South Africa smother India in CCC opener
Very few matches go down to the last ball of the second innings. Some matches
stay alive till very close to the death. And some matches are decided very
early on in the first innings. The opening match of the Coca Cola Cup in
Sharjah between India and South Africa certainly fits in the last category.
On winning the toss, the newly appointed Indian captain Sourav Ganguly elected
to bat first. From then on it was all downhill for the Indians. The batting
which took the South Africans to task in the five One-Dayers played in India
seemed a thing of the past as the Indians were skittled out for 164.
Even the 164 they did manage to scrape up seemed unlikely when they were
looking down the barrel at 123/9. Only a spirited 30 from number eleven Javagal
Srinath in the company of the cool and composed Ajay Jadeja (43 not out) saved
India from total humiliation.
Starting badly, Sachin Tendulkar was foxed by a ball from Shaun Pollock that
came in off the wicket and crashed into the stumps. Ganguly looked good to
start off, playing the ball well through the off side in characteristic
fashion. He too did not last long, clipping a ball off the bowling of Kallis
straight to Boje inside the circle.
After the two openers were accounted for, the South Africans gave no quarter,
picking wickets at regular intervals. No batsman got stuck in, and
understandably, no serious partnership evolved. The fact that the bst
partnership of the Indian innings was 62 for the last wicket speaks of the
complete failure of the Indian batsmen.
Makhaya Ntini and Steve Elworthy with three wickets each were the wreckers in
chief for the South Africans. Bowling a good line concentrating on one side of
the wicket, the South Africans knocked the stuffing out of the Indians.
When they came on to bowl, the Indians had no answer to the solidity of the
South African pair. While Herschelle Gibbs blasted away at one end, Gary
Kirsten sealed up the other, and with it India's chances. Gibbs confidence grew
with every boundary struck and proportionately, the Indian shoulders drooped.
Ganguly tried all his bowlers, chopping and changing, to no avail. Gibbs was
unstoppable as he used his feet to the spinners and sent the ball sailing over
the stands. Kirsten nudged and tapped his way way to fifty, but not before
Gibbs got there.
The overs rolled by and there was no stopping the South Africans. When the 29th
over came by, Gibbs was unbeaten on 87 and Kirsten had helped himself to 67 and
taken the South Africans through to a convincing 10 wicket victory.
The toss up for the man of the match award between Steve Elworthy and Makhaya
Ntini went to Elworthy for his returns of 10-3-17-3.
India play Pakistan tomorrow. They have to pull up their socks in a hurry
if they want to be competitive in what is a home away from home for Pakistan.
