2nd Test: India beat SA to level series 1-1

Durban: An inspired India made amends for the drubbing at Centurion with a sensational 87-run victory against South Africa in the low-scoring second cricket Test to level the three-match series 1-1 here on Wednesday.

After setting a target of 303, the Indian bowlers put up a disciplined show to dismiss the hosts for 215 in 72.3 overs about an hour after the lunch break to record only their second Test triumph on South African soil.

It turned out to be an extraordinary Test with fortune fluctuating from one team to the other but the Indians eventually tilted the balance in their favour on a bouncy Kingsmead track which saw 40 wickets fall in three and half days.

The Indians, who had lost the first Test at Centurion by an innings and 25 runs, showed great character and resilience to demolish the Proteas in their own den and in conditions tailor-made to suit the home team.

The Indians players jumped in joy and hugged each other after last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe was run out to bring about the moment of glory while coach Gary Kirsten and the other support staff stood up at the dressing room to applaud the players.

S Sreesanth (3/45), Zaheer Khan (3/53) and Harbhajan Singh (2/70) were the pick of the bowlers for India while Ashwell Prince was the top scorer for the South Africans with an unbeaten 39.

It was India's second Test triumph in South Africa. The 123-run victory in the first Test at Johannesburg in 2006 was their first Test victory on South African soil.

The two teams will now travel to Cape Town for the third and final Test starting on Sunday.

Both teams had an equal chance of winning the match when play began this morning with South Africa needing 192 runs and India needing to scalp the seven remaining wickets.

With plenty of time at hand, South African batsmen adopted a cautious approach in the morning and were content in playing the waiting game against some disciplined Indian bowling.

Resuming their chase at the overnight score of 111 for three, both de Villiers and Jacques Kallis found the going tough against the Indian attack and scored in ones and twos before a ripper from Sreesanth broke the dangerous-looking 41-run fourth-wicket stand.

The Kerela speedster came up with a blinder of a delivery that bounced sharply on to Kallis from just short of length and the big man had no other option but to fend at it, only to glove it to Virender Sehwag at gully.

Kallis made 17 off 52 deliveries and hit two boundaries in the process.

It seemed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came out with a perfect plan as he started the day's proceeding with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who bowled in tandem alongside Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan.

Dhoni's tactic bore fruit as Harbhajan inflicted the second big blow of the morning to South Africa by dismissing another dangerman De Villiers (33) lbw even though TV replays showed the South African was unlucky.

Bowling from round the wicket, Harbhajan tossed one up on off and middle and got it to bite and straighten which struck de Villiers around the knee in front of the stumps and umpire Asad Rauf had no hestiation in raising the finger but replays later showed the ball was going above the stumps.

Soon after de Velliers wicket, another dubious lbw decision ruined South Africa's morning when Zaheer Khan dismissed Mark Boucher in the 43rd over.

Zaheer too registered his name in the wicket list when he struck Boucher on the pads with a delivery that seemed to be angling away from the off-stump but umpire Steve Davis thought otherwise and adjudged the Protea wicket-keeper lbw much to the dismay of the home fans.

Zaheer then took India closer towards victory dismissing Dale Steyn (10) caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at third slip after the right-hander went for a flashing drive only to get an outside edge.

But a resolute Prince remained a thorn in the flesh for the Indians as he joined hands with Harris to lead South Africa's fightback and frustrated the visitors with their eighth-wicket partnership.

Zaheer broke the 27-run partnership immediately after the lunch break by bowling Harris with a gem of a delivery which moved in to clip the bails.

Morne Morkel, who joined the action after Harris' dismissal, went for his strokes to ease the pressure and the strategy seemed to work as South Africa crossed the 200 mark to give some anxious moments to the Indians.

But Ishant came to his team's rescue by evicting Morkel (20) and bring India within sniffing distance of victory.

Last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe did not survive long as he was run out, thanks to some smart fielding by Cheteswar Pujara at short leg.

India level series with inspired victory

Durban: An inspired India made amends for the drubbing at Centurion with a sensational 87-run victory against South Africa in the low-scoring second cricket Test to level the three-match series 1-1 on Wednesday.

After setting a target of 303, the Indian bowlers put up a disciplined show to dismiss the hosts for 215 in 72.3 overs about an hour after the lunch break to record only their second Test triumph on South African soil.

It turned out to be an extraordinary Test with fortune fluctuating from one team to the other but the Indians eventually tilted the balance in their favour on a bouncy Kingsmead track which saw 40 wickets fall in three and half days.

The Indians, who had lost the first Test at Centurion by an innings and 25 runs, showed great character and resilience to demolish the Proteas in their own den and in conditions tailor-made to suit the home team.

The Indians players jumped in joy and hugged each other after last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe was run out to bring about the moment of glory while coach Gary Kirsten and the other support staff stood up at the dressing room to applaud the players.

S Sreesanth (3/45), Zaheer Khan (3/53) and Harbhajan Singh (2/70) were the pick of the bowlers for India while Ashwell Prince was the top scorer for the South Africans with an unbeaten 39.

It was India's second Test triumph in South Africa. The 123-run victory in the first Test at Johannesburg in 2006 was their first Test victory on South African soil.

The two teams will now travel to Cape Town for the third and final Test starting on Sunday.

Both teams had an equal chance of winning the match when play began this morning with South Africa needing 192 runs and India needing to scalp the seven remaining wickets.

With plenty of time at hand, South African batsmen adopted a cautious approach in the morning and were content in playing the waiting game against some disciplined Indian bowling.

Resuming their chase at the overnight score of 111 for three, both de Villiers and Jacques Kallis found the going tough against the Indian attack and scored in ones and twos before a ripper from Sreesanth broke the dangerous-looking 41-run fourth-wicket stand.

The Kerela speedster came up with a blinder of a delivery that bounced sharply on to Kallis from just short of length and the big man had no other option but to fend at it, only to glove it to Virender Sehwag at gully.

Kallis made 17 off 52 deliveries and hit two boundaries in the process.

It seemed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came out with a perfect plan as he started the day's proceeding with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who bowled in tandem alongside Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan.

Dhoni's tactic bore fruit as Harbhajan inflicted the second big blow of the morning to South Africa by dismissing another dangerman De Villiers (33) lbw even though TV replays showed the South African was unlucky.

Bowling from round the wicket, Harbhajan tossed one up on off and middle and got it to bite and straighten which struck de Villiers around the knee in front of the stumps and umpire Asad Rauf had no hestiation in raising the finger but replays later showed the ball was going above the stumps.

Soon after de Velliers wicket, another dubious lbw decision ruined South Africa's morning when Zaheer Khan dismissed Mark Boucher in the 43rd over.

Zaheer too registered his name in the wicket list when he struck Boucher on the pads with a delivery that seemed to be angling away from the off-stump but umpire Steve Davis thought otherwise and adjudged the Protea wicket-keeper lbw much to the dismay of the home fans.

Zaheer then took India closer towards victory dismissing Dale Steyn (10) caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at third slip after the right-hander went for a flashing drive only to get an outside edge.

But a resolute Prince remained a thorn in the flesh for the Indians as he joined hands with Harris to lead South Africa's fightback and frustrated the visitors with their eighth-wicket partnership.

Zaheer broke the 27-run partnership immediately after the lunch break by bowling Harris with a gem of a delivery which moved in to clip the bails.

Morne Morkel, who joined the action after Harris' dismissal, went for his strokes to ease the pressure and the strategy seemed to work as South Africa crossed the 200 mark to give some anxious moments to the Indians.

But Ishant came to his team's rescue by evicting Morkel (20) and bring India within sniffing distance of victory.

Last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe did not survive long as he was run out, thanks to some smart fielding by Cheteswar Pujara at short leg.

PTI

We're eyeing to seal the series in Durban

Confidence on sky high after the convincing win in the opener against India in Centurion, South Africa middle-order batsman Hashim Amla on Friday said the Proteas will be hoping to seal the three-match series in the second Test beginning on Sunday.

South Africa thrashed world number one India by an innings and 25 runs in the first Test in Centurion earlier this week, which prompted Amla to say that the home team has a great chance of pocketing the series in Durban.

"Absolutely (we are confident of winning). A lot has been said about the wicket but at the end of the day, as a team, we try to keep things simple. Our bowlers and batsmen have been in good nick and hopefully we can continue in that vein. It's a big chance for us to seal the series here," Amla told reporters in a pres conference ahead of Sunday's match.

"The mood in the team is quite positive after the Centurion win. The team has played a lot of cricket together and we've been through a lot of ups and downs.

"Very rarely has there been any complacency and people are putting in as much hard work, if not more, coming up to this Test. We're just trying to keep things simple and do what works for us. Everybody is motivated to perform but it's hot and humid here so it's going to be hard work," the right-hander said.

Incidentally, Durban match will be Amla's 50th Test but he seemed least bothered about the feat.

"I'm not sure. At that stage I don't think I was looking past the next game. Fortunately, things have gone well and I've managed to reach 50 Tests," he said.

"I think playing any Test match at my home ground is a special occasion. To be honest, being the 50th Test doesn't make it any more important. The team always comes first and the fact that we won the last Test in a big series like this has taken precedence over any other distraction," Amla insisted.

Asked whether scoring a century in his 50th Test match would be a special moment in his career, he said, "It would be lovely if I can score a ton, because my record here is not fantastic in Test matches.

"I've always enjoyed playing at Kingsmead. It would be lovely to make a good contribution to the team here. I've been brought up playing cricket here for the Dolphins and I've made runs here over the years in domestic cricket. It will be lovely to get some runs in a Test here."

Born and brought up here, Amla is familiar with the Kingsmead strip and he feels with pace and bounce on offer it would good contest between the bat and ball.

"I've been very fortunate to have grown up playing on this wicket. It has pace and bounce for the bowlers," he said.

"I'm not sure how this wicket is going to play, but on a good day, when the wicket is flat, it's a fantastic place to bat. The outfield's small and the boundaries are short and you get fantastic value for shots," Amla added.

Incidentally, Amla is the first South African of Indian descent to have made it to the national team and have also been very successful against the Indian attack.

Asked about the mantra behind his success against the Indians, he said, "It's quite funny actually. I really don't know what to say. I'm just grateful that I've had a good year so far, and the year is not over yet.

"At the end of the day it's the players who can perform consistently that stand out. I don't think it's anything in particular. Things have just worked out for me in the ODIs and Tests this year."

Dravid, Kumble, Yuvraj in top bracket

Despite being away from any sort of competitive cricket for four years, Brian Lara finds himself in the pool of 21 players with highest base price of $400,000 for the 2011 IPL auction, to be held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9.

The list also comprises Indian players, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and five members of the victorious World Twenty20 England side – Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Michael Yardy and Luke Wright.

Star IPL performers like Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle are also a part of the elite list, as are Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh and Mahela Jayawardene – all players released by Kings XI Punjab.

The next bracket, of $300,000 includes Jacques Kallis and Muttiah Muralitharan, who have played key roles for Bangalore and Chennai franchises. The Indian players on that list are Zaheer Khan and Yusuf Pathan who are joined by Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Kumar Sangakkara, and Angelo Mathews.

Sourav Ganguly, the ‘icon’ player of Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons and Gautam Gambhir, who led the Delhi Daredevils in IPL-3, find themselves in the bracket of $200,000, which also includes the Australian pair of Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger. Others in that bracket are Dirk Nannes, Eoin Morgan, Robin Uthappa and Sanath Jayasuriya. The bracket of $100,000 comprises 87 players, including Tamim Iqbal, R Ashwin, Morne Morkel and Ben Hilfenhaus. However, as inferred from the previous IPL auctions, the final amount received by a player can exceed way beyond his base price.

There are also surprises as far as some of the names excluded from the list of 416 players in the auction is concerned. Besides the Pakistani players, who continue to suffer the IPL snub, big current Australian players like Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson and former stars like Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath have been ignored. Also omitted is Andrew Flintoff, who was the most expensive players in the second auction, signed by the Chennai Super Kings for $1.55 million.

Only 12 players have been retained by their respective franchises with Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Kolkata opting to release all their players. This means, these three teams have the entire purse of $9 million intact to spend in the auction. Chennai and Mumbai Indians, who have retained their full quota of four players each, are left with $4.5 million.

The fourth season is set to feature 10 teams and 74 matches, as originally planned as it is unlikely the BCCI will move the Supreme Court after their appeal to suspend Punjab and Rajasthan Royals was overturned by the High Court.

Chawla included South Africa ODI series

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was a surprise inclusion in the Indian squad that will take on South Africa in the one-off Twenty20 and five match ODI series that starts on January 9.

Apart from Chawla, regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, senior-most player Sachin Tendulkar, dashing opener Virender Sehwag and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh – all of whom opted for rest during the New Zealand ODI series made a comeback.

Incidentally, the South Africa ODI series will be India's last assignment before the World Cup in sub-continent next year.

With a last chance to settle the core team before the World Cup, one can be rest assured that most of the players who will be playing against South Africa will be in the World Cup squad also.

Chawla's inclusion means that selectors want to check out what's in store in the slow bowling department after their experiments with Ravindra Jadeja haven’tt exactly paid rich dividends.

Also surprising was Parthiv Patel's non-inclusion in the ODI squad after the player scored back-to-back half centuries against New Zealand being given chance in shorter form after six and half years. There is no second wicket-keeper in the team.

Among the ones who are with the Test squad currently, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Jadhav and Jaydev Unadkat will be boarding a flight back home.

In-form Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan also returned to the side to bolster India's batting department after sitting out of the Test matches.

The Indian pace department will be spearheaded by Zaheer Khan, who missed the first Test against South Africa due to an injury.

S Sreesanth also managed to retain his place in the fast bowling department which will have Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel.

In the spin department, Harbhajan will be assisted by Ravichandran Ashwin and Chawla.

All-rounder Jadeja has been left out of the team, while Yusuf, who impressed during the home series against New Zealand, has been retained.

Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma and Saurabh Tiwary, both of whom played in the ODI series against New Zealand, also failed to make the cut.

The squad comprises six batsmen, one wicketkeeper in Dhoni, one all-rounder in Yusuf and eight bowlers – five quicks and three spinners.

Indian team for Twenty20 and ODI series in South Africa: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla S Sreesanth.

PTI