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.
Come on Morkel…
Be the hero man !!!
88 – Blouste, Ash said he would do a rain dance……hahaha. He has gone for a long lunch again. Ash get back here buddy.
Yip we need the light to save us now. Let the smog come in low, low, low……hahaha.
Wheres the frickin bad light?
Guys, probably less than 20 overs to go…
Drinks break in between ?
We might still just be in with a chance…
90 – Hokaai, 20 overs with Morkel think it is just too much. Light may save us though.
Come on Morkel…
Pull an Onions on them !!! 😆
94 – Yip, The drinks break will wasted some time and the light may get bad by the time they come back to bat.
96 – Yip we need it. Come now Morkel do it.
The light still looks good there but it changes quick. Another 15min it could all change.
99
Let’s hope Puma
Let’s hope !!!!!
Hashim !!!
Surely your gloves must be all sweaty by now ?
Don’t you thinnk you should call for new ones ? 😆
Damn, Amla has batted well….. so patient
It’s becoming more murky….right ?
Morkel
LEAVE THOSE DAMMMM BALLS !!!
Aaahh…
So you are listning 😀
Morkel needs to last half as long as Parnell did….
Just wait the smog will make the sun go in a about 10 min. Just watch it goes so quick. Come now smog do your work…. 😉
Drinks break ?
Drinks….. now just do not loose focus…
16 overs left in the day
Shortly…Well thank you Daryll, can you be more exact ? 🙄
Ok, now just hold on guys…
Drinks break, and the light still looks good there. Damn normally by now it is so smogged over and the sun has gone.
Come now we need the smog do its work….hehe.
Too many overs for Morkel to stand and face.
15 overs to go.
Can Morkel survive another say 30 odd balls ?
Hell yes !!!
Come on guys…
My wife won’t understand if I started drinking now 😆
HMMM…
My nerves….damit !!!
Goeie Bliksem !!!
Dit is of moer goed gelos ,of ou Morkel was nou BAIE gelukkig….
Crowd to burn the stands again ?
Agree with Puma…
Amla makes it look sooooo easy…
Why could’nt the other top order batsmen stick around for longer ?
120 and 1200 !!! 😆
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