2nd Test: South Africa v India at Port Elizabeth, 16-20 Nov 2001 CricInfo Live Report

2nd Test: South Africa v India at Port Elizabeth, 16-20 Nov 2001
Peter Robinson

India 1st innings: Day 3 - Innings,
South Africa 2nd innings: Day 3 - Mid-morning, Day 3 - Lunch, Day 3 - Mid-Afternoon, Day 3 - Tea,
Live Reports from previous days

KALLIS STANDS FIRM AS SOUTH AFRICAN LEAD MOUNTS

The second Castle Lager/MTN Test match slipped steadily away from India as Jacques Kallis’s 18th Test 50 took South Africa to 147 for five at tea on the third day at St George’s Park for an overall lead of 308.

South Africa lost the wicket of Lance Klusener during the second hour of the session, also to a catch by Virender Sehwag at silly point off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh, but Kallis stood firm for the home team after being given a life on 51.

Klusener had come in at the fall of Boeta Dippenaar’s wicket and after opening his account with a driven four off Javagal Srinath he launched into Harbhajan, twice hitting him straight for six in the off-spinner’s ninth over.

Kallis then went to his 50 with a pulled four off Ajit Agarkar, but two balls later Agarkar should have had his man when VVS Laxman at second slip was able only to palm up an edge which then ran away down to third man.

Klusener had taken another boundary off Harbhajan, leaning back to hammer the ball past point, but with the left-hander on 29 Harbhajan claimed his second wicket of the afternoon. Like Dippenaar, Klusener prodded at one with the ball looping up to silly point and although it was not entirely clear what the ball had struck, umpire Ian Howell gave the decision in favour of the Indians.

Each run, however counted against the Indians as South Africa built on their 161-run first innings lead and when the lead passed 300 with five wickets still standing, South Africa had clearly played themselves into a position which would only become stronger as the innings progressed.

Several of Sourav Ganguly’s bowling changes had been difficult to understand. An example was his reluctance to use Anil Kumble who first came into the attack in the 51st over to bowl the tea over.

At the break, Kallis had 58 with Shaun Pollock on 1.

KALLIS AND DIPPENAAR REBUILD SOUTH AFRICAN SECOND INNINGS

Jacques Kallis and Boeta Dippenaar added 65 for the fourth wicket to partially rebuild the South African second innings after a mid-morning wobble as the home reached 96 for four at drinks on the third afternoon of the second Castle Lager/MTN Test match against India at St George’s Park on Sunday.

The South Africans had been 47 for three at lunch, but Kallis and Dippenaar dug themselves in after the break and their determination, together with the puzzling reluctance of Sourav Ganguly to bowl Javagal Srinath, enabled the South African lead to mount to 252 before Harbhajan Singh effected a breakthrough.

Both South African batsmen displayed enterprise after lunch, Kallis straight-driving the fourth ball after the interval from Sachin Tendulkar for four. It was the first boundary of his innings and Dippenaar followed suit when Ganguly took up the attack from the Duck Pond end, flicking the medium pacer through midwicket and then pulling him for four in his first two overs.

Srinath had taken two for 4 off eight overs before lunch, but Ganguly held him back, preferring to use Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan for much of the first hour. The closest Srinath came to action, in fact, was when Kallis, then 21, hooked a short one from Agarkar and the ball slipped between Srinath’s hands at fine leg to go for six.

Finally, 40 minutes into the session, Srinath was brought back on and almost immediately he went through Dippenaar, the ball flicking the top of a pad on its way to Deep Dasgupta.

When the wicket did come, however, it fell to Harbhajan as Dippenaar pushed forward and was adjudged by umpire Ian Howell to have been caught off pad and glove by Virender Sehwag at silly point.

Dippenaar, who was clearly unhappy at the decision, was out for 28 with South Africa 91 for four.

Lance Klusener joined Kallis and when drinks were taken an over later, the left-hander was on 4 with Kallis on 37.

SRINATH UNSETTLES SOUTH AFRICANS ON DAY 3 OF SECOND TEST

South Africa lost a third wicket before creeping in to lunch at 47 for three in their second innings on the third day of the second Castle Lager/MTN Test match against India at St George’s Park on Sunday. The good news for the home side, however, was that their overall lead had been stretched to 208.

As was the case in the first innings, Javagal Srinath bowled quite beautifully with the new ball. He had accounted for Gary Kirsten before the drinks break (with Ajit Agarkar snapping up Herschelle Gibbs) and he produced another superb delivery to account for Neil McKenzie in the 13th over of the South African innings.

With the wind having changed around to blow from the west after two days of easterlies, Srinath switched ends to bowl from the Park Drive End in the South African second innings. He struck again in his seventh over when McKenzie pushed forward to one that lifted and left him to take a thin outside edge and present Deep Dasgupta with a catch at the wicket.

McKenzie made only 2 to go with his first innings 12 and the South African innings looked distinctly unsteady at 26 for three.

Boeta Dippenaar joined Jacques Kallis and despite his obduracy in the first innings demonstrated that he also has attack strokes by square driving Agarkar for four in the 14th over. He had to survive a confident appeal for a catch at the wicket in Srinath’s next over, however, but TV replays suggested that the ball had cut away so much off the pitch as to miss the outside edge quite comfortably.

With Sourav Ganguly replacing Agarkar at the Duck Pond End, Srinath was finally rested after taking two for 4 in eight overs, but India’s lack of specialist third seamer was again exposed as Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar failed to pose the same problems to the South African batsmen as had the new ball pair.

Harbhajan Singh had one over without success before the interval with Kallis going to lunch on 12 and Dippenaar on 9.

DOUBLE BREAKTHROUGH KEEPS INDIA IN SECOND TEST

India’s new-ball pair, Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar, made a double breakthrough as South Africa started their second innings on the third morning of the second Castle Lager/MTN Test match at St George’s Park on Sunday. At mid-morning drinks, the home side, who led by 161 on the first innings, were 25 for two.

Srinath had Gary Kirsten brilliantly caught at slip and Agarkar bowled Herschelle Gibbs as the tourists strove to get themselves back into the match.

Kirsten, who made 4 in the South African first innings, scored only 5 in the second before Srinath again got one to run across the left-hander with the edge flying to VVS Laxman at second slip. With Virender Sehwwag diving across him from third slip, Laxman did exceptionally well to hold onto the catch to have South Africa 14 for one.

Gibbs, still buoyant from his 196 in the first innings, had got himself going with a pair of boundaries off Agarkar, the first tucked off his pads to square leg and the second slashed fiercely down to third man. He then edged Agarkar over the slip cordon for a third boundary before Agarkar got one to nip back between bat and pad and clip the top of off stump.

Gibbs was dismissed for 12 with South Africa 22 for two. Jacques Kallis and Neil McKenzie dug themselves in to prevent India making further inroads and at drinks Kallis was on 3 with McKenzie on 2. Srinath had again bowled superbly, taking one for 3 in his six overs with Agarkar taking one for 20 in five.

POLLOCK TAKES FIVE AS INDIA ARE BOWLED OUT FOR 201

South African captain Shaun Pollock took his fifth wicket of the innings as India were bowled out for 201 in their first innings on the third morning of the second Castle Lager/MTN Test match at St George’s Park on Sunday.

Pollock trapped VVS Laxman leg before with only his fourth ball of the day to end an innings that lasted just over three hours. It needed a sustained appeal from Pollock to convince umpire Ian Howell, but finally he raised his finger and Laxman was out for 89.

The South Africans had given left-arm spinner Nicky Boje two overs at the start of the day, but Pollock whipped Boje out of the attack after Laxman had gone down the wicket to him to lift him over mid on for four.

After Laxman departed at 199 for nine, Anil Kumble brought up the 200 with a two off Nantie Hayward, but it was Hayward who brought the innings to a close when Kumble slashed him hard into the gully where Gary Kirsten held a head-high catch.

Kumble made 28 and Pollock finished the innings with the impressive figures of five for 40.

Play had started 16 minutes earlier than the scheduled hours of play to make up for time lost on Saturday evening. The sky was overcast and there was a 60 percent chance of rain according to the weather forecast, but the rain continued to hold off as South Africa started their second innings.