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.
59 – Blouste it is gripping stuff. I remember once Fanie and Pat saving our butts they batted like top order batsman. If I remember it was at the Wanderers.
We need Harris just to FOCUSE AND FOCUSE AND FOCUSE. No runs needed. Just to not lose his wicket.
Come on bad light…
60 – Blouste about another hour to go. So close but still so far away.
FIGHT BOYS FIGHT.
I remember old Fanie hitting a 64 or 64 against the Aussies once too…
hehehe…just loved it !!!
Harris on 0 but faced 26 balls so far. Doing his job that is fine. Just don’t lose your wicket that is all.
An hour !!!!
That sounds way to long… 😯
Good grieve !!!
64 or 65 😳
64 – Blouste, Just loved watching Fanie. Had great character. Remember him when we won that last test against OZ once. With 5 balls left. He bowled and caught it. He was superb. Great sense of humour Fanie has.
harris faced 19 balls so far … that 3 overs taken off the amount india can bowl …. come-on guys, its not impossible!! we can still draw this match!!
#65
Sounds so easy hey LOL
66 – Blouste, Think it is about a hour. Not sure how many overs left. But work it out they about 4 hours ahead of us. Close of play is normally around 4pm there. So maybe a half hour.
#69
We sure as hell can…
Don’t know if my nerves will make it though…
72 – Blouste just went into Google. Kolkata 4 and a half hours ahead of us. So think there is half hour left. Then it is according to the overs left too. Not sure how many are left.
Boys need to fight hard now.
Ja remember Fanie and Donald in an the first two overs of an ODI against the Aussies taking 3 or 4 wickets. Brilliant.
Harris out.
Ash, Blouste with us three shouting maybe the good fortunes may just be on our side.
OKAY HERE IT GOES. FIGHT BOYS, FIGHT…FIGHT…FIGHT ONLY A HALF HOUR LEFT.
Things are looking bleak now !!!
75 – BUGGER. WHY NOW…………………NOOOOOOOOO.
Only a half hour left. Morkel wont do it.
Can Morkel do this ?
Please let the bad light come NOW…. 😀
Oi…. and old Amla stands his ground while the troups fall all around him!
He deserves man of the series!
Ok see you answered that one for me 😆
gbs he sure does…
India will take this one… too much time left….
Should’nt the drinks break be about now ?
21 Overs remaining, so there’s more than an hour left of play
81 – GBS if Amla could why not the others? Damn if only Kallis got the light given to him. Umpires wanted to call for it just before Kallis went out. Then decided on one more over and he went out in that over. Then they gave the light. He may have stayed longer if he got the light and came into bat the next day. Well think he may have.
Morkel just fight now. We need him too.
Amla is my man of the series.
Yes shit man Puma…
Where are the bad light when you REALY need it 😯
86 – GBS. Light may save us. The light gets very, very bad there after 4pm their time. So only 45 min away from 4pm their time. Not sure if Morkel will stay for 45 min though.
Vasbyt!!!!
Come on GUYS! Only 20 overs to go!
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