INDIA HEAD TOWARDS INNINGS DEFEAT AT CENTURION

The Indians went to their midday meal at 259 for seven, still needing a further 75 to make South Africa bat again and with Javagal Srinath, who has a fractured finger in his left hand unlikely to bat, the odds were stacked heavily in favour of the home side.

The loss of Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket for 40 at 188 for four midway through the session placed India under enormous pressure and their fifth wicket fell soon afterwards when VVS Laxman, who had 23, cut Makhaya Ntini straight to Herschelle Gibbs at point to have the tourists 197 for five.

Ntini has bowled poorly for most of the summer, but in this unofficial “Test” he finally rediscovered his length and probably bowled his best spell of the season.

Shaun Pollock had held himself out of the attack for most of the morning, but when he did bring himself on he had Anil Kumble caught by Nicky Boje at first slip with his sixth ball. This after Kumble had edged Pollock’s first ball just short of wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

At 212 for six, Harbhajan Singh arrived to take four boundaries off Boje’s first over of the day. Boje has suffered a recurrence of a knee injury and will have to pass a fitness test before leaving for Australia with South Africa at the weekend and his optimism could not have been helped when Harbhajan took a fifth boundary of the first ball of his second over.

But with Harbhajan on 21, he should have been caught by Pollock at slip as Jacques Rudolph came on to bowl his leg breaks. Harbhajan drove and Pollock juggled with the edge before letting it fall to ground.

Harbhajan’s luck finally ran out in the lunch over as Nantie Hayward came back into the attack. Harbhajan hooked at the fourth ball of the over and the ball brushed the glove for Boucher to take the catch. He was out for 30 with Deep Dasgupta not out on 26 at the interval.

TENDULKAR FALLS WITH INDIA STILL 146 BEHIND

Tendulkar was bowled by Makhaya Ntini, not offering a shot, in the 64th over of the innings after hitting six fours and a six in an 83-minute stay at the crease.

Dravid took three fours off Nantie Hayward’s first over of the day as India bolted out of the gate at the start of play, but the South African fast bowler had the last word with the final delivery of the over with a ball that angled in to Dravid but then held its line to beat the outside of the bat and clip off stump.

Dravid fell for 23 with India 130 for three as VVS Laxman joined Tendulkar. It was Laxman who brought up the Indian 150 when he chopped Hayward down to third man for four in the 54th over, before Tendulkar was reprieved in the next over, Gary Kirsten spilling probably the easiest catch of his career.

Jacques Kallis produced an almost unplayable ball that kicked at Tendulkar, looping off the shoulder of the bat into the gully. How Kirsten missed it is impossible to say, but he seemed to take his eyes of the ball and Tendulkar, then 16, was able to bat on.

He almost immediately rubbed in the mistake by hitting Kallis off the back foot for four through the covers and then, as the South Africans fed him short balls outside off stump, took advantage of the absence of a third man by making effective use of the uppercut.

On 27 he was a little fortunate as an edge flew just too high for Nicky Boje at first slip off Lance Klusener and later in the over he had Kirsten leaping vainly upwards in the gully as another boundary came in the third man region.

With the session starting 30 minutes early to make up for lost time, India were still 146 in arrears when Tendulkar got out with Laxman on 17.

© CricInfo

Date-stamped : 27 Nov2001 - 14:36