The weather favoured South Africa with the umpires calling play off with the visitors on 115 for three on the fourth day of the second test against India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.
On a riveting day’s play India couldn’t manage wickets in a hurry but got three of them at regular intervals. Graeme Smith came out bull-headed and, along with Alviro Petersen, almost batted out the one-hour first session.
Five minutes before the break, though, Mishra got him with his first delivery. In the second session, Harbhajan Singh, looking menacing with almost every delivery, got Petersen early. Amla and Jacques Kallis looked pretty comfortable for 16 overs, but in deteriorating light Mishra got Kallis with a beauty minutes before the players walked off.
Hashim Amla, who had scored 367 runs in two innings before this, was made to dig deep into his patience and skill reserves, and will be hoping he has more in the tank.
India would have been much more comfortably placed despite bad light and rain had M Vijay held on to a sharp chance from Amla at backward short leg.
With clearer skies expected today, India will need one big push to reach their destination. For the coach who has helped turn things around, it’s a matter of playing the big moments well and playing with pride. “It’s amazing how Test cricket works,” Kirsten said. “Funny things happen. South Africa were 220 for one and we were able to turn it around. One thing this team has done really well is build pressure for a period of time and then make it count. We know in a two-Test series, one session can make the difference. It happened with South Africa in Nagpur and it happened with us here.”
South Africa 296 & 115/3 (35.0 ov)
India 643/6d
South Africa trail by 232 runs with 7 wickets remaining
South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 JP Duminy, 7 Ashwell Prince, 8 Paul Harris, 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.
India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 M Vijay, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 S Badrinath, 7 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 8, Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant Sharma.
153/3
Amla and Prince still batting. Now is the time for Prince to get his 100 or just stand and bat the whole day. He can do it maybe today is his day.
In comes Singh to bowl.
156/3 we trail by 191
Dammit there goes Prince. This day is too long, where is the rain dancers.
Let me go, enjoy the day
Work calls
Prince is gone. Think that is us done.
Super I will do a rain dance if we can stand there and bat for the day…….. 😆
Look at Amla he is doing it why not the others?
Amla is in sublime form, and is there on a mission. Hope someone else helps him, well there is only AB and Duminy left really. Who said Boucher is finished.
I would give my front teeth for Bouch to be there. 😆
6 – Super, just said it on voldy. We don’t have Boucher there to come and save our butts like he normally does.
After Amla or AB goes we don’t have much, unless Duminy and Steyn do a Melbourne. I doubt it as Duminy is so out of form with the bat and all the rest will struggle against the spinners.
Wish we had 4 Amlas in our side. Pity Kallis went as they played that over when we probably should have been given the light. Kallis just still could have been there.
There goes AB, we done now. Looks like none of our batsmen can handle these spinners except Amla!!
Eish, lyk nie mooi nie, nie ‘n manier wat ons hierdie een gaan maak nie
How much time left till close of play?
Too much, they only returned from lunch about an hour ago…and we’re 187/7 only Amla still there
11 – Amla the only batsman putting his hand up. Why can the others not do the same? Or is Amla in a league of his own.
Our Durbs boy. Good on em for standing tall out there all alone. Hope he gets man of the series award. He got over 250 in the first test and a 100 in the first innings here too.
Amla on 82. Come now Parnell or anyone of the rest stand with him until he gets his 100. Amla deservest to get it.
meant deserves
Amla on 92 now. Go Hash, get your 100. Deserves too.
Time of close of play guys ?
WELL DONE AMLA ON GETTING HIS 100. Very proud of him. The only one to put his hand up. Then so far Parnell is standing with him. Hope we see them there until close.
16 – Around 12pm today. Long way to go mate. We focuse with the last few who knows we may do it. They have taken the new ball about 10 min back.
Amla is my man of the series. Has to be.
Amla has been at the crease for 20 hours and 2 min. Now that is something else. Damn what happened to the rest? Where is their pride where is there fighting spirit? Why can we not play spin proper yet? Damn it gets to me. Send them to India again and make em learn how to play against spin bowlers.
meant 20 hours and 25 min.
Amla is doing brilliantly…
But in the context of the game, keeping in mind who is a reconized batsman and whom the bowler… Parnell is also doing a fabulous job !!!
Biggest partnership of the innings.
Been there with Amla for over an hour and a halve already.
Keep your focus young man…keep your focus.
Go boys !!!
21 – Blouste, Parnell doing just fine. Needs to stick with Amla. Kinda having memories now of Duminy and Steyn in Melbourne? Or AB in the first test in England in 2008 where we dug deep and we fought and fought. We must fight to the end. Maybe we could still draw this test.
Tea time…
34 odd overs left.
Go boys !!!
23 – Blouste 34 overs is a long, long, long way away. Hope they can hold out. The rest are wont bat much. How we still needed Boucher in this side.
For now Parnell is doing just fine. If Amla goes we are a goner or even Parnell. None of the rest can play spin.
DID DEEP AND FIGHT BOYS FIGHT.
DID = DIG
(phew)
we’v made it to tea
i think the pressure should now be squarely on india
come-on amla broetsie, wys hulle hoe!!
Crucial couple of overs after tea…
One can only hope.
Parnell the real suprize for me at this stage…
Who is left to bat ?
We have been on the wrong end of these close encounters many a time…
Hope today will be different for us.
blouste @ 28
only you and me, broetsie, only you and me!! 😀
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