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| January 06, 2007 | Saturday | Zilhaj 15, 1427 |
South Africa in control after Indian batting collapse
CAPE TOWN, Jan 5: India's dream of an historic series win in South Africa suffered a heavy blow when they collapsed in their second innings on the fourth day of the third and final Test at Newlands here on Friday.
Needing 211 to win, South Africa were 55 for two at the close, 156 short of achieving a come-from-behind series win after losing the first Test.
India were bowled out for 169 in their second innings after captain Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly had seemingly batted them to a position of safety with a third wicket stand of 84.
But India lost their last eight wickets for 79 runs, including two run-outs.
South Africa are likely to be made to struggle for their runs on the final day when veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble is expected to do much of the bowling on a pitch on which scoring has been difficult, especially when the ball loses its shine and becomes soft.
Kumble came into the attack in the ninth over and revived Indian hopes in the last over of the day when Hashim Amla went back on his stumps and was palpably leg before wicket to a ball that skidded through straight.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn took four for 30 but the momentum was sapped from the Indian innings by strangulation tactics similar to those employed by India the previous day when the tourists gained a 41-run first innings lead.
Debutant left-arm spinner Paul Harris bowled an unbroken spell of 22 overs, conceding only 50 runs and claiming the key wicket of Dravid, while Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis both troubled the batsmen with reverse swing on a slow, dusty pitch.
Steyn took the final two wickets of the innings with the sixth and seventh balls of an over which brought three wickets, starting with the run-out of Zaheer Khan.
India, starting their second innings with a lead of 41 runs, lost both opening batsmen in the first 12 minutes and 14 balls of the day and then were told Sachin Tendulkar could not bat at number four after being off the field for 18 minutes at the end of South Africa's first innings on Thursday.
There was a six-minute delay before Ganguly appeared on the field and he was almost out first ball when he edged Makhaya Ntini between third slip and gully.
India restored Virender Sehwag to his opening batsman role in a sign that the tourists intended to bat positively in an effort to win the match and series. But Sehwag slashed wildly at Steyn in the second over to be caught behind for four.
Three balls later first innings century-maker Wasim Jaffer tried to avoid a bouncer from Ntini and the ball looped off his glove to AB de Villiers at first slip.
Tendulkar was padded up but was told by match officials that he could not bat until another six minutes had elapsed.
Dravid and Ganguly batted together for 131 minutes before Ganguly (46) steered a catch to gully off Kallis.India's scoring rate dropped dramatically before Dravid, on 47, went down the wicket to Harris. He failed to get fully to the pitch of the ball and pushed back a simple catch.
VVS Laxman was needlessly run out when he was too casual in taking a second run. Pollock rifled in a return from the midwicket boundary and wicket-keeper Mark Boucher broke the wicket with Laxman's bat on the line, no more than a centimetre from safety. He was given out by television umpire Marais Erasmus.
Tendulkar struggled for 88 minutes and 62 balls in scoring 14 before he was out in the last over before tea, adjudged lbw to a ball that reverse-swung sharply back into his pads.
It completed a poor afternoon for India, who scored only 48 runs for the loss of four wickets between lunch and tea.
The slide continued after tea with Graeme Smith's decision to bring back Steyn proving a master stroke, with the fast bowler having Kumble caught at gully in the first over of his second spell.
Khan was run out by a good throw from deep cover by De Villiers after being sent back by Karthik, who then watched helplessly from the other end as the innings subsided.
Smith and De Villiers started South Africa's run chase confidently, putting on 36 before De Villiers was caught behind off Khan for 22 in the tenth over.
Scoreboard
INDIA 1st Innings 414
SOUTH AFRICA 1st Innings 373
INDIA 2nd Innings
W.Jaffer c de Villiers b Ntini 2
V.Sehwag c Boucher b Steyn 4
R.A.Dravid c& b Harris 47
S.C.Ganguly c Gibbs b Kallis 46
S.R.Tendulkar lbw b Pollock 14
V.V.S.Laxman run out 1
D.Karthik not out 38
A.D.Kumble c Gibbs b Steyn 6
Z.Khan run out 1
S.Sreesanth c Kallis b Steyn 4
M.Patel c Pollock b Steyn 0
EXTRAS: (LB-5, NB-1) 6
TOTAL: (all out, 64 overs) 169
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-6, 2-6, 3-90, 4-114, 5-115, 6-121, 7-147, 8-165, 9-169
BOWLING: Ntini 8-1-29-1, Steyn 7-0-30-4(nb-1), Pollock 15-5-24-1, Harris 22-6-50-1, Kallis 12-0-31-1
SOUTH AFRICA 2nd Innings
A.B.de Villiers c Karthik b Khan 22
G.C.Smith not out 21
H.Amla lbw b Kumble 10
EXTRAS: (B-1, NB-1) 2
TOTAL: (for 2 wkts, 16.2 overs) 55
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-36, 2-55
TO BAT: J.H.Kallis, H.H.Gibbs, A.D.Prince, M.V.Boucher, S.M.Pollock, D.Steyn, P.Harris, M.Ntini
BOWLING: Zaheer 8-1-24-1(nb-1), Sreesanth 4-0-16-0, Kumble 4.2-1-14-1.—AFP
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