Ganguly's counter-attack keeps India afloat

Kanpur: India managed to keep themselves afloat in the crucial third and final cricket Test against South Africa here today with Sourav Ganguly leading a gutsy counter-attack on a track which will make batting more tricky in the coming days.

The hosts recovered from a jittery 123 for four, in response to South Africa's first innings total of 265, to finish the second day on 288 for nine, managing a slender lead of 23 runs with one wicket in hand.

With three days left, the last wicket pair of S Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma need to try and increase the lead on the under-prepared Green Park track.

When play began this morning, the Indian openers had the task of providing a solid platform but did not succeed.

Dale Steyn, who generated a fair amount of pace in his first spell, drew first blood for the visitors by getting rid of the dangerous Sehwag who could hang around for just 21 minutes at the crease. Sehwag was trapped leg before by a delivery which was angled into the right-hander and the Indian opener hardly moved his feet to be trapped plumb in front.

The Indians suffered another jolt immediately after the first drinks break when Morne Morkel, who replaced Steyn from the pavilion end, struck in his first over by accounting for Jaffer who never really looked comfortable in the middle.

The Mumbai batsman fell to a leg before decision to Morkel's fast ball which hit him low on the pads as he tried to move across the line, leaving India at a precarious 35 for two.

The stylish VVS Laxman, who joined the action after Jaffer's dismissal, immediately made his intentions clear by opening his account with a glorious straight drive off Morkel. He was even more severe in Morkel's next over as he thrashed him for three boundaries, one of them going through the slips cordon to the third man boundary.

While Laxman kept the scoreboard moving with a flurry of boundaries, Dravid was more circumspect at the other end as the uneven bounce of the track made batting difficult.

The duo added 78 runs for the third wicket before Morkel again swung the balance in South Africa's favour by evicting Dravid and Laxman in quick succession when he was brought back into the attack.

© Getty Images Morne Morkel produced a devastating spell on a crumbling pitch

Dravid was dismissed by a ball that reared up sharply, hitting him on the wrist before ballooning up to AB de Villiers who took a simple catch at gully.

Dravid was in pain as he held his wrist while taking the long walk back to the pavillion.

The stylish Laxman, who seemed to be far more comfortable in the middle, took a single off Harris to notch up his 33rd Test half-century and his first at Green Park but the celebrations by the seizable crowd was shortlived as he perished soon after.

Laxman was bowled by an incoming delivery by Morkel whose second spell figures read 4-0-12-2. Laxman's knock came off 103 balls and contained seven boundaries.

Laxman was given a reprieve when he was on 43 with Jacques Kallis dropping a difficult catch at first slip, spinner Paul Harris being the unlucky bowler. But that lapse did not prove to be costly as the batsman could add only seven more runs.

Ganguly came out in a positive frame of mind and went for his strokes straightaway, realising that it was not a track where one could survive for long by only defending.

The former captain picked up Harris for special treatment hammering him for two boundaries and did not hesitate to use his feet against the slow bowler.

Yuvraj Singh, at the other end, was equally aggressive, as the two batsmen went about trying to consolidate the position for the team.

With both batsmen going for their strokes, the runs came quite briskly which led to some heated verbal exchanges between Yuvraj and Steyn. The two umpires stepped in quickly to diffuse the situation by talking to the players and South African captain Graeme Smith.

After tea, Yuvraj's belligerence was brought to an end by Harris who induced the left-hander to go for a big shot only to be caught at the mid-wicket fence by de Villiers.

Dhoni also played some delectable shots during his knock of 32 before a rush of blood cost him his wicket.

He stepped out to Harris but missed the line completely to be stumped by Boucher.

Performance Analysis

India:

Plus:

1). First inning’s lead:

India batters battled hard on the second day of the Kanpur Test to take a valuable 23-run lead. Edging the Proteas out in the first innings will be a good morale-booster for the hosts.

2). Ganguly looked a class-apart:

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly’s fighting knock of 87 runs and involvement in essential partnerships with Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni was instrumental in his team gaining a first innings lead.

Minus:

Yuvi, Mahi didn’t capitalise on their starts:

Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni who got starts to their respective innings must be cursing themselves for throwing their wickets away.

Jaffer- again a concern:

Wasim Jaffer’s inconsistency with the bat continues as he again failed with the willow, scoring just 15 runs.

South Africa:

Plus:

1). Didn’t let India build a huge lead:

The Proteas will be happy that the hosts are nine wickets down and the lead has not been extended to a huge margin by the end of day two.

2). Morne Morkel was sharp:

Young Morne Morkel was crisp and dangerous with the red cherry on day two as he dismissed the likes of Jaffer, Dravid and Laxman with some magnificent deliveries.

Minus:

1). Allowed India to build partnership:

After dismissing the two Indian openers early, the Proteas must be disappointed that they allowed the hosts to build partnerships at crucial junctures.

2). Half-chances went abegging:

A couple of half-chances were grassed by the Proteas fielders on day two.

Indian skipper Anil Kumble is most likely to skip the third and final Test slated to begin on April 11 in Kanpur.

Indian skipper Anil Kumble is most likely to skip the third and final Test slated to begin on April 11 in Kanpur.
Kumble, with 607 wickets in 126 Tests, has failed to recover from a groin strain suffered during the drawn opening Test in Chennai on Sunday and is also suffering from a back injury.
The selectors have advised him against aggravating it further and as a result, the Indian team might have to go into the third Test minus his services.
“We still have not decided on the team combination because there are a couple of injury concerns. I am feeling better, but we’ll wait till tomorrow morning,” Kumble told reporters today.
Dhoni may be asked to captain the side in Kumble’s absence. Dhoni, however, wanted to rest, but has been advised against it because of Kumble’s injury.
The bowling attack will receive a severe jolt if Kumble is ruled out of the decider. The Indian bowlers toiled in Chennai as the visitors racked up scores of 540 and 331-5.
The final call on Kumble’s fitness will be taken tomorrow.

India v South Africa, 3rd Test, Kanpur

South Africa will stick to their aggressive bowling strategy of drawing India’s heavyweight batting line-up out of the comfort zone, and will take a call on a second spin option only after having a look at the Kanpur pitch on Wednesday, revealed Mickey Arthur, the team’s coach.
Arthur told Cricinfo that India would be committing a blunder if they prepared a pitch for the third Test that would crumble because “nobody in the world would want to face our bowlers at 150 kmph on a surface where the ball would go through the top from day four”.
“We have our bases covered either way,” Arthur said. “If India are gambling on working on a pitch that will crack, as media reports suggest, they might be in for a shock. We could be looking at uneven bounce then on the fourth and fifth days, and fast bowlers could prove quite a handful. But we have not closed out options yet, we also have another option in the left-arm spin of Robin Peterson.”
Arthur, who is currently in Ahmedabad with the team, said he didn’t believe that the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) had distracted the Indian team. “Look, when things go badly, the media pin the blame somewhere. If things had gone well for India, this issue would not have come up at all.”
Looking back on the second Test in Ahmedabad, where South Africa won by an innings and 90 runs, Arthur said Rahul Dravid’s dismissal was the turning point on the first day when India were embarrassingly bowled for 76 runs, their second lowest total ever at home. Dravid lost his off stump to a Steyn special that pitched on middle and swerved just that bit to beat the bat.
“It was an unbelievable ball, wasn’t it?” said Arthur. “It was really an important wicket because Rahul is the kind of batsman who could have stayed and thwarted us on this wicket. He has so often done that before, so when that wicket fell, we knew we were through.”
Arthur said that some credit for the Ahmedabad win would go to a bowling strategy that was quickly revised after the first Test in Chennai ended in a dull draw.
“The mistake we committed in Chennai [where India replied with 627 to South Africa’s 540] was we focused on swing,” said Arthur. “After that game was over, we spent a lot of time with the bowlers to work out the best way forward. We realised we needed to be a lot more aggressive, we spoke about really hitting the deck at the right length, over after over. We talked about roughening up the Indian batsmen with short deliveries, and more importantly, the follow-up deliveries after the bouncers.”
The key, or rather the theme of the revised strategy, Arthur revealed, was to get Indian batsmen out of their “traditional” comfort zone. “We realised after all those discussions that the crucial aspect was to force India’s batsmen to play outside their comfort zone, which is the front foot. We decided we will never allow them to settle down in that forward zone, but instead force them back with aggressive bowling. Hit the deck, hit the deck in the right area - that is what we kept repeating to ourselves.”
Arhtur admitted he was “happily surprised” by the pitch that was on offer at Motera, which contributed significantly to the South African gameplan. “I would say a lot of credit would go to Vincent Barnes [the assistant coach] because of the hard work he has put in with all the bowlers, especially Makhaya Ntini.”
Even though Steyn walked away with five wickets, it was a pacy Ntini who forced the door open for South Africa with the wickets of opener Wasim Jaffer (9), VVS Laxman (3) and Sourav Ganguly (0) to leave India reeling at 30 for 4 in the first hour of the Test. “In fact, if you look back, Makhaya had started regaining his rhythm on the fourth day of the Chennai Test [when India lost their last eight wickets for 146 runs]. Here, he has finally got it just right with that special bounce that hits the top of off stump,” said Arthur.

India v South Africa, 3rd Test, Kanpur

'We'll force India out of their comfort zone' - Arthur
April 7, 2008

	Mickey Arthur: In Ahmedabad Makhaya Ntini finally got it just right with that special bounce that hits the top of off stump © AFP

South Africa will stick to their aggressive bowling strategy of drawing India's heavyweight batting line-up out of the comfort zone, and will take a call on a second spin option only after having a look at the Kanpur pitch on Wednesday, revealed Mickey Arthur, the team's coach.

Arthur told Cricinfo that India would be committing a blunder if they prepared a pitch for the third Test that would crumble because "nobody in the world would want to face our bowlers at 150 kmph on a surface where the ball would go through the top from day four".

"We have our bases covered either way," Arthur said. "If India are gambling on working on a pitch that will crack, as media reports suggest, they might be in for a shock. We could be looking at uneven bounce then on the fourth and fifth days, and fast bowlers could prove quite a handful. But we have not closed out options yet, we also have another option in the left-arm spin of Robin Peterson."

Arthur, who is currently in Ahmedabad with the team, said he didn't believe that the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) had distracted the Indian team. "Look, when things go badly, the media pin the blame somewhere. If things had gone well for India, this issue would not have come up at all."

Looking back on the second Test in Ahmedabad, where South Africa won by an innings and 90 runs, Arthur said Rahul Dravid's dismissal was the turning point on the first day when India were embarrassingly bowled for 76 runs, their second lowest total ever at home. Dravid lost his off stump to a Steyn special that pitched on middle and swerved just that bit to beat the bat.

"It was an unbelievable ball, wasn't it?" said Arthur. "It was really an important wicket because Rahul is the kind of batsman who could have stayed and thwarted us on this wicket. He has so often done that before, so when that wicket fell, we knew we were through."

Arthur said that some credit for the Ahmedabad win would go to a bowling strategy that was quickly revised after the first Test in Chennai ended in a dull draw.

"The mistake we committed in Chennai [where India replied with 627 to South Africa's 540] was we focused on swing," said Arthur. "After that game was over, we spent a lot of time with the bowlers to work out the best way forward. We realised we needed to be a lot more aggressive, we spoke about really hitting the deck at the right length, over after over. We talked about roughening up the Indian batsmen with short deliveries, and more importantly, the follow-up deliveries after the bouncers."

The key, or rather the theme of the revised strategy, Arthur revealed, was to get Indian batsmen out of their "traditional" comfort zone. "We realised after all those discussions that the crucial aspect was to force India's batsmen to play outside their comfort zone, which is the front foot. We decided we will never allow them to settle down in that forward zone, but instead force them back with aggressive bowling. Hit the deck, hit the deck in the right area - that is what we kept repeating to ourselves."

Arhtur admitted he was "happily surprised" by the pitch that was on offer at Motera, which contributed significantly to the South African gameplan. "I would say a lot of credit would go to Vincent Barnes [the assistant coach] because of the hard work he has put in with all the bowlers, especially Makhaya Ntini."

Even though Steyn walked away with five wickets, it was a pacy Ntini who forced the door open for South Africa with the wickets of opener Wasim Jaffer (9), VVS Laxman (3) and Sourav Ganguly (0) to leave India reeling at 30 for 4 in the first hour of the Test. "In fact, if you look back, Makhaya had started regaining his rhythm on the fourth day of the Chennai Test [when India lost their last eight wickets for 146 runs]. Here, he has finally got it just right with that special bounce that hits the top of off stump," said Arthur.

www.crickinfo,crickinfo

India v South Africa, 2nd Test, Ahmedabad, 3rd day

South Africa 494 for 7 dec (de Villiers 217*, Kallis 132) beat India 76 (Steyn 5-23) and 328 (Ganguly 87, Dhoni 52) by an innings and 90 runs

Sourav Ganguly stood on the burning deck nearly four hours for a fine 87 as India's

	Morne Morkel took two crucial middle-order wickets as South Africa swept to a comprehensive win and a 1-0 lead in the series © AFP

misadventure at Motera ended with ugly scars that may take a while to heal. South Africa, a class apart from first ball to last, swept to a thoroughly deserved innings-and-90-run victory inside three days and cannot lose a series that was billed as the contest for the No.2 ranking behind Australia.

Ganguly added 110 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and 55 with VVS Laxman, exhibiting all the determination and poise that had been conspicuously absent in India's abject first innings. But once Dale Steyn, wicketless until then, returned to tempt him into a drive from round the wicket, the match was only ever going to have one outcome. Ganguly stood his ground, and replays suggested the noise that alerted Tony Hill might have been bat striking ground, but the South Africans were convinced that there had been a big deflection.

His dismissal completely changed the course of a final session that had started encouragingly for the home side, with Ganguly playing some delicate cuts off Paul Harris and a beautiful straight push off Morne Morkel. With Dhoni in dogged and restrained mood, it was Ganguly who worked the bowlers, until the decisive moment when Graeme Smith tossed the ball Steyn's way.

Dhoni reached his half-century from 122 balls soon after, but with Smith calling on his big guns, the resistance was swiftly ended. Makhaya Ntini saw off Dhoni, pitching one perfectly in the off-stump corridor to induce the expansive drive. Smith made no mistake at slip.

Harris was swung for one huge six by Irfan Pathan, but otherwise bottled up one end and was rewarded for his effort with the wicket of Anil Kumble, bowled through the gap between bat and pad. That was enough for Smith to call for the new ball, five overs late, and Steyn soon struck, trapping Harbhajan Singh in front. The subsequent flurry of strokes from Pathan and Sreesanth did little more than delay the popping of the champagne corks.

In truth, India's fate was sealed in a morning session where they lost both Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. With rain falling heavily the previous evening, Smith had declared on the overnight total of 494 for 7. Needing 418 just to make South Africa bat again, the Indian innings had the most bizarre start. Steyn strove for express pace, and Sehwag responded with two stunning strokes, a swivel-pull and a clip off the pads, both of which sailed over the rope for sixes.

But after surviving an excellent leg-before shout from Ntini, Sehwag's luck ran out. The second time Ntini thudded one into the pad, Hill raised the finger. Dravid, best equipped to deal with the conditions, came in and got going with a lovely flick for four off Ntini, but Wasim Jaffer was having a torrid time at the other end, squared up by Ntini and then lucky to escape after a superb short ball from Morkel had him popping one up into no-man's land.

A beautiful cover drive soon after lifted the spirits somewhat, and when Jacques Kallis replaced Ntini, Jaffer greeted him with an emphatic pull for four. The partnership was worth 33 when Morkel struck with a delivery that climbed steeply up at Dravid. He tried to drop the ball to his feet, but couldn't quite get on top of it, and the edge was neatly caught by AB de Villiers at third slip.

	Sourav Ganguly made a fluent 87, but his knock only delayed the inevitable defeat © AFP

Jaffer followed in similar fashion, caught on the crease and squared up by a Kallis delivery that angled in, and it was left to Ganguly and Laxman to try and salvage a modicum of pride. Laxman was in splendid touch, playing some magnificent drives down the ground and tucking the ball off his pads with time to spare. Soon after lunch, though, Smith replaced Steyn with Morkel, and after Laxman had caressed two fours, the breakthrough arrived. A delivery outside off stump, a statuesque swish, and thin contact with the back of the bat on the way to Mark Boucher. Laxman's 35 had taken just 45 balls, but India needed so much more.

Every South African bowler tested Ganguly with the short ball, but he suffered his most anxious moments against the deliveries that slanted across him. A beautiful square-drive off Morkel and a crisp off-drive off Steyn saw him find his range, and Dhoni's arrival allowed the strike to tick over steadily.

Dhoni chanced his arm as he's prone to. A cut off Steyn flashed through gully and after he had whipped Harris through midwicket, he got his first stroke of luck. A short ball from Steyn, a miscued hook, and a complete bungle on the long-leg rope from Ntini, who had wandered too far in. Steyn wasn't very pleased and he showed it, and there was further cause for frowns just before tea when a rash charge at Harris saw Boucher fluff a tough stumping chance.

Ganguly swept Harris neatly for four, and reached his 50 from just 86 deliveries. It was brave stuff, but you sensed that it would ultimately be as futile as trying to paddle up the Amazon with a broken oar. After stinking up the place on the first morning, the good ship India deserved only the cold ocean floor.

Key words :India Vs South Africa Test Match,Crickinfo,www.crickinfo

de Villiers double leads South African run-fest

India v South Africa, 2nd Test, Ahmedabad, 2nd day

If an Indian team with ambitions to world dominance found the opening day at the Sardar Patel Stadium humiliating, day two was soul-destroying, with a classy AB de Villiers double-century and a dogged Jacques Kallis hundred underpinning a relentless South African charge to victory. By the time the rain came down to wash away Indian tears, they had rampaged to 494 for 7, with de Villiers still going strong on 217, the highest score by a South African against India.

In the 77.2 overs bowled in the day, India managed just three wickets, two of them when the batsmen were in the quest for quick runs after tea. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh picked up one apiece, with Mark Boucher and Morne Morkel trapped leg before, but by then the only question being posed was just how imposing the lead would be.

de Villiers needed just 146 balls for his second hundred, and played some stupendous strokes in the final session. A huge six off Harbhajan landed on the roof at what is a massive venue, and when he was later gifted a full toss that he creamed through cover, the celebrations could begin. That stroke also brought up the 400-run lead, and de Villiers put the seal on an impressive day's work with a mighty heave off Kumble that soared into the empty stand at deep midwicket. As a weary Indian side trudged off, a defeat of mammoth proportions beckoned unless they could bat with a great deal more application at the second time of asking.

Kumble and his men could reflect on opportunities that came their way early in the proceedings. Harbhajan, the pick of the bowlers, was desperately unlucky against both batsmen. Kallis had made just 61 when he fended one awkwardly off the glove, only to see it roll back and strike the stumps. The bails stayed on, Harbhajan held his head, and the chance had gone. In his very next over, an offbreak went right through de Villiers, missing the stumps by a whisker.

Irfan Pathan was insipid with the old ball, and Kumble soon replaced him at the other end, but the runs slowly started to mount as the pitch showed few signs of menace. de Villiers cut Harbhajan for four, and Kumble was then far from thrilled as a Kallis cover-drive was fumbled over the rope by Sourav Ganguly.

Despite slightly overcast conditions, Kumble didn't call on Sreesanth. By the time the new ball was taken after 81.2 overs, whatever little moisture that might have been in the pitch was long gone. Sreesanth soon made an impact too, striking Kallis on the shoulder with a bouncer and then having an excellent leg-before shout turned down.

Once the initial threat posed by the new ball passed, the runs came freely. de Villiers flicked RP Singh for four and then glanced Sreesanth fine, before Kallis highlighted his power with two contemptuous pulls for four. On the stroke of lunch, Ganguly came on, and a paddle down to fine leg saw de Villiers reach his fifth Test century.

Kallis was on 97 at the time, and the 30th century that took him past Sir Donald Bradman arrived soon after the interval, with a magnificent cover-drive for four off Ganguly. It had been a stolid and at times fortuitous effort, spanning 228 balls, but vital in the context of the match after Harbhajan's three quick wickets on the first afternoon.

The 200-run partnership came from 401 balls, and the runs were milked with ease after that. Pathan was pedestrian at best and Kumble merely restrictive. Both men played the sweep with increasing confidence and it was quite bizarre that Sreesanth, the most effective Indian pace bowler on view, was called on only an hour and ten minutes after lunch.

Kallis swatted the first ball for four, and when an edge then streaked past slip, Sreesanth's frustration boiled over. But instead of self-destructing, he used the anger to produce a gem of a delivery that lifted from outside off stump and caught Kallis in two minds. By the time he tried to arc the bat away, it was too late and the inside edge cannoned into the stumps. He had batted six hours, and the partnership of 256 was South Africa's highest against India, surpassing the 236 that Gary Kirsten, currently India's coach, and Andrew Hudson added at the Eden Gardens in 1996-97.

A sparse crowd watched it all with a mixture of frustration and reluctant admiration, and there was something forlorn about the few Indian flags being waved in the stands on a day when dreams of global conquest evaporated in egg-frying heat.

Steyn and Kallis lead South African Team

India v South Africa, 2nd Test, Ahmedabad, 1st day

In a country where the most lucrative and least-skilled form of the game is now being seen as the best thing since loaves came sliced, there was almost delicious irony in a much-vaunted Indian line-up being skittled in exactly 20 overs. A fine 12-over spell from Harbhajan Singh then offered India the chance of redemption, triggering a South African slide from 100 for 1 to 117 for 4, only for Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers to play spoilsports and bat with the concentration and obduracy one usually associates with a Test match.

After Anil Kumble had won the toss on a pitch that had a smattering of grass, Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn scythed through the batting order as India slumped to their second-lowest total on home soil, surpassing the 75 in New Delhi in 1987 only because South Africa were generous with the extras. Only Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni managed double-digit scores, and it took South Africa just 14.4 overs to ease into the lead. By stumps, that advantage had swelled to 147 runs, with Kallis and de Villiers adding an unbroken 106.

The story of the day, though, was the stunning batting collapse before lunch. Had the surrender taken place on a truly spiteful pitch, India's finest could at least have unveiled the excuses. As it was, only Rahul Dravid fell to a peach of a delivery. The rest were either victims of their misjudgment or their inability to get into line against fiery pace bowling on a surface that had a little moisture. The tail could be absolved of blame after being swept away by the whirlwind, but there could be no excuses for a top order that has perhaps grown accustomed to batting on substandard batsman-friendly pitches in home Tests.

The Indian openers had added 213 on a wretched surface at Chepauk last week, but here the partnership lasted less than four overs as Ntini slanted one in at good pace. Jaffer was caught on the crease, and the timid poke was superbly taken by Smith diving to his left at slip.

Sehwag was then guilty of reaching for a ball that was well outside his off stump. The inside edge did the rest, and South Africa were in wonderland. Wonderland soon became dreamland as VVS Laxman shouldered arms to one that darted back to clip the top of the stumps, and Sourav Ganguly was then torn between playing or leaving. All that happened was an inside edge on to middle stump, and as Ganguly trudged off, the scoreboard read 30 for 4.

Morne Morkel came on for Steyn at that stage, with Smith looking to exploit his height, but two square-drives from Dhoni hinted at a mini-revival. The next time the tide turned though, it was decisive, with no way back for India. Steyn returned in place of Ntini, and his second ball was perfection, darting away to clip Dravid's off stump.

Dhoni had already been reprieved once by then, fending one just out of reach of Amla at short leg, but he didn't learn his lesson. A wild flail at Morkel only resulted in an edge through to Mark Boucher, and when Kumble played on two balls later, it was doubtful whether India would even surpass the 66 they had made at Durban in 1996.

A couple of carves through gully from Pathan helped them avoid that ignominy, but there was no stopping the rampant Steyn, who wrapped things up with the perfect three-ball trick - Harbhajan leg before, RP Singh caught fending off a short ball, and Sreesanth bowled with raw pace. The innings had lasted all of 109 minutes, with Steyn returning outstanding figures of 5 for 23.

	Neil McKenzie's 42 rammed home the South African advantage as they finished the first day in a completely dominant position © AFP

Neil McKenzie was fortunate to survive a vociferous leg-before shout from RP at the start of the innings, and Ganguly then failed to grab a chance at short leg off Sreesanth when Smith had just 2. But by and large, though, the Indian bowlers just didn't make the batsmen play enough, while Smith and McKenzie also showed a much better awareness of which deliveries to leave well alone.

Smith cut and drove with customary élan, while McKenzie joined in with two boundaries off RP and some gorgeous off-drives off Pathan. The Indian total had been surmounted when Sreesanth returned for a second spell, and Smith was slightly unlucky to be given out odd a delivery that struck him outside leg stump. Harbhajan then induced McKenzie to edge one to slip, while Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince fell in quick succession after tea, one caught at bat-pad and the other clueless against Harbhajan coming round the wicket. By then, however, he and India were already in damage-limitation mode, and Kallis and de Villiers ensured South Africa suffered no further setbacks.

Kallis, who had earlier smacked Harbhajan for an awesome straight six, decided that circumspection was the right method, though a glorious cover-drive off Sreesanth did reveal his determination to put the bad balls away. de Villiers endured some nervous moments against Harbhajan's offspin and Sreesanth's reverse-swing, but was confident enough to step out and loft Kumble to the sightscreen, as Indian shoulders started to droop.

It took Kallis 117 balls, three less than India faced, to get to his half-century, while de Villiers managed it at a slightly faster clip. Both batsmen finished the day with a flourish of fours, leaving India to pick up the pieces. From a flat pitch to flat out cold - such is the beauty of Test cricket.

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Crickinfo:India surrender after Virender Sewag:India v South Africa, 1st Test, Chennai, 4th day

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A score of 159 for 9 in 49.1 overs sounds exciting. Fast bowlers running in hard on the fourth day, extracting bounce and rattling stumps, ought to be entertaining. Batsmen looking to score, bowlers trying to restrict from one end and attack from the other, fielders charged up, a hundred, some gorgeous strokeplay ... all points to an exciting day's cricket. What a near-capacity stadium witnessed, though, was far duller. A game which had sprung to life yesterday was put to bed once again.

India needed to show some initiative towards building a big lead, declare their intent and go for a win. Virender Sehwag didn't last too long but the rest paled in comparison when it came to setting the agenda. Rahul Dravid preferred to continue his guarded approach, Mahendra Singh Dhoni couldn't summon his dashing side and VVS Laxman, stuck with the tail, scratched around towards the end.

South Africa bowled much better today - no doubt about it - but India must ensure against an over-reliance on Sehwag, a trap they fell into regularly four years back. There was a time, around 2004, when Sehwag used to stand out from the rest of the batting order. Against Australia in 2003-2004 and Pakistan in early 2005, a few games changed complexion the moment he was dismissed. The Bangalore Test against Pakistan was a classic example. As long as Sehwag was in, India harboured hopes of winning; once he left, the rest couldn't even bat out two sessions.

Several opposition bowlers pointed out to how tough it was to bowl to Sehwag compared to the others. The common refrain was: Sehwag rattled your plans, the rest at least scored more predictably. Mohammad Asif even went to the extent of saying it was comparatively easy to bowl to Dravid because he rarely tried anything different.

The happenings today was some sort of a throwback to the days of Sehwag-dominated shows. As long as he was around, India could dream of 700 in quick time. Once he left, the rest couldn't summon the unconventional methods to counter the bowling. South Africa did bowl well but they were probably made to look a little better by batsmen adopting the straightforward approach.

Nobody, though, will doubt the intensity levels. Makhaya Ntini, who's not been that potent a force in the subcontinent, nipped out two early wickets in six balls before Dale Steyn put together the spell of the match that read: 8-1-15-4. It was his sixth spell and was delivered in the demanding mid-afternoon session and came with reverse-swing of high quality. He cranked up speeds around 145kph and kept it dart straight.

The ball to dismiss Dhoni was particularly fearsome, making the batsmen look rather silly for trying to walk down the track. "I didn't really see him charging," said Steyn. "I had always made up mind that we would two bouncers with the new ball that we had just got. So he is a big wicket for the way that he plays he can take the game away from anybody on his day. He wanted to score quickly so that was a key wicket to get."

There was some deadly reverse-swing as well, giving the tailenders no chance. Once it was straight and swinging, Steyn was always going to win the day. It was the sort of spell that set up their win in Pakistan last year and he showed he could let rip in tough conditions. "These balls are different to the balls that we play with, the Kookaburra balls," he said. "The key is to find out what works. Reverse-swing is a big factor in the subcontinent. We were lucky to get a ball change and the new ball that we got was reversing from ball one basically. I think now what we have to do is to come up with a good plan on how to get the ball to do that."

It also helped that India were going for the runs. "The fact that we were trying to push it along probably cost us a few wickets," said Dravid. "The idea was to push it along, in the end Steyn came and bowled a good spell of reverse swing. We couldn't accelerate with wickets falling."

All of which meant that the match is back to square one. India need someone to do a Sehwag with the ball if they aim to win this one. South Africa need something even more special if they are to even get close. Expect a good crowd on Sunday but, unless you're going for broke in a lottery, don't expect a result.