The world number one team in jeopardy
India has a poor record playing away from home and for the disappointment to their fans; they have kept this record intact. The series against South Africa was very important for India as the team had proved its dominance at home. The team is currently ranked
at the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings but their position is in jeopardy after a dismal show in the first innings of the first Test match against South Africa at Centurion Park.
After South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virender-Sehwag-c95429, who is almost impossible to bowl against in India,
got out without scoring. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 by scoring back to back centuries but that confidence alone, wasn’t enough to face Morne Morkel.
Morkel continuously troubled Gambhir with the short pitch deliveries and he was well supported by Dale Steyn who hit Gambhir on the shoulder with a bouncer. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 were disappointed when Gambhir gloved one to Mark Boucher but the umpire couldn't hear
the nick. Gambhir stood at the crease but the chance he got was only good enough for giving him a few more blows on the body before he was caught in the slips off Morne Morkel.
This brought two of the very best players for India together at the crease http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rahul-c83321 Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. The team would have hoped that they could carry on their good form and take India out of trouble. Things, unfortunately, didn’t go India’s way though
as Dravid got out for a struggling 14 runs. The struggle continued for India as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/VVS-Laxman-c2772 and Suresh Raina got out cheaply as well.
Tendulkar looked comfortable compared to the other batsmen but he was also undone by Dale Steyn’s swing. Tendulkar was caught plumb in front for 36 runs. After that Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh took the total past 100 runs but Singh got run out just when he
was threatening to score some quick runs.
At the close of day one, India was 136 for the loss of nine wickets and their captain Dhoni was at the crease hoping to extend the score to a little more than what it was on day one. All his hopes were shattered as he got out on the third ball of the second
day to give Morne Morkel a career best five wicket haul.
The attacking bowling of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Morne-Morkel-c77722 proved too hot to handle for the Indians as they bundled out for a miserable 136. Steyn supported Morkel’s five wicket haul by grabbing three wickets. The other bowler who was in amongst the wicket takers
was Jacques Kallis. He grabbed one wicket.
India would have hoped to strike as early as the South Africans did but their bowlers struggled as well. What appeared to be a bowling friendly wicket when http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 was batting suddenly changed to a batting friendly wicket when South Africa came out to bat.
The openers Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen scored a century stand before Smith was dismissed for a well made 62. Petersen scored 77 good runs before getting out and the total was 166 at that time.
From 166, it is now 366 and Kallis and Hashim Amla were unbeaten on centuries at the close of the second day’s play. South Africa scored at a very quick rate of 4.20 per over and Kallis brought up his fastest Test century in this match.
Harbhajan was the only bowler to take wickets but he also gave away too many runs in the process. The seamers were below par and didn’t take any wicket on a seemingly 'seaming' wicket.
The South African team will start the third day with an aim to extend their lead and put pressure on the Indians. Meanwhile, India will be hoping to restrict the Proteas to as less a lead as possible, a feat which seems fairly tricky considering the first
innings lead has already gone above 200 runs.
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