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January 03, 2007 (Link to Scorecard)

Rahul Dravid's team which is looking to win a historical Test Series win in South Africa has been held back by a strong reply from the home team which lost just the one wicket with 144 on the board. Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla are the two men in the middle who have provided a stern fight by batting together for more than one session. South Africa trail behind India by 270 runs having knocked off their 144 runs in just 41 overs. Both Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla have scored unbeaten half centuries. With some good batting left, the homeside is expected to offer the resistance on the third day as well and possibly bat themselves in the game. The visitors would be hoping for the pitch to deteriorate and for Anil Kumble to bowl a lot better than what he had done today.

India resuming at a promising 254 for 3 did not have a smooth ride this morning, they lost an early wicket in the form of VVS Laxman who didn't get in line of an outswinger from Dale Steyn. It was poor footwork from VVS that had let a late outswinger from Steyn to beat his defence and send the stump cart-wheeling. Laxman could add just the 9 runs to his overnight score of 4, he did play a splendid pull shot for a boundary today. The new man Sourav Ganguly who joined Tendulkar in the middle was in all sorts of problems against the short pitch stuff. He got hit on his ribs in the first delivery he faced which was from Pollock and later he had got hit on his helmet while taking his eyes off from a Steyn bouncer. But Ganguly learnt his lessons and he got going by punishing anything loose outside the offstump. Tendulkar at the other end was very solid and he played some of his trademark drives which stamped his authority. He fell just nine minutes before the lunch break, edging a delivery from Paul Harris that turned and bounced to the slip fielder. Harris was bowling from over the stumps, looking to exploit the rough outside the legstump. Tendulkar could make 64 from 130 balls with 11 fours. India had gone into lunch at 350 for 5 with Sourav Ganguly getting into his groove with a strokeful 34 while Virender Sehwag had come out all guns blazing with a couple of boundaries in his 12.

The adventurous Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag decided to bank on their instincts rather than their weak techniques as they counter attacked the South African bowling after the lunch break. Sehwag was destructive, he raced away to 40 with 6 fours and a six before he swept Paul Harris into the fielder at deep square leg, Ntini who took a good forward diving catch. After Sehwag's exit, wickets kept on falling rapidly with Pollock and Paul Harris chipping away. India lost its last five wickets for just 19 runs. Sourav Ganguly, running out of partners was the last man dismissed after scoring a well paced 66, which was his 27th test match fifty. Ganguly miscued a slower delivery from Pollock who ended with 4 for 75 in a little over 29 overs while Paul Harris, the debutant left arm spinner got the best figures for a debutant SA spinner with his 4 for 129 in 37 overs.

The South African first innings began with a bang with Graeme Smith getting a top edge to his hook shot off Zaheer in the very first ball which sailed over fine leg for a six! Smith stamped his authority with a well controlled pull shot to end Zaheer's first over with 10 on the board. But in the short period of time that SA had batted before the tea break, it was India who had the better having sent back AB de Villiers back to the pavilion. The right hander was caught behind off the inside edge after he had gone for a cover drive which was produced by a delivery that came back off the seam from Sreesanth.

The Post Tea Session saw Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla easing their way to lay the foundation for their side. They went onto bat through the last session with their partnership putting up an unbroken 130 runs for the second wicket. Graeme Smith has got to 76 from 111 balls with 11 fours and a six. Hashim Amla has been the man holding up one end with his patience, he has registered his second test match fifty and is exactly on 50 having played 128 balls. Anil Kumble has been picked for 39 in his 12 overs, he couldn't trouble the batsmen much as he was bowling slightly quicker and fuller. But there were a few deliveries that looked deadly when he bowled them much slower. The three Indian pacers got the ball to reverse swing after about 23 overs, but they couldn't get through the defences of the two batsmen who played very sensibly. This pair would look to carry on their good work tomorrow and the rest of the batsmen will look to do the same. SA has lost a home series only twice against Australia and England since their readmission in test cricket. India would love to be the third team to beat SA at home, for that they need to take 19 more wickets! So India has a tough task ahead, that of taking 19 more wickets in three days.

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