India In SouthAfrica IndiaVs SouthAfrica Third Test,Live From Newlands, Cape Town. Day 2, 3:28 PM.
Follow-On Enforced On India! ( Kallis finished with Five Wickets )
With massive pressure on Karthik/Kumble to prevent the follow-on, SouthAfrican skipper attacked Kumble more than Karthik. The fielding was set in such a way that it was defensive for Karthik and attacking for Kumble and Smith's main intension was to keep Kumble on strike. Smith stopped Botha and operated with Nel/Kallis from both the ends.
Nel Vs Kumble.
In one of the overs of Nel, he had couple of chances to dismiss Kumble, but it was luck that favoured Kumble in the end on both the occasions.
Kumble got a very thick inside edge...& the ball managed to go near the stumps and thus missing it narrowly. Nel was very much frustrated on seeing this. He almost had Kumble there but the luck was in favour of the batsman. Smith also got excited for a moment and gave a sarcastic stare towards the batsman.
In another occasion, Kumble once again got the edge.. but this time it was a thick outside edge towards the slip fielder, Gibbs. The ball was just little out of reach for Gibbs... He made an amazing flying attempt but it was in vain as the ball managed to go past him reaching the boundary ropes. Nel was once again frustrated.. This time, like his captain, he too gave a sarcastic smile towards Kumble.
Meanwhile in other end, Karthik did his level best to keep himself on strike and score quickly. It was when this pair looked like saving the team from follow-on, Karthik and Harbhajan were dismissed in the same over of Kallis.
Fine All-round Display From Kallis.
In one of the deliveries of Kallis, Karthik attempted a cover drive in the gaps but unfortunately, he didn't get the timing right. The ball went in air straight towards Pollock who was standing there.. And in the end, Pollock managed to take that easy catch without any problems.. It was a big blow for India and its the wicket which SA needed too. The entire SA team started celebrating this big wicket. Karthik recieved standing applauses when he went back towards the dressing room. What a brilliant innings this has been.. that too it came under huge pressure. Well played Karthik! :hpraise
In the same over, Harbhajan singh was also dismissed. It was nothing wrong with the batsman..but it was a beautiful delivery that got rid of Harbhajan. There was a thick edge and ball travelled towards the slip fielder comfortably.. The catch was safely taken and celebrations continued. There was a stunning silence among Indian spectators. With just two wickets remaining, it became almost impossible for India to avoid the follow-on.
Final Wickets.
In very next over of Kallis, Kumble was dimissed. Anil tried to go over the nearby fielders.. but it was a great catch taken by Pollock. This brought 5-Wickets for Kallis. It was a fine allround display from Kallis till now. He has played a very vital role in this match. Sreesanth joined Zaheer as the last batsman.
Nel continued the next over. He got that final wicket of Sreesanth. Once again it was a beautiful delivery which outsmarted Sreesanth and there was a thick edge that carried safely towards the slips. Thats it.. India got all out for a low total.. And, Smith without any hesitation, enforced the follow-on. Players left the field for a short break before the start of third innings.
India's First Innings Scorecard.
SA's Bowling Card.
Well, in batting, Karthik was the only person to impress the spectators. Dravid's and Tendulkar's dismissals without scoring runs remains as a huge disappointment to the team. Hope there is some compensation in next innings for this. In bowling, it was a fine display from all the bowlers. Allround display from Kallis has kept the home team in commanding position at the moment. With India needed to bat again, we have to see how the situation looks at the end of Day2. Its not a new situation for India though.. they have been already in similar situation against Aussies some years back where they have won the match inspite of getting the follow-on. Lets see how the things turn out to be at the end of Day2.. Stay Tuned!
India : 0/0( 0 Overs,2nd Innings ) KKD Karthik : 0*(0)
R.Dravid : 0*(0)
SA : 395/10( 1st Innings ) India : 156/10 ( 1st Innings )
Great bowling by South Africa and indeed Kallis. His 5 wicket HALL (Not hold suren ) was superb wrapping up the Indians innings under the follow-on target. 239 runs is still tough to get on this wicket and we could have an innings victory on our hands...
now this is what we call realistic : afterall, how can India win 2 test matches in a row that too on foreign turf !!
I wouldn't be surprised if we see an inning's defeat here..
lemme guess.. A poor opening partnership followed by Sachin being dismissed cheaply that too in a dis-respectful manner. Later Dravid, in name of controlling the situation brings down the run-rate less than even 1, and then too get out cheaply when pressure mounts. later, "tu chal main aaya" (You go, am following) policy is followed for media to have debates on !!
Shocking batting by India bar Karthik who played an excellent knock. They've got a real battle on their hand to stop South Africa winning the match and levelling the series now.
Kallis bowled very well, but shocking batting by India, what were you doing Sure Going to have bat very well, now to save the match. Still really good work mate
The top-order failed for the Indians. Kallis bowled very well. The South Africans will hope to get a big lead. Great works Suren bhai. The presentation is fantastic!
India In SouthAfrica IndiaVs SouthAfrica Third Test,Live From Newlands, Cape Town. End of Day 2.
End of Day 2! ( Dravid/Laxman leading the Fightback )
Welcome back to Cape Town for the final session of the day's play. Tea-break has also been taken in the interval between the change of innings. This means, we might get some extra overs to compensate the slow bowling rate yesterday by India. The Indian openers, Karthik and Dravid arrived following the SA players and the Umpires. The entire Indian dressing room is occupied with massive pressure because of this follow-on. Pollock and Ntini, as usual, shared the new ball.. and Smith was very busy in setting an attacking field for the new batsmen to create pressure further.
Some Promising Signs from Young Chap,Karthik.
Its to be noted that Karthik was the only batsman who had a huge battle against the bowlers in first innings. Once again in this innings, Karthik started his innings with great confidence by getting off the mark with a flashy straight drive for four.
Soon after, Karthik played a lovely cover drive which made the fielder to run behind the ball till the last minute. This boundary made both Smith and Pollock frustrated. Pollock was the bowler on both the occasions. This confident start provided by Karthik created hopes among everyone that, India still has some chances to get into a good position.
But this confidence was soon shattered when Pollock got his revenge against Karthik.
Huge Blow : Karthik Departs.
Pollock was concentrating near the offstumps and was tempting Karthik to play some silly shots. Unfortunately, Karthik fell into the trap set by the experienced clever fox, Pollock.
Karthik attempted to go over the offside for a boundary but the ball marginally decieved Karthik and it straight away went towards the stumps. This resulted in clean bowled. Pollock was excited to a great extent and the entire SA team started celebrating this wicket. It was a huge wicket for India as the first innings hero failed after putting up some promising signs.
Karthik made his way towards the dressing room and tension/disappointments increased further in the dressing room. Even the Indian fans went into astonishing silence. VVS Laxman joined the Indian skipper under massive pressure.
Much Needed Skipper Role from Dravid.
Dravid started off with atmost patience. He was leaving all the deliveries outside offstump and hence was very alert against the temptations created by SA bowlers. But with settling in well, Indian skipper played some confident shots that frustrated the bowlers very much.
In one of the deliveries of Ntini, which was a quick bouncer, Dravid played a magnificent pull that made the ball to move like a rocket to the boundary. This shot, in-particular, kept the burried hopes of Indian spectators ALIVE again. Dravid's main advantage was his timing of the shot. He also picked regular singles and rotated strikes. These two batsmen seemed to have very good understanding between them.
Smith started shuffling the bowlers. He brought Botha as the third bowler which suprised all as everyone expected Kallis to continue the magic like the previous innings. In the very first over of Botha, Dravid welcomed him with a fantastic sweep shot that resulted in a boundary too. This increased the confidence level not only for Dravid but also for all Indian fans. Indian skipper continued his solid gameplay with Laxman who also got settled in well.
Laxman's Crucial Innings.
Nel was bowling in other end. He also tried some bouncers, slow balls and some more tempting deliveries but both the batsmen denied to fall in the trap. They continued to be watchful and kept on accelerating the scorecard. A good sign from this pair is, they executed the plan of rotating strikes very well.
Laxman, after getting settling in, started to go over the bowlers. He played some terrific shots like his skipper. Soon, Kallis was also brought into the attack but the partnership continued to grow. Kallis, in one of the deliveries to Laxman, bowled a slow tricky delivery but batsman was smart enough to judge the ball correctly and played a huge sweep shot that went one bounce over the ropes. Laxman played lovely leg glances as well.. Overall, it increased the entertainment for the spectators.
Towards the end of Day's play, Laxman brought his fifty and raised his bat proudly towards the dressing room. He recieved huge applauses from everyone for this matured innings. Its been a crucial innings from Laxman providing a great support to Indian skipper. Well played Laxman! Soon after, umpire removed the bails indicating the end of Day's play. Dravid remained unbeated on 49 and Laxman with 50. Players left the field.
Can this pair do it for India???
( They have already played a similar rescue role against Aussies some years back )
Well, the last session belonged to India. They made a good comeback after the early first wicket. Both Laxman and Dravid have kept the hopes of all Indian fans still alive. Its very very important for these two to carry on the same tomorrow. Its also to be noted that these two already have a record against Aussies to bat through out the day where it was a similar follow-on situation. The pressure is still on India but one or two huge partnerships will do the trick. Meanwhile, Smith would be very pleased with the things till now as they managed to take 11 Indian wickets in a single day. SouthAfrican skipper definitely would be looking forward for his team to do the same on Day 3 too.. The contest is still ON.. Lets see how the things turn up on Day 3. Stay Tuned
Still a lot to do. 116 runs behind is a lot and with 3 days play left there can't be any chance of getting out of it. Few wickets and India will crumble I think...
Excellent start to the 2nd innings from India, but I still think its going to be hard for them to fight on for 3 days more. A series win would be fantastic from here.
It's a great start from the Indians in their second innings. As Phil said batting for three days will be tough.
P.S: Suren, is that a new graphics card or a new computer because those pictures are better quality than usual.
Keep up the great works.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
) was superb wrapping up the Indians innings under the follow-on target. 239 runs is still tough to get on this wicket and we could have an innings victory on our hands...
: afterall, how can India win 2 test matches in a row that too on foreign turf !!
Going to have bat very well, now to save the match. Still really good work mate 
Soon after, umpire removed the bails indicating the end of Day's play. Dravid remained unbeated on 49 and Laxman with 50. Players left the field.
