1nb, 2w); Singh 3.1-0-8-1 (1w); Kumble 2-1-2-2.
India (2nd innings):
W. Jaffer c Smith b Nel 4
V. Sehwag c Gibbs b Nel 33
R. Dravid c Boucher b Pollock 1
S. Tendulkar b Pollock 14
V. Laxman not out 42
S. Ganguly c Boucher b Ntini 25
M. Dhoni not out 17
EXTRAS (B-2, LB-7, W-1) 10
TOTAL (for five wkts, 35 overs) 146
FALL OF WKTS: 1-20, 2-37, 3-41, 4-61, 5-119
BOWLING: Ntini 9-0-56-1 (1w); Nel 11-2-38-2; Pollock 9-2-24-2; Kallis 6-2-19-0.
UMPIRES: Mark Benson (England) and Daryl Harper (Australia).
TV UMPIRE: K Hurter (South Africa).
MATCH REFEREE: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka).—AFP
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