Makhaya Ntini ended the year on a high note when he took five wickets for 32 runs to lead South Africa to a 174 run victory over India in the second Castle Lager Test at Kingsmead on Saturday.
India were all out for 179 half an hour after tea. Heavily overcast conditions early in the morning of the fifth and final day cast a pall of gloom over the cricket stadium.
South Africa were in a dominant position -‒ India, needing 354 to win, had lost two wickets overnight. One of them was the vital wicket of the Indian captain Rahul Dravid, who is well known for his ability to stick around.
The start of play -‒ scheduled for 9.30am to make up for overs lost because of early finishes -‒ was delayed by 55 minutes after the umpires inspected the pitch and found that the light was not good enough for play.
When play finally started, Ntini, who had taken both overnight wickets, steamed in and added to his tally off the fifth ball of the morning when Sachin Tendulkar was given out leg before wicket without scoring. In his next over, Wasim Jaffer chased a short wide ball which ballooned into the air, giving Andre Nel time to run around and take the catch at mid-on.
But during Ntini’s next over, the umpires decided the light was too poor to continue, and the players left the field. Lunch was taken early, and to everyone’s surprise, play began again at midday. Ntini completed his first ”five-for” against India, and the 15th of his career when Sourav Ganguly edged a delivery straight to
Herschelle Gibbs in the gully for 26.
Ntini showed his intent when his first ball to Mahendra Singh Dhona hit the Indian wicketkeeper on the hand, but although Dhoni whipped off his glove and called for medical attention, the injury to a hand that was already badly bruised did not deter him -‒ he went on to become India’s top scorer.
Andre Nel then joined the wicket-taking party when he bowled VVS Laxman for 15. Laxman appeared to misjudge the ball, which was not as low as he expected, and it nipped back to dislodge the bails.
The veteran leg spinner Anil Kumble has been a thorn in South Africa’s flesh, so there was jubilation when Andrew Hall got his wicket with a ball that reared up at his throat. He fended it away, and straight into Hashim Amla’s hands.
Dhoni and Zaheer Khan put on 59 runs for the eighth wicket -‒ their 50 partnership coming at a run a ball, with Dhoni contributing 39 runs. But when he was three runs short of his fourth Test 50 a rush of blood to his head saw him slash at a Nel delivery, only to be caught behind by Mark Boucher, just before tea.
When the players came back after tea, there was an air of urgency -‒ there had been bright sunlight for most of the afternoon session, but it was once again becoming overcast and there was a real chance that the umpires might take the players off.
Zaheer Khan and Shantakumaran Sreesanth put up a brave rearguard action, but in the end, it took South Africa just 31 minutes to wrap things up. Khan was caught in the slips by Hall off Nel for 21 to give Nel his third wicket, and it was the nuggety Hall who took the last wicket when Sreesanth was caught behind for 10.
South Africa and India go to the third Test in Cape Town on level terms, with one win each. – Sapa