As it was on the cards, South Africa defeated India in the first of the 3-match series at the Centurion SuperSport Park by an innings and 25 runs.
South Africa required only two wickets to complete a thumping win over the world number 1 team on the 5th day. There were some rain threats on the last day but fortunately for the home team, weather did not intervene and South Africa were able to take lead in the series. The situation for India could have been much worse but they came out positively in the second innings and displayed a much better batting performance, which should give them hope for the remaining two Test matches.
It was one-way traffic at the SuperSport Park and it started with the toss when the home side invited the visitors to bat. South Africa bowled well and bundled out India for only 136 runs in the 1st innings. Sachin Tendulkar was the top-scorer for India as he was looking great for his 36 which came off only 34 balls including 8 boundaries, but he could not carry on and was struck right in front of the wickets by the South African spearhead Dale Steyn.
Morne Morkel picked up a 5-wicket haul in the first innings after giving away just 20 runs in 12.4 overs. His partner, Dale Steyn took three wickets for the home team.
In reply, South African batsmen started blazingly and they made the viewers feel like the pitch has been changed for their innings. The same pitch that was giving a lot of assistance to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Morne-Morkel-c77722 and Dale Steyn, Indian bowlers were even finding it hard to beat the bat.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 piled up a mammoth 620 for the loss of only 4 wickets and declared its innings. All the five batsmen who got a chance to bat in the first innings of the home team scored 50 or more. However, the special part of the South African innings was Jacques Kallis’s maiden double ton in Test cricket.
Hashim Amla also scored a brilliant hundred but the most demoralising factor for the Indians was the hundred of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887 as he smashed the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground and scored his runs at will.
Harbhajan Singh and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ishant-Sharma-c64566 picked a couple of wickets each but gave away many runs for those wickets.
South Africa took a first innings lead of 484 runs and it was thought to be enough for a thumping win. Eventually the home team was able to win the Test but the ride was not that easy for them as the Indian batsmen came to terms with the South African bowling in the second innings.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 scored 90 but after his dismissal, it was just a matter of time for the South African victory. India was bowled out for 459 runs in the second innings.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dale-c52110 Steyn took 4 wickets in the second innings whereas Morne Morkel and Paul Harris picked up a couple each.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 batted well in the second innings but it would be repenting the first innings performance which cost them the match. India would have to deliver the goods in the remaining two Test matches of the series in order to justify the tag of the world’s best Test team.
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