BLOEMFONTEIN (South Africa), Nov 5: Lance Klusener returned to characteristically thunderous form with 108 to spur South Africa into a strong position at the end of the third day of the first Test against India Monday.
All-rounder Klusener’s fourth Test century helped South Africa from their overnight 327 for three to 563 all out, beating their previous highest total against India of 529 for seven declared at Cape Town in 1996-97.
Trailing on first innings by 184, India were 96 for one in their second innings at the close.
South Africa’s late burst was rewarded with the wicket of Rahul Dravid (11), who edged Shaun Pollock to Gary Kirsten in the gully.
Fellow opener Shiv Sunder Das looked in sparkling touch as he reached the close with an unbeaten 54, while Vangipurappu Laxman was 25 not out.
However, most of the day’s spotlight was taken by Klusener, who reached his hundred with a pull for four through mid-wicket off leg-spinner Anil Kumble in the third over after tea.
It was his first innings of substance since his 97 against Sri Lanka in Cape Town in January. In 11 Test innings since, he had managed 110 runs at an average of just over 12.
He eventually fell to a return catch by Kumble after a three and a quarter hour stay, facing 124 balls and hitting 18 fours and a six.
Klusener shared a seventh wicket partnership of 121 with Mark Boucher (47), who edged Srinath to Rahul Dravid at first slip. Nicky Boje made six before he edged Ashish Nehra to wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta.
Makhaya Ntini scored a whirlwind 23 before he was Javagal Srinath’s fifth victim of the innings, caught by Dasgupta.
Klusener’s assault largely blunted the earlier breakthroughs by India during which Srinath became the fifth Indian bowler to take 200 Test wickets.
Srinath, playing in his 54th Test, struck with two wickets in two deliveries in his first spell with the second new ball, taken after 94 overs by captain Saurav Ganguly.
Boeta Dippenaar (20) was his 199th victim, clean bowled by a magnificent delivery which just straightened enough to beat the bat and remove his off stump.
The South African captain followed immediately afterwards, Srinath forcing Pollock onto the back foot with a sharp delivery which took the inside edge before looping off Pollock’s thigh to Das at short leg.
Jacques Kallis reached his half-century in the third over of the morning, chopping Zaheer down to third man. He had reached 68 when he edged a good delivery from Nehra to Laxman at second slip.
Kallis also extended his world record for time between dismissals in Tests to 1,241 minutes — nearly 21 hours. The last time he was dismissed before Nehra’s strike was in the second innings of the fifth Test against West Indies in Jamaica last April.
INDIA (1st Innings) 379 (S.R. Tendulkar 155, V. Sehwag 105; S.M. Pollock 4-91).
SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings, overnight 327-3):
H.H. Gibbs c Zaheer b Srinath 107
G. Kirsten b Kumble 73
J.H. Kallis c Laxman b Nehra 68
N.D. McKenzie lbw b Kumble 68
H.H. Dippenaar b Srinath 20
L. Klusener c and b Kumble 108
S.M. Pollock c Das b Srinath 0
M.V. Boucher c Dravid b Srinath 47
N. Boje c Dasgupta b Nehra 6
M. Ntini c Dasgupta b Srinath 23
M. Hayward not out 0
EXTRAS (B-7, LB-11, W-4, NB-16) 38
PENALTY RUNS 5
TOTAL (all out, 143 overs) 563
FALL OF WKTS: 1-189, 2-197, 3-327, 4-359, 5-377, 6-377, 7-498, 8-517, 9-548.
BOWLING: Srinath 33-6-140-5 (1nb, 2w); Nehra 22-3-121-2 (11nb, 1w); Zaheer 26-7-98-0 (1w); Kumble 50-12-132-3 (1nb); Tendulkar 7-0-27-0 (1nb); Sehwag 5-0-22-0 (2nb).
INDIA (2nd Innings):
S.S. Das not out 54
R.S. Dravid c Kirsten b Pollock 11
V.V.S. Laxman not out 25
EXTRAS (LB-4, NB-2) 6
TOTAL (for one wkt, 27 overs) 96
FALL OF WKT: 1-29.
BOWLING (to-date): Pollock 7-5-16-1 (1nb); Hayward 9-3-36-0; Kallis 7-2-12-0 (1nb); Ntini 4-0-28-0.—Reuters