Kallis steers SA safely to 233 for 4 on Day 1

Tags: India tour of South Africa -2010-11, India v South Africa 3rd Test at Cape Town- Jan 2 -6, 2011, India, South Africa, Hashim Mahomed Amla, Jacques Henry Kallis

Published on: Jan 02, 2011

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Hosts South Africa finished Day 1 at a solid looking 232 for 4 in 74 overs to hold the advantage over India ever so slightly.

Stumps on Day 1
Hosts South Africa finished Day 1 at a solid looking 232 for 4 in 74 overs to hold the advantage over India ever so slightly. They have a strong fifth wicket partnership of 68 runs in progress between Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince (28*). Kallis has been rock solid batting on an unbeaten 81 from 169 balls with 6 fours. He along with Prince repaired the damage done after losing AB de Villiers.
India had come back strongly in the first half of the final session when Sreesanth lured AB de Villiers into a cover drive with juicy late outswinger around off and middle to force an edge to the keeper. AB de Villiers had scored 26 by then and was into an impressive partnership of 58 with Kallis. After this wicket, the Indian pacers weren't bowling at full throttle and with some bad luck they were left wicketless right through the end of the session. Kallis batted responsibly alongside Prince to see the day through.

Tea on Day 1

South Africa seem to be recovering as they finished the post lunch session at 125 for 3 in 37 overs under overcast conditions. Jacques Kallis on 22* has found a decent looking AB de Villiers (14*) to carry forward the good work done by Hashim Amla early in the session. India had a quick break once play resumed after lunch when Alviro Petersen (21) drove along the wrong line to nick a juicy outswinger from Ishant Sharma to the keeper in the 14th over.

The match was halted for bad light after the 21st over and once it resumed, South Africa began a counter attack through Hashim Amla. Runs came in thick and fast and India was losing its initiative within no time. Amla raced away to a 19th Test fifty but a rush of blood saw him top edge a big pull shot off Sreesanth into the hands of Pujara at deep mid wicket. India could keep Amla's fireworks down to an 80-ball 59 which contained 9 fours and a six.

Lunch on Day 1

Persistent drizzle forced the two Umpires to declare an early lunch break on the opening day's play at Newlands in Cape Town with just the nine overs of play possible. The red new ball swung around quite a lot for Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth which forced a cautious start from the hosts. Zaheer Khan drew first blood when he trapped Graeme Smith on the backpad to defeat a straight drive with a late inswinger. Smith lasted only 12 deliveries and he fell in the 7th over with SA at 17 for 1. When rain interrupted the proceedings, Alviro Petersen had moved to 13 from 33 balls (with 2 fours) while Hashim Amla got 1 from 10 balls.

Toss and Teams

MS Dhoni has won a toss for a change and India have asked South Africa to bat first in the deciding Third Test at Newlands in Cape Town. The conditions are overcast and there was a bit of drizzle just after the toss but not threatening enough to prevent the action on Day 1. South Africa have gone in with the same XI that lost the Second Test at Durban. India have got back a fit Gautam Gambhir to replace Murali Vijay.

South Africa : GC Smith (C), AN Petersen, JH Kallis, HM Amla, AB de Villiers, AG Prince, MV Boucher (WK), LL Tsotsobe, PL Harris, DW Steyn, M Morkel
India : G Gambhir, V Sehwag, R Dravid, SR Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni (C&WK), CA Pujara, I Sharma, Z Khan, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth
- BV Swagath

South Africa : GC Smith (C), AN Petersen, JH Kallis, HM Amla, AB de Villiers, AG Prince, MV Boucher (WK), LL Tsotsobe, PL Harris, DW Steyn, M Morkel
India : G Gambhir, V Sehwag, R Dravid, SR Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni (C&WK), CA Pujara, I Sharma, Z Khan, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth
- BV Swagath

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