Tour Match: South Africa v India at Centurion, 23-27 Nov 2001 CricInfo Live Report

Tour Match: South Africa v India at Centurion, 23-27 Nov 2001
Peter Robinson

India 1st innings: Day 2 - Innings,
South Africa 1st innings: Day 2 - Lunch, Day 2 - mid-afternoon, Day 2 - Tea,
Live Reports from previous days

KIRSTEN SPARKLES AS SOUTH AFRICA REACH 184/2 AT TEA

South Africa continued to make good progress on the second afternoon of their five-day match against India at SuperSport Park on Saturday despite losing Jacques Rudolph to a snappy piece of fielding. At tea the home side were 184 for two with Gary Kirsten unbeaten on 84.

Rudolph had come in at drinks to replace Herschelle Gibbs. It was his first innings for the full national side, albeit not in an official Test match, but he showed few signs of nerves on what must have been the biggest moment of his career to date.

He got off the mark with an on-driven four off Harbhajan Singh before cutting the next delivery backward of point for another boundary and he then took two fours of an Anil Kumble as the South African 150 came up in the 41st over of the innings.

Kirsten, meanwhile, went down the wicket to hit Harbhajan for a straight six, before India took their second wicket by means of a run out. Kirsten played Kumble behind squad and as the batsmen went for a second, Ajit Agarkar, on as substitute for Javagal Srinath, came quickly off the long leg fence to pick up and throw to Kumble art bowler’s end. Rudolph, who had hesitated briefly, was caught well short of his ground and run out for 21.

The second wicket fell at 171 to bring Jacques Kallis in at four and when tea arrived Kallis had 6.

GIBBS FALLS FOR 59 AS SOUTH AFRICA MARCH ON AT CENTURION

South Africa picked up the pace after lunch on the second day of the five-day match at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday before Javagal Srinath made the breakthrough for India, having Herschelle Gibbs caught at long leg to leave the home side 135 for one at the drinks break.

Both South African openers reached their half-centuries as India’s bowlers continued to toil in the heat and there were few false strokes, let alone clear-cut chances, along the way.

Gary Kirsten was the first to 50, reaching the mark with a cover-driven four off Venkatesh Prasad in the fourth over after the break.

Herschelle Gibbs then raised the South African 100 in the 27th over of the innings when he put Prasad through the covers before reaching his 50 after 129 minutes at the crease when he tapped Srinath for two into the midwicket region.

Gibbs produced another spanking boundary through the covers off Srinath in the drinks overs, but when he tried to flick a short one over long leg, Harbhajan Singh came off the fence to hold a steepling catch.

Gibbs was out for 59 with Kirsten still there on 65.

OPENERS GIVE SOUTH AFRICA BRISK START AT CENTURION

Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs gave South Africa a brisk start as the home side replied to India’s first innings total of 232 on the second morning of the five-day game at SuperSport Park at Centurion on Saturday. In 85 minutes batting before lunch, the South African openers put on 72for the first wicket.

Where India had struggled to come to terms with a slowish pitch on the first day, the home pair settled easily as morning sun quickened the wicket up and Kirsten, in particular, looked entirely at home against the Indian seamers.

It was Kirsten who got the innings up and running in the third over with a beautifully timed off drive for four off Javagal Srinath – bowling with a fractured left hand – in the third over as he quickly assumed the senior role in the partnership.

Gibbs was uncharacteristically subdued during the early part of the innings and he did not score his first boundary until the eighth over when he tucked Ashish Nehra through midwicket for four.

Kirsten took successive boundaries off Srinath’s fifth over before Gibbs produced the shot of the morning, a savage square cut that race past point to the boundary in 13th over.

Rahul Dravid turned to spin shortly before lunch, with Harbhajan Singh inducing a false shot from Kirsten which carried over extra cover into empty space, but Gibbs, growing in confidence, greeted Anil Kumble with a classic cover drive for four off the legspinner’s fourth delivery.

At the interval, Kirsten had 37 with Gibbs on 27..

INDIA ALL OUT FOR 232 ON SECOND DAY AT CENTURION

India batted on for a further 8.4 overs before their first innings closed at 232 on the second morning of the five-day match against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday.

With Javagal suffering from a hairline fracture in his left-hand and unable to bat – although he will, apparently, bowl, India were all out when Ashish Nehra nudged Nantie Hayward to first slip to be out for 4. Venkatesh Prasad was left not out on 11 at the close of the innings.

The Indians had added just 11 to their overnight 221 for eight on a warm and humid morning with the possibility of thundershowers later in the day.