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Classy South Africa rout India under lights

Hyderabad, India, - South Africa showed off their one-day prowess with a fluent 47-run win over hosts India in the opening match of the triangular one-day series here on Thursday.

Opener Gary Kirsten and skipper Hansie Cronje hit brilliant half-centuries as South Africa hit up 261 for seven after elect- ing to bat first in the day-night international.

The Indians managed only 214 in reply, disappointing some 35,000 home fans at the overflowing Lal Bahadur stadium who expected Sachin Tendulkar's men to repeat Sunday's test win over Australia in New Delhi.

Rahul Dravid's 62 was the top score for India against some daz- zling South African fielding, in which the irrepressible Jonty Rhodes stood out with two of the three run outs.

Cronje won over many Indian fans by recalling Saurav Ganguly to the crease after the batsman crashed into bowler Fanie de Vil- liers while attempting a sharp single and was run out.

But Ganguly failed to take advantage of the sporting gesture, making 31 before holing out against pace bowler Allan Donald, who finished with three for 43.

Vice-captain Kirsten launched South Africa's campaign in the gruelling nine-match preliminary league, also featuring Australia, with a stroke-filled 84 off 81 balls.

Cronje remained unbeaten on 63 off 75 balls, adding a valuable 76 for the seventh wicket with allrounder Brian McMillan (32) after India had reduced the tourists to 166 for six.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who turned 26 on Thursday, celebrated his birthday by slicing through the middle order to finish with three for 42 from his 10 overs.

The home team were set back by the early loss of skipper and frontline batsman Tendulkar by the fifth over.

Tendulkar hit two boundaries in his 11 before pushing a slower ball from Fanie De Villiers to the well-placed Daryll Cullinan at short mid-wicket.

Debutant opener Sujith Somasunder ran himself out for 10, but Dravid and former captain Mohammad Azharuddin led a minor recovery by adding 67 for the third wicket.

The Hyderabad-born Azharuddin, playing a record 225th one-dayer for India, cracked a fine 32 before a reckless pull off spinner Derek Crookes had him caught in the deep.

Crookes also had Dravid top-edging a sweep and the rest of the Indian batting caved in without a fight.

Earlier, Kirsten and his opening partner Andrew Hudson began with a maiden from Javagal Srinath, but then hammered 74 off the next 12 overs to provide South Africa a solid start.

Hudson made 34 with the help of four boundaries and a six off seamer Venkatesh Prasad, before the same bowler had him lobbing an easy catch to Azharuddin at square leg.

Daryll Cullinan (16) added 43 for the third wicket with Kirsten, but the fall of four quick wickets -- three in the space of 21 runs -- saw the South African middle order fall apart.

Kumble took two of those wickets, first having Kirsten caught at mid-wicket by Azharuddin and then shattered Derek Crookes' stumps after the batsman had scored just two.

Cronje, batting lower than usual at number six, and McMillan denied India another wicket till the 49th over when McMillan was run out.

The South Africans now take on Australia at Indore on Saturday.

Each team plays the other thrice in the league, with the top two advancing to the final at Bombay's Wankhede stadium on November 6.