South African pace bowlers Allan Dawson and Makhaya Ntini shared seven wickets as India were restricted to 215 in a three-nation tournament match on Friday.
Dawson took 4-49 and Ntini 3-37 on a lively pitch being used for the first time in the tournament as India struggled after electing to bat and were bowled out in the last over.
Ntini was the pick of the bowlers, extracting pace and bounce from the pitch as he dismissed Gautam Gambhir, Sanjay Bangar and Ajit Agarkar while providing discomfort to other batsmen with his rising deliveries.
Virender Sehwag was hit by one such ball from Ntini when on 14, but came out again to bat against the doctor’s advice in a vain bid to rescue the side.
”Sehwag has ruptured a tissue and the doctor has advised rest for 48 hours,” Indian manager Gautam Dasgupta said. ”We are hoping that he will recover in time to play the final.”
Dawson took the important wickets of Mohammad Kaif and Dinesh Mongia to peg the Indian middle-order back and followed them up with those of Harbhajan Singh and Sarandeep Singh.
Captain Sourav Ganguly top-scored with 61 off 83 deliveries, hitting six fours and a six. He was out when he hit a full toss from spinner Paul Adams straight to Shaun Pollock at long-off.
The left-hander, who made his 52nd one-day half-century in 233 matches, hit some characteristic shots through the off side early in the innings and looked good for his 23rd century.
Mohammad Kaif chipped in with 30 off 49 before being bowled by Dawson while going for a drive. Dawson had almost got him on 16, but Jacques Rudolph put down a simple catch at mid-wicket.
India have won all their three matches in the tournament while South Africa have beaten Bangladesh twice and lost to India in the first leg of the double-league format event.
South Africa made no changes from the side that played Bangladesh on Thursday.
For India, Ganguly and off-spinner Harbhajan came in for batsman Abhijit Kale and leg-spinner Amit Mishra.
Paceman Zaheer Khan, with a pulled hamstring, and left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh, who has flu, did not figure in the first 11, but are expected to play in Sunday’s final.
South Africa stay back after this tournament for a two-Test series against Bangladesh. The first Test will be held in the eastern port city of Chittagong from April 24 and the second match will be played here from May 1. – Sapa-AFP