India 92/4 in second innings at stumps on day two

The legend has it that the Kingsmead wicket is someway affected by the high and low tides of the Indian Ocean, which is about 500 metres away from the cricket ground.

There is no conclusive evidence to this as yet but the fortunes of India and South Africa have been like high-tide surfing in the Ocean. The teams were up one moment and down next. By the end of the Day Two, no team had seized the initiative but Zaheer Khan’s incisive bowling on Monday morning brought the visitors back into the Test. India finished the day at 92 for four in their second innings for an overall lead of 166 but they may need as many more runs to force a win.

VVS Laxman and Cheteshwar Pujara batted with a lot of application and responsibility to see the day off after four early second innings wickets nullified the advantage earned by Zaheer & Co. On a wicket that was still giving assistance to the bowlers, Pujara (10 batting) showed an impeccable technique and temperament to extend support to Laxman, who remained unbeaten 23. The two batted for nearly 75 minutes in testing conditions and a lot will depend on the pair’s batting on the morrow, when Dale Steyn & Co are expected to come hard at the team.

On a day when 18 wickets fell, Zaheer’s morning spell dictated the course of the day. After South Africa bundled India out for 205 in just 9.1 overs in the morning, the visitors staged an amazing comeback by skittling the hosts out for an unthinkable 131.

Zaheer, predictably, had his man — Graeme Smith — early and that set the tone for South Africa’s first innings. Indian bowlers exploited the bounce and grass on the wicket with disciplined line, with Zaheer soon sending back the other opener Alviro Petersen.
The lucky turn came when Jacques Kallis found himself short of crease after a Hashim Amla drive ricocheted onto the stumps, kissing Ishant Sharma’s fingers en-route. India applied pressure from then on and claimed wickets at regular intervals.

S Sreesanth, bowling a tight line, had AB de Villiers at the stroke of lunch, reducing the home team to 74 for four. The first session had seen eight wickets fall but after resumption, South Africa found the going tough in the face of some hostile bowling.

Harbhajan Singh brought in all his experience and ended the innings with four wickets as South Africa folded for 131 in 37.2 overs in reply to India’s first innings total of 205.

One of Harbhajan’s wickets gave Rahul Dravid his 200th catch but the former captain would have done well for himself and the team by spending more time in the middle with the bat. After Virender Sehwag (32) gave India a reasonably good start in the second innings, much was expected of Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar but the two most experienced batsmen in the side failed to get going.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe, with two wickets, emerged the star bowler for South Africa in India’s second innings but the visitors will have to watch out for Steyn and Morne Morkel too on the morrow. There is every chance that the Test might end on Day Three itself and if it were to happen, the teams would have felt like high tide surfing with fluctuating fortunes. For sure, this Test has many turns yet to come.