Zeecric Bureau
Kanpur, April 11: India wrapped up the South African innings at 265 after visitors lost plot mid way through the innings. Just when it looked that Mark Boucher would take Proteas out of relative danger Ishant Sharma clean bowled the wicket keeper batsman. Smith and Amla thrived when conditions were best for batting, steering South Africa to 152 for 1, before India clawed their way back through turn and bounce. Seven of the ten wickets fell to spinners as the dry pitch deteriorated expectedly.
Earlier, a comprehensive bowling performance by India saw Africa losing wickets at regular intervals. With score reading 108/1 in 32nd over it looked that India might have a long day under the scorching sun. The Green Park outfield ensured that balls took less time to cross the ropes. For India, Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh bagged three wickets each, while Piyush Chawla got rid off AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith on classical leg spin deliveries which would make captain Anil Kumble proud.
De Villiers paid the price of playing against the spin on a turning track. Following Chawla was Virender Sehwag as he caught Ashwell Prince on back foot and umpire Asad Rauf had no hesitation in raising the dreaded finger.
India’s new found speed sensation Ishant Sharma castled Hashim Amla through the gates to give team its third wicket. An over later Harbhajan made it three wickets in three overs and India could not have asked more from the session.
Amla who was batting well against the spinners was in all sorts of trouble on Ishant’s fast coming yorkers. Respite came only when he (Sharma) threw the stumps flying all across at Green Park. SA scored 161/3 when Ashwell Prince joined Kallis at the crease. Harbhajan in the very next over tossed one up on the middle and leg which curved in with a lot of bounce, to get the ball ricocheting past his defence.
Yuvraj Singh brought India the second chance to celebrate as he got rid of dangerous looking Smith, caught by Jaffer at forward short leg. Capitalizing on his good fortune Graeme Smith led a confident start on a shredding aside pitch demons on way to his fifty. South Africa survived a few nervy moments but a flat bowling display by Harbhajan Singh saw them amassing some quick runs which threatened to put India under pressure.
SA started post lunch session cautiously, surviving some close calls as Chawla and Harbhajan knitted a spin web around them. More than the bowling it was the 22 yard strip which troubled Amla and Smith by its uneven bounce and sharp turn. Irfan Pathan came as a substitute fielder for Sourav Ganguly after the latter was hit by a ball while fielding at forward short leg. A well compiled fifty by Smith saw Proteas total get past the 100 runs mark.
India’s young spin prodigy Piyush Chawla turned the ball and turned it hugely to beat Proteas batsmen on numerous occasions. In a spell which kept batsmen guessing and hopping for the ball Chawla brought India a glimmer of hope in the pre lunch session. South Africa scored 80/1 after 28 overs, when umpires called it lunch on Day 1 at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium.
Piyush Chawla drew first blood for India as Neil Mckenzie dancing down the track missed the line of the ball completely only to see Dhoni take off the bails in a flash. With Harbhajan and Chawla already in operation from both the ends and four close in fielders, Proteas seemed to feel the heat right from the start. Graeme Smith was joined by Hashim Amla at the crease.
India brought Harbhajan Singh into attack as early as 9th over after two Indian seamers failed to trouble the openers. Harbhajan seemed to turn the ball alarmingly, sending warning signals in the Proteas camp. However the two openers seemingly unperturbed carried the momentum as Africa reached fifty in the 14th over itself.
Batting first, on what looked like a perfect batting pitch in Kanpur’s Green Park stadium South Africa were off to solid start cutting and pulling Indian seamers Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma with ease. Neil McKenzie in particular was severe on Ishant as he pulled the lanky fast bowler for two consecutive fours in the third over itself.
Pitch Report
This 22 yard strip of land is a dry track with a lot of cracks zig-zagging throughout. These cracks are already loose and are moving at the edges. It's just a matter of time when you would see the ball turning from these areas.
India hasn't lost at this venue for the last 25 years and that is something which would do a world of good to the depleted confidence and psychology of the Indians. This has been a happy hunting ground for the Indians since 1985, they haven't lost a single game in the last 5 they have played. They have won 2 and drawn 3.
After suffering a horrendous defeat at Ahmedabad, the Indians would be looking forward to play out of their skins in order to overshadow the shameful loss and perhaps, erase the haunting memories from the minds of the supporters and critics as well. On the other hand, South Africa will be standing with their heads held high with confidence and passion. Not everyday would you see a batting line-up like India's bottling up for just 76 and winning a Test in 3 days on the sub-continent soil.
India (Playing XI):
Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w/c), Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma
South Africa (Playing XI):
Graeme Smith(c), Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher(w), Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini
South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first
First Published: Friday, April 11, 2008, 00:00