South Africa — spearheaded by Jacques Kallis — achieved a remarkable 157 run victory over India in the second MTN one-day international at Kingsmead in Durban, to take a one-nil lead in the five match series.
The first match, at the Wanderers on Sunday, was washed out by rain.
Kallis, who scored an unbeaten century, finished with the remarkable figures of three wickets for three runs off four overs and one ball to bowl India out for 91 — 157 runs short of South Africa’s total of 248 for eight. There were 20 overs and five balls to spare. It was South Africa’s biggest victory over India.
Shaun Pollock struck the first blow when he bowled Wasim Jaffer with the third ball of the innings, before there was a run on the board. Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammed Kaif scored 39 runs at a run a ball, but Shaun Pollock broke the threatening partnership when Kaif was brilliantly caught by Herschelle Gibbs for eight in the ninth over.
Pollock and Makhaya Ntini tightened the screws, and Tendulkar and the Indian captain found it difficult to get the ball away.
First-change bowler Charl Langeveldt made the next breakthrough when he bowled Dravid for 18, and three deliveries later, Nel sent Tendulkar’s stumps flying as he got rid of the danger man for 35.
Tendulkar’s first 30 came off 30 deliveries, but the next five runs needed 21 balls.
With Dravid and Tendulkar back in the dressing room, India collapsed. The last six wickets fell for just 29 runs. Nel claimed the wickets of Mahendra Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Zaheer Khan, while man of the match Kallis seized the wickets of Dinesh Mongia Habhajan Singh, and Ajit Agarkar.
A delighted Smith said the team had played very well as a unit.
”The guys who didn’t perform with the bat really gave the bowlers the support they needed in the field. I think we were a little rusty — we needed the game time. We’ve had lots of practice sessions, but it was good to play a match again,” he said.
”I think we have moved away from the fear of failure,” he added.
”We are now daring ourselves to win, and it’s working.”
Earlier Smith won the toss and elected to bat. He went out in the second over for one, when he was given out leg before wicket to Khan. Jacques Kallis and Loots Bosman put on 44 runs for the second wicket before Bosman was also out lbw to Khan for 22.
Kallis and AB de Villiers put on 37 runs for the fourth wicket before De Villiers was stumped by Doni for 41, and Kallis and Mark Boucher had a partnership of 46 at a run a ball. However, just as it appeared that they were taking the game away from India, Boucher tried to hit Khan for six over extra cover, but was caught on the boundary by Patel for 26 off 21 balls.
There was a flurry of wickets after Boucher’s departure, with Agarkar taking two wickets in one over. Justin Kemp was caught behind by Dhoni for eight, and Pollock was caught by Tendulkar at mid-on three balls later, without scoring.
Kallis had some anxious moments when he was on 92, when he nicked the ball, and Dhoni claimed a catch. However, television umpire Brian Jerling ruled that it had not been a clean catch and Kallis was able to continue on to his 14th one-day international century. It was his first against India, and he has now scored a century against all the full ICC members except Bangladesh. He was at his imperious best, showing his class with superb cutting and driving. He ended the innings not out on 119 off 160 balls, including 15 boundaries.
Dravid said afterwards that he had not been surprised by the way South Africa had played. ”It was exactly what we had expected,” he said. ”We just have to work out how to deal with it.”
He added that India could only improve after their dismal performance. ”We shall have to pick ourselves up before the next match. I was pretty satisfied with our batting and bowling, and I was very happy to restrict South Africa to 248.
”But was far as our batting was concerned, our shot selection was poor, and we will have to do something about that.”
The third one-day international is to be played at Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday at 10am. – Sapa