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December 28, 2006 (Link to Scorecard)

South Africa have bounced back strongly in the Test Series with a solid batting performance which followed a clean up job with the ball early on to demolish India's first innings. The Proteas are with a lead of 132 with all its second innings wickets standing. Bad light has once again intervened in this match and this time it was a welcome guest for the Indian team. The tourists still think that the match is wide open and they would have to take wickets in a hurry on the fourth day to set themselves to chase a gettable target. The third day belonged completely to Graeme Smith's team as they bundled out India for 240 and then a half century opening stand between the Skipper himself with AB de Villers that helped them to provide the platform for a possible South African victory.

The day started with Sachin Tendulkar, the overnight batsman finally getting his first half century of the calendar year 2006. It was his 42nd Test Match fifty, but he could just add on 17 more runs today before a lapse in concentration saw him going for a cut shot over the slips to a delivery that nipped back sharply from Makhaya Ntini. Sourav Ganguly came in and in the second ball he faced seemed to have lost sight of a short of length delivery from Ntini and had almost blindly fended it off to gully. Makhaya Ntini was breathing fire with two wickets in the space of three deliveries to have India reeling down at 125 for 5. It was now up to the last recognized pair of batsmen, VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni to take India as close to SA's 328. Dhoni took the counter attack method and was quite successful in getting some important runs. However. his spanking shots were worth just the seven boundaries and 34 runs before he chased a widish delivery from debutant Morne Morkel to be taken in the slips. The 34 that Dhoni could make in 39 balls could help India move onto 179 for 6 and it was still a long way to reach SA's first innings total.

 

Anil Kumble who has always been a gritty customer with the bat in all the tests he has played over the years got out playing an uncharacteristic flashy drive to give Morkel his second wicket. Zaheer Khan too got dismissed cheaply trying to play a fancy pull off Morkel to leave VVS Laxman short of partners at the other end. India went to lunch at a dismal 183 for 8! Fortunately for India after the lunch break, Sreesanth provided the much needed support to VVS and a partnership got growing. Sreesanth played few technically good drives which indicated his talent with the bat. He did have fun as well with Andre Nel and there was a bat swirling act this time as well. Sreesanth threw his wicket though, jumping out of the crease to Andrew Hall only to edge him behind. But he did make a useful 28 which was instrumental in a 52 runs partnership with Laxman for the 9th wicket. VRV Singh was the last man out, dismissed in a similar fashion like Sreesanth, but the bowler who got him was Shaun Pollock. VVS Laxman got stranded on exactly 50 having battled it out for 156 balls.

India fell short by 88 runs which was quite a big lead. They lost seven wickets at the addition of only 137 runs. Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers provided their side the best start of the series to build on their first innings lead. Their second innings was interrupted twice due to bad light. The first halt came in the 19th over when there was a power cut in the stadium that got the floodlights to turn off. Play resumed a little later only to last 8 more deliveries before the fielding side found it too difficult to pick the ball in the fading natural light. Graeme Smith wasn't a happy man as he wanted to carry on but the umpires rightly decided to halt the proceedings considering the safety of the fielders. Almost 30 overs of play was lost in today's play as well. The weather forecast is for some rain in the next two days and that's what the Indians would be hoping to happen to save their 1-0 lead in this 3-match series. At stumps on Day 3, SA are sitting pretty at 64 for no loss with Graeme Smith on 28 and AB de Villers on 31. India had used only its three frontline seamers who were unlucky not to find a wicket although they bowled reasonably well.

Umpire Mark Benson hospitalized

Mark Benson, the neutral umpire from England was hospitalized following heart palpitations. He stood in the middle for about 20 minutes before he had to be helped off the ground. His place was taken by the third umpire, Ian Howell.

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