Cape Town Test: South Africa hold advantage on day five
Third Test, Day 5 – Lunch: SA 364 and 341 IND 364 & 53/1
South Africa have started the fifth and final day of their three-match Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 on a positive note as they stifled the tourists in their chase of 340 runs at the Newlands in Cape Town.
The Indians lost their edge in the match on the fourth day as the South Africans fought back magnificently to all but take the game beyond the Indian reach on an absorbing day of cricket.
The hosts led by a brilliant rearguard effort by one of the best modern day batsmen Jacques Kallis grinded the rampaging bowlers led by Harbhajan Singh who claimed 7 wickets in the innings.
The Indians started their chase in tentative fashion on the last day. The opening pair of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dale-c52110 Steyn bowled brilliantly with the new ball.
The usually aggressive duo was struggling to find its feet against the pace and venom of the fast bowlers. Eventually, the tactics paid off for an elated Graeme Smith who caught Sehwag in the slips off a Morkel delivery that left the right-hander a fraction
after pitching on the good length.
Sehwag’s dismissal brought the Indian ‘wall’ http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rahul-c83321 Dravid to the crease. The stoic right-hander tried his best to hang in against the South African attack that had their tails up after sending Sehwag back.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 dasher Sehwag had a miserable series and found the pace and bounce too tough to handle. He could only manage a single half century in the entire series and looked an ordinary player.
The Indians reached lunch on day five at 53/1 still needing 287 runs for an outright series win which would be their first on South African soil.
Previously, the Indians had won a single Test in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 yet an inspired performance after a crushing defeat in the opening Test of the current series brought them back in contention.
After the break, the Indians would be pinning their hopes on Gambhir and Dravid for a brisk start, otherwise the match might peter out in a drab draw.
The Proteas are also hoping to make some inroads and push for a 2-1 win.
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