OWN CORRESPONDENT, Kochi | Thursday 9.00am
SOUTH Africa have posted a total of 301/3 in their alotted 50 overs against India at Kochi, leaving the home-side a tough, but not unreachable target.
The top-scorers for South Africa were openers Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs who scored 115 and 111 respectively.
The two openers were sent in after skipper Hansie Cronje won the toss and started off with a vengeance, scoring 105 runs in 15 overs.
Gibbs was eventually dismissed when he was caught off Sunil Joshi on the square-leg boundary by Ajit Argarkar. Kirsten, who scored his ninth one-day hundred, fell shortly afterwards as he was caught at cover by Ajay Jadeja off Rahul Dravid.
Kirsten and Gibbs’ first-wicket partnership is a new record for South Africa.
Dravid then took his second wicket — a real prize — when he dismissed Lance Klusener caught-and-bowled without scoring.
Jacques Kallis and Cronje then picked up where the openers left off, with Kallis scoring 37 not-out and his skipper contributing 19 before the overs ran out.
The Indian bowling had a torrid time of it, and new skipper Sourav Ganguly truly had a baptism of fire in the international arena.
Samir Dighe, the Indian wicketkeeper, put on very pedestrian display and he let several chances slip through his fingers.
South African squad:
Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Hansie Cronje (capt), Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock (v/c), Mark Boucher (w/k), Nicky Boje, Mornantau Hayward, Pieter Strydom, Neil McKenzie, Dale Benkenstein, Steve Elworthy, Henry Williams, Derek Crookes.
Indian squad:
Sourav Ganguly (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Ajay Jadeja, Mohammad Azharuddin, Mohammad Kaif, Robin Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Nikhil Chopra, Amit Bhandari, Samir Dighe (w/k), T Kumaran, Sunil Joshi.