Peter Robinson
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1st Test: South Africa v India at Bloemfontein, 3-7 Nov 2001 Peter Robinson |
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South Africa 2nd innings:
India 2nd innings: |
Pollock finally had Ashish Nehra caught at long on by Neil McKenzie for 17 to leave South Africa needing just 54 to win.
The Indian last wicket pair had put on 31 before Pollock claimed his sixth wicket of the innings at a cost of 56 runs. In the Indian first innings he took four for 91 for a match analysis of 10 for 147.
The not out batsman was Javagal Srinath who made 16.
The Indian lead was just 45 at this stage and the likelihood of a South African victory inside four days increased with the fall of each wicket.
Virender Sehwag, the last recognised batsmen lasted just nine balls into the session before he was bowled by Shaun Pollock off an side edge for 31 at 195 for six.
Anil Kumble hung around for 25 minutes before he was given out leg before to Nantie Hayward by umpire Asoka de Silva for 4 at 206 for seven. Television replays suggested very strongly that the ball would have missed leg stump by some distance.
Just four more were added to the score before Deep Dasgupta was given out caught at the wicket by Mark Boucher for 4 off Pollock, a decision given by umpire Dave Orchard even though Boucher did not initially join in the appeal.
And two balls later it was 206 for nine in more convincing fashion as Pollock found the gloves of Zaheer Khan for Boucher to take his second catch of the over.
Ashish Nehra, who might have been caught by Makhaya Ntini off Pollock when he had 1, the ball swirling in the wind as Ntini tried to position himself beneath it, and Javagal Srinath last to drinks. Nehra, who had hit a massive straight six of Jacques Kallis, had 15 and Srinath was on 10.
Kallis, who achieved this particular double in his 53rd Test, had Tendulkar caught by Herschelle Gibbs at point for 15, a wicket that may well have broken the back of the Indian batting. At lunch the tourists were 191 for five, seven runs ahead with five wickets standing and five sessions of the match still to be played.
The loss of Tendulkar with India still in arrears was a major blow for the South Africans, but a spilled catch by the usually reliable Neil McKenzie ensured that the home team did not immediately press home their advantage.
McKenzie should have caught Virender Sehwag, who had come after the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket, at midwicket when the Indian batsman turned Kallis off his hip straight to the South African field. Sehwag was on 16 when McKenzie fluffed the simple chance and Sehwag promptly rubbed in the mistake by hitting two fours off Kallis before the over was out.
Sehwag, in fact, scored the first 25 runs of his fifth wicket partnership with Sourav Ganguly, but it was the Indian captain who ensured that South Africa would have to bat again when he tucked Kallis away to midwicket for the four that finally wiped out the 188-run deficit.
Ganguly, however, was unable to make it through to the lunch interval. After reaching 30 he received an almost unplayable ball from Makhaya Ntini that reared at the batsman and brushed a glove on the way through to Mark Boucher. India were just four ahead when their fifth wicket fell at 188 and they might have lost a sixth wicket before the break when McKenzie’s diving shy at the wicket at the bowler’s end just squeezed past the stumps with the new batsman, Deep Dasgupta, who had still to open his account, well short of his ground.
At the break, Sehwag had 27 with Dasgupta on 1.
At the end of the first hour’s play, India had moved to 151 for three in their second innings, still needing a further 33 to make South Africa bat again.
The home side struck twice within the first three overs of the morning after Jacques Kallis bowled the first over in order to allow Pollock to change his new ball pair around. SS Das had taken two fours of Kallis’ over and then VVS Laxman square cut Pollock’s second delivery for four before Pollock had Laxman caught by Kallis at second slip with his fifth ball.
It was a tame shot, Laxman simply opening the face of the bat to steer the ball to Kallis and India were 108 for two with Laxman out for 29.
Hayward took over from the Loch Logan end and snapped up Das with his first ball, a wide loosener that Das slashed at only to get a thin top edge that carried comortably to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. He had taken his overnight score from 54 to 62 with the two boundaries off Kallis and India were 108 for three.
Sourav Ganguly joined Sachin Tendulkar and wax a little fortunate to get off the mark with a slashed four off Hayward that flew through the gully, clipping Gary Kirsten’s fingertips on the way. Four byes, a two and another slashed four from Ganguly ensured that 14 came off the over and the Indians took 13 off Hayward’s next over with Ganguly and Tendulkar each hitting boundaries.
The flurry of runs moved the Indian run rate back up to four to the over, a rate that has been consistent throughout this Test. When drinks were taken at the end of the first hour, Ganguly had 20 with Tendulkar on 13.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 06 Nov2001 - 18:32