OWN CORRESPONDENT, Jamshedpur | Wednesday 9.20am.
INDIA have set South Africa’s batsmen a target of 249 for victory in the vital third one-day international at Faridabad after scoring 248/8 in their alotted 50 overs.
The last wicket to fall was that of Ajit Agarkar who was bowled for eight runs by Jacques Kallis with the last ball of the Indian innings.
In the previous over India’s top-scorer, Rahul Dravid, was run-out for 73 runs by Mark Boucher, the third Indian batsman to lose his wicket in this manner.
Robin Singh was sent on his way by Pieter Strydom for nine runs, while Sunil Joshi was run-out brilliantly for 23 runs by Herschelle Gibbs.
Ajay Jadeja, who was in fine nick, was pouched by Kallis at cover off Hansie Cronje’s bowling for 31 runs after he and Dravid laid into the bowling with a vengeance, slapping a number of boundaries around the park.
Danger-man Mohammad Azharuddin was dismissed for two runs after he played a loose shot to a delivery from Kallis that pitched wide outside of off-stump, edging the ball to wicketkeeper Boucher who held on easily.
Shaun Pollock took the first wicket of the day when he had Sachin Tendulkar trapped leg-before wicket for 13 runs with a delivery that piched outside offstump and jagged in, maybe a bit too much, as the ball appeared to be missing leg-stump. The umpire didn’t think so, and Tendulkar was sent on his way.
An over later, Steve Elworthy had danger-man and skipper Sourav Ganguly caught by Boucher for 56 after he gloved a shortish delivery to the ‘keeper.
The Indians batted very well indeed and flayed the bowling to all corners of the park, and Ganguly, Ajay Jadeja and Dravid were in teriffic form. The Proteas bowling and fielding was lukewarm at times, but they fought back well to keep wickets falling at regular intervals.
Cronje won the toss on Wednesday morning and elected to field.