Sachin Tendulkar, with his 50th Test century, and M.S. Dhoni, with an audacious 90, helped India resist South Africa’s push for victory on the fourth day of the first Test here at SuperSport Park.But Dale Steyn struck after drinks in the final session, having Dhoni caught behind off his glove with a spiteful, cramping bouncer to end the 172-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Harbhajan Singh then edged Paul Harris to slip to leave India teetering.Tendulkar (107 batting) kept India from defeat before the thunderstorm that had been forecast blew into SuperSport Park, scattering the players and ending play. India finished on 454 for eight, 30 short of making South Africa bat again.South Africa had just the first session it would have wanted, removing Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman, two of India’s best at batting time, before lunch.
But the home side was made to work hard for the breakthrough, as Dravid and night-watchman Ishant Sharma kept the bowlers out for three-quarters of an hour in the morning. Ishant was brave and sensible in his stay, doing everything asked of him, before falling to Steyn, caught smartly by Hashim Amla at short-leg.Dravid, who left the bulk of the scoring to Ishant’s stooped drives and edges, was air-tight in defence. Bat and pad were sealed together when playing forward; a semi-horizontal bat, with its face turned to ground, was used to quell the short-pitched delivery. Admittedly, the ball was doing little off the surface (although it occasionally misbehaved), but the situation was grave, requiring all of Dravid’s renowned focus.Tendulkar began with the surest of touch, guiding, with minimal follow-though, Steyn for two to get off the mark before steering the quick square for a boundary. A little after that, he rose on his toes to half back-cut, half guide Jacques Kallis past gully to the fence.It was Morkel who most bothered India in the morning, hitting the wicket with intent to extract its meagre gifts and prevent the batsmen from propping forward. He also sprung the ball of fuller length to catch the batsman on the move — Tendulkar was fortunate, for third slip wasn’t stationed, but Dravid wasn’t, for his edge went finer, to the ‘keeper.
The ball that did for Dravid thoroughly deserved its scalp: it committed the batsman to play, but gave him not the time to commit to either foot; it also left him, the movement off the wicket just enough to gain the snick.Neither Laxman nor Suresh Raina, however, can point to the quality of the delivery that got them, and say they could have done no more.Dhoni lit up the middle session, trusting in adversity the robustness of his stroke-play. The Indian captain doesn’t scorn the push — he knows its value — but when he’s on the go, he clobbers the ball, good and hard. Steyn and Morkel, armed with the second new ball, were struck on the up, mostly through the off-side; a punched off-drive off Steyn caught the breath because it was hit, and yet the aborted stroke didn’t betray the hitting.Kallis went for three straight fours. The second of them, a controlled pull that Dhoni directed to turf even as he leapt inside the line, stirred the Sunday crowd, lounging in their temporary tents on the grass. A side’s facility for clear thought is affected when attacked — Dhoni was disrupting South Africa’s.
Tendulkar was doing most of his attacking off the back-foot, square-and back-cutting, and driving the seamers.Paul Harris’ left-arm spin tied him down though, causing uncertainty, even a close shout for lbw. For some reason, the great man was loath to use his feet, allowing, in the process, Harris to operate at will.Then, all of a sudden, after he had picked Morkel for two fours, a flick off his pads and a glide behind gully, Tendulkar stepped down the track and hit Harris straight for six to enter the 90s.He didn’t dwell over long there, a single off Steyn taking him to the cherished landmark, evoking the familiar celebration.
India — 1st innings: 136
South Africa — 1st innings: 620 for four decl.
India — 2nd innings: G. Gambhir lbw b Steyn 80 (124b, 10×4), V. Sehwag c Smith b Harris 63 (79b, 9×4, 1×6), R. Dravid c Boucher b Morkel 43 (109b, 6×4), Ishant c Amla b Steyn 23 (51b, 4×4), S. Tendulkar (batting) 107 (226b, 13×4, 1×6), V.V.S. Laxman c de Villiers b Tsotsobe 8 (21b, 2×4), S. Raina c Harris b Kallis 5 (13b), M.S. Dhoni c Boucher b Steyn 90 (106b, 14×4), Harbhajan c Kallis b Harris 1 (2b), Sreesanth (batting) 3 (8b); Extras (b-13, lb-5, nb-5, w-8): 31. Total (for eight wkts. in 122.2 overs): 454.
Fall of wickets: 1-137 (Sehwag), 2-170 (Gambhir), 3-214 (Ishant), 4-242 (Dravid), 5-256 (Laxman), 6-277 (Raina), 7-449 (Dhoni), 8-450 (Harbhajan).
South Africa bowling: Steyn 27.2-5-103-3, Morkel 28-5-91-1, Tsotsobe 24-3-98-1, Harris 30-5-88-2, Kallis 13-3-56-1.
GRITTY KNOCK: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played with caution and aggression as he and Sachin Tendulkar thwarted South African designs on the fourth day with a big century partnership
