Laxman, Dhoni bat Proteas out of Kolkata Test

VVS Laxman’s (143*) elegance and MS Dhoni’s (106*) power combined beautifully on day-three of the second Test to bat the Proteas out of the match. The South African bowlers, who were smacked all around the park throughout the day, breathed a sigh of relief when the Indian skipper decided to declare the innings at 643 for 6, with a huge lead of 347.

VVS Laxman strengthened his bond with the Eden Gardens by bringing up 1,000 runs at the venue with a sublime 143 not-out.

When stumps pre-maturely drawn on day-three after bad light stopped play, South Africa had put on six runs without loss, still trailing India by 341 runs.
Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman and the Eden Gardens share a special bond. And the stylish Hyderabadi batsman further reinforced that bond by bringing up 1,000 runs at the venue, as he helped himself to his 15th Test century.
As he held fort for India, Laxman showed exactly what value and solidity he brings to that Indian batting line-up. Laxman batted the way he knows best, with gentle flicks and drives dominating the proceedings.
While the singles and twos flowed effortlessly, fielders toiled under the hot Kolkata sun, escorting the balls all the way to the fence. Laxman’s feet didn’t move too often but the magical hands and eyes were at work. His lazy elegance added to the frustration of the already jaded visitors.
In the morning, Dale Steyn did his best to ruffle Laxman with a barrage of bouncers and words, and all he got in reply from his composed opponent was good leaves, beautifully controlled pull-shots and a smile.
At the other end, Dhoni batted with a lot of authority and power. He smacked the ball all around the park with thumping pulls and fierce drives. He made his attacking intent clear when on one occasion he picked up Paul Harris from the middle-stump and swept him past the square-leg fence.

Skipper MS Dhoni scored an aggressive century to bring up a record 259-run stand with Laxman for seventh wicket.

Dhoni was given a life on 48 when JP Duminy grassed his second catch of the match. The Indian skipper made sure he punished the visitors severely for their fumbles by gliding his way to a commanding unbeaten century – his fourth in Test cricket.
Though his entire innings was filled with aggressive strokes, Dhoni cut loose after reaching to his three-figure mark. He launched Paul Harris for two consecutive sixes into the long-on boundary and the pacers were treated by powerful pull shots when they tried to counter attack him with short-pitched stuff.
Laxman and Dhoni played with a very well-laid plan, as they went about bringing up a record 259-run partnership for the seventh wicket. While Laxman brought in the stability, Dhoni went for the kill and took the attack on to the bowlers. While their mammoth partnership put India in the position of strength, it had its blemishes too.
Dhoni and Laxman’s distinct style of play did benefit India but a significant contrast in their athleticism brought in some anxious moments. There were a few yes-no situations and misunderstandings while running between the wickets, but fortunately for India, none of them resulted in a run-out.
 

Proteas pull it back after Sehwag-Sachin special

Once again, the last session of the day sprung a string of surprises. India, who were cruising along at 331 for two, finished day-two with 342 for 5.

Virender Sehwag demoralized all Proteas bowlers with his authoritative 165-run innings off 174 balls.

When Virender Sehwag (165) and Sachin Tendulkar (106) looked like they’d bat South Africa out of the match with a mammoth double-ton partnership, the visitors struck back to dismiss three Indian wickets in the last 45 minutes of day’s play.
JP Duminy started it all by getting rid of the dangerous Sehwag, who holed out at extra-cover, playing a casual shot. Tendulkar soon followed him back into the hut by playing a drive away from his body and providing a simple catch to Jacques Kallis at first slip off Paul Harris.
Dale Steyn came in his final spell of the day and got the reverse-swing going. S Badrinath never looked comfortable against the Proteas pacer spearhead and he was finally done in by an unplayable late in-swinger.
But what preceded the mini-collapse was absolutely magical. With India at 82 for 2 after dismissing South Africa for 296, batting for the hosts were the only two men who showed some fight in the first Test as their team was walloped by the visitors by an innings. And together, they produced something truly special to bring India right back into the series. Their partnership of 249 runs was a treat to watch.
The dominating partner of the stand was Sehwag though he was lucky to be dropped twice. JP Duminy spilled him at first slip on 47 and AB de Villiers missed an easy stumping chance on 129. Result: Sehwag raced his way to a sizzling 165, which included 23 boundaries and 2 sixes.
On his way to building his 19th Test century, Sehwag destroyed the morale of Proteas bowlers and the skipper’s game-plan. He made his intentions clear with the very first delivery he faced – a swing and a miss off Morne Morkel. That set the tone for things to come.
In Steyn’s next over, Sehwag clobbered him for three boundaries with a blinding slash over the point fielder, a delicate flick and a superbly timed square-cut.

Sachin Tendulkar scored a sublime 47th Test ton to bring up a magical 249-run partnership with Virender Sehwag.

Next in line was Morkel. A couple of fierce drives into the cover fence and a backfoot smack over the gully region were enough to disturb the rhythm of the young fast bowler.
After demoralizing Steyn and Morkel, Sehwag cornered Wayne Parnell. He welcomed the youngster with a cracking drive through extra-cover and a streaky six over the backward-point boundary.
Sehwag kept going even as India lost Gautam Gambhir (25) and Murali Vijay (7) in quick succession just before lunch. While Gambhir was stranded in the middle of the pitch after a mix-up with Sehwag, Vijay was sucked into a drive by Morkel and perished into the hands of AB de Villiers behind the wickets.
Dale Steyn probed Tendulkar with a nagging off-stump line. An interesting battle of patience and wits ensued between the top ranked Test bowler and the greatest batsman in the world. It was Tendulkar’s composure versus Steyn’s aggression and the master proved too good for the pacer.
While the maestro was happy to play off Steyn safely, he pulled out some gems from his repertoire against the other bowlers. The fluent cover-drives and square-cuts were executed with utmost elegance to bring up his 12 boundaries during his innings.
The Indian run-machine continued his prolific season by notching up fifth century in his last seven Tests. With his 47th Test hundred, Tendulkar has now registered four tons in as many Tests.
At the other end of the wicket, a certain Mr. Sehwag was playing a game of his own. After taking off-spinner Paul Harris to cleaners with a six down the long-on fence and a slog-sweep into the mid-wicket boundary, he took the attack on to Morne Morkel. Two cracking hits to the point boundary despite two men patrolling the fence did little good to the young pacer’s confidence.
When on 95, Sehwag wanted to get to his three-figure mark in his customary fashion – with a six. He tried launching Harris into the long-on stands but missed. Tendulkar walked down the pitch, had a word with his partner and instilled some sanity. Next ball was duly defended. Harris sensed the desperation and pitched it straight and flat. After a very brief period of anxiety, the Nawab of Najafgarh brought up his 19th Test century by square cutting Parnell for four.

Kirsten hails his bowlers’ resilience

 

Kolkata: The turnaround they scripted today goes to show how resilient Indian bowlers are, said coach Gary Kirsten, lavishing praise on Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh for their strikes on the opening day of the second Test against the Proteas.

"We were in trouble at tea, let's be honest about that. We were in a spot of bother. All credit to the bowlers for turning it around. They showed tremendous resilience. The bowlers in this series have actually bowled very well and they have not got the rewards they would have liked to get.
"They have stuck to their game-plan and are coming in with good effort. You must remember when you pick four bowlers, in absence of a fifth one in team's scheme of things, is an enormous workload on the bowlers," said Kirsten.
Zaheer and Harbhajan picked up three wickets apiece to reduce South Africa to 266 for nine after the visitors dominated the first two sessions owing to centuries by Hashim Amla (114) and debutant Alviro Petersen (100).
The hosts picked up seven wickets in the post-tea session conceding just 38 runs before bad light stopped the play.
"Zaheer is the leader of our attack. So full credit to bowlers for the way they are performing in the Indian team. We have been backing ourselves to get 20 wickets in a Test and they are doing the business," Kirsten said.
Kirsten also backed lanky paceman Ishant Sharma who was lackluster in his first spell but found his rhythm in the later part of the day.
Though he had just one wicket to show, the pace he generated in the final session rattled the visiting batsmen.
"It was a great spell and a very important one. More than getting wickets, it just set the tone for what we really wanted to achieve after tea. We feel he is on the edge of doing some good things. He is an exceptionally talented bowler and he is coming back to really some nice form.
"I thought he really bowled a nice aggressive spell. He wanted to get his pace up, he was getting 140kph," said a pleased coach.
Kirsten also praised off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who along with Zaheer, was instrumental in India's turnaround and ended the opening day with figures of 23-2-63-3.
"Harbhajan bowled really well in the last game. It was South Africans who played him really well there. He needed to come up in ways even though he was in good rhythm to get wickets.
"Don't look at the results but look at the bowling. I have been very confident that he has got better and better as the series has gone along. We know he is a strike bowler. When he gets it going and the confidence is high, he is going to get wickets also," assured Kirsten.

Zaheer-Bhajji duo flatten Proteas

If it’s Eden Gardens, it has to be Harbhajan Singh. There is something about the venue that brings the best out of the ‘Turbanator’. This time, he triggered a collapse that sent South Africa packing to 266 for 9 at stumps from a confident looking 251 for 3. The 25 overs of the last session produced an incredible 7 wickets for just 38 runs.

Harbhajan triggered an astounding turnaround by scalping three South African wickets in two overs.

With Amla and Kallis at the crease, it was almost revisiting the Nagpur Test. But to India’s relief, Amla was a bit late in gathering back his concentration after the tea interval and Zaheer struck in the first over of the session, as Dhoni picked up a simple catch.
Harbhajan Singh made sure India never looked behind from there. Jacques Kallis tried to sweep a ball from wide outside the off-stump and VVS Laxman, who earlier spilled Hashim Amla, took a well-judged catch at short fine-leg, running from first slip.
This was just the kind of spark a bowler like Harbhajan needed to turn on the heat. And he did turn it on. In his next over, the off-spinner deceived Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy with his ‘doosra’ and trapped them both on their pads off consecutive deliveries.
With Harbhajan on a hat-trick, Dhoni crowded Dale Steyn with fielders all around him and the off-spinner bowled one that pitched slightly outside the off-stump and straightened, missing Steyn’s bat by a whisker before settling into Dhoni’s gloves. Perhaps, it was too good a delivery for the tailender to get a bat on.
It was wonderful to see how a few quick wickets could lift the morale of the entire team. In the very next over, Zaheer Khan produced a fantastic pick up-and-throw routine to catch South Africa’s most agile player out of his crease. Standing at extra-covers, the left-arm bowler rattled the stumps with a direct-hit and AB de Villiers was on his way back, dejected.
Ishant Sharma too joined the party. After persisting with short-stuff right from the mid-second session, the lanky fast bowler finally got rewarded with the wicket of Paul Harris. The ball was short and wide and Harris tried to drive it, only managing to edge it to Dhoni’s gloves.
After the tumultuous half-an-hour of play, South Africa plummeted to find themselves into a hole. They had lost five wickets for four runs in a span of 23 deliveries. The match completely turned on its head thereafter.
Amit Mishra, who was the only bowler without a wicket, didn’t want to be left out. After toiling for 70 overs in the series without a wicket, Mishra finally got a wicket against his name in the form of Dale Steyn.

Hashim Amla (114) and debutant Alviro Petersen (100) got the Proteas off to a solid start with a 209-run partnership.

Before the amazing turnaround, the day was dominated by two South African batsmen – Hashim Amla (114) and Alviro Petersen (100). Amla and Petersen put on a 209-run partnership and took the tourists to a commanding position of 218 for 2 when Petersen finally perished. The duo went about their business without any fuss and eased their way to their respective centuries.
Amla had his share of good luck as after being dropped by VVS Laxman at first slip on 61, he chipped one Harbhajan delivery in the air that raced to the fence just beating the man at mid-off. And as he showed in the first Test, he surely knows how to make his good luck count. Amla carried on with his run-scoring spree, driving and flicking his way to his ninth Test hundred. Despite a string of close calls, Amla fought on without losing patience.
Petersen, on the other hand, was not probed by any of the Indian bowlers. The debutant milked the bowling with utmost ease. He made sure the pacers paid heavy price every time they over-pitched the ball or strayed on to the pads. To spinners, he was not afraid to charge down the ground and clobber them to boundaries.
But the young man was not all about aggression. He displayed immense maturity in the way he paced his innings. While he clubbed the bowlers for 10 boundaries during the first half of his ton, the next 50 runs were more about singles and couples.
Earlier, after Dhoni lost the toss, Zaheer once again provided India with an early breakthrough, dismissing Graeme Smith in his second over.
The left-arm pacer was the only bowler for the first half of the day, who looked like taking a wicket. He exploited the early morning conditions and was the most consistent of the Indian bowlers. It was Zaheer who did all the hard work by dismissing both centurions, Amla and Petersen to set the stage nicely for Harbhajan to get into the act.

Dhoni bats for turning tracks

Kolkata: Amid brouhaha over the Eden Gardens pitch, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said there was nothing wrong in exploiting the home advantage by preparing spin-friendly tracks.
A controversy erupted after India lost the first Test and BCCI reportedly sent an SOS to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) for preparing a turning track for the second Test.
The CAB though said they have prepared a sporting track for the crucial game, the outcome of which will have a bearing on India's status as number team.
Dhoni is of the view that a turning pitch could also be called a sporting track as it gives both bowlers and batsmen equal chances to excel.
"I think a big emphasis is being given to the sporting wicket. No where it's written that there should not be any grass on a sporting wicket or bounce for fast bowlers.
"Sporting wicket according to me is where you challenge the batsmen and at the same time there is something for the batters. I think when there is a turning track it is challenging," Dhoni said after team practice.
The India skipper also said that every country has a unique element to exploit and for India it was spin.
"Every country specialises in something. When you go to South Africa you get bounce and seam movement. You go New Zealand and you would see a lot of swing. And we are special because the ball turns and there is bounce for the spinners. Of course, skill is required to play spin," he said.

Smith recovers in time for Kolkata Test

Uncertainty over South Africa captain Graeme Smith’s inclusion in the team has cleared off finally. The left-handed opener has passed a fitness test despite fracturing the little finger of his left hand. The management has declared him fit to play in the second Test match against India, starting on Sunday.
It was during a practice session at Eden Gardens that Smith had sustained the injury on Friday. While the initial diagnosis was of ligament tear, it was later confirmed on Saturday that he had suffered a fracture near a joint in his finger.
South Africa's media spokesman Michael Owen Smith said, "Graeme took part in the nets and did batting practice for a considerable time. He did not find any problem while practicing in the nets and was found to be fit. Graeme will be playing tomorrow."
South Africa go into the Kolkata Test 1-0 up, as a result of the innings defeat they handed out to India in the opening Test at Nagpur. The Proteas need to draw the Test to regain the top Test ranking.

Momentum with us but India will fight back: De Villiers

 

Kolkata: South Africa are just a draw shy of reclaiming the world number-one spot in Test cricket, but middle-order batsman A B de Villiers said the visiting team would cherish a series win more than the ICC rankings. He said the Proteas have the momentum with them and were focused on winning the series.
"We are not too worried about ICC rankings. Obviously, it would be nice to be number one Test side in the world, but our focus is to win series in India. We are here to play good brand of cricket.
"We are obviously playing good cricket at the moment. We are evolving and trying to dominate world cricket, we are still working towards it. Cricket is all about momentum and confidence. We have come from Johannesburg Test win as well as in Nagpur and we have won two Tests in a row," de Villiers said.
de Villiers sought to ignore the controversy surrounding the Eden pitch which the BCCI, apparently, had wanted to be tailor-made to suit the Indian spinners.
"There is a little bit of grass on the wicket at this moment. I am pretty sure they will take off the grass in the next 48 hours. But it is up to the groundsman to decide, we have got no control at all," said the right-hander.
Asked about the return of a fit-again VVS Laxman on his happy-hunting ground at the Eden Gardens, de Villiers said, "He is a class player. He has performed really well in the last few years. We have got our plans and we are going to stick to that.
"But, we are focusing on our game and on our strengths as well.
Obviously, India are a good side but we are not too worried about our opponents."
He, however, reckoned that India would come out with all guns blazing after the humiliating innings defeat in the first Test at Nagpur.
"It's going to be a great challenge here at Eden Gardens and I am sure India will fight back. But our team spirit is great following the win in Nagpur. We are really enjoying the mood in the camp. Our focus is to win a Test match in Eden Gardens," de Villiers said.
"We are sticking to our gameplan. There is no need to change when you are winning Test matches. The guys are playing pretty well and the momentum is set. We are focusing on our basics and our skills. We are pretty much ready to give the best shot.