Cape Town, Jan 4: India managed to gain an upper hand in the third and final cricket Test against South Africa after almost losing the plot on a rivetting third day's play here today. The Indians secured a 41-run lead after bowling out South Africa in the dying minutes of the day's play for 373 with Anil Kumble claiming 4 for 117 from 42-odd overs. The hosts never quite broke free from the shackles of Indian bowlers but they did manage to come closer to the Indian total, courtesy the 83-run fourth wicket stand between Jacques Kallis (54) and Ashwell Prince (26) and later on a 69-run association between Mark Boucher (50) and Shaun Pollock (31) for the seventh wicket.
However, the visitors would be pleased by the day's effort during which they allowed South Africa to score not more than 229 runs from 90 overs and claimed nine of their remaining wickets. As expected, Kumble bore the brunt of bowling but the master leg-spinner did not bowl as well as he could have on a spin-favouring surface. South Africa began promisingly with the overnight pair of Graeme Smith (94) and Hashim Amla (63) adding 29 runs from the first half-an-hour's play.
However, Smith departed at 173, failing to keep down an on-drive which was smartly picked up by Virender Sehwag, standing at an unusual position next to the pitch. Smith batted for 218 minutes and hit 14 fours and one six from 142 balls. He put on 159 runs for the second wicket with Amla which took 288 balls in coming. Amla followed his partner soon into the pavilion, chasing a wide delivery from S Sreesanth into the hands of wicket-keeper Dinesh Kaarthick. He batted for 212 minutes and hit seven fours from 172 balls. Soon another stand developed between Kallis and Prince, both of whom showed excellent technique in coming to terms with spin on a crumbling pitch.
The partnership had gone beyond three hours when Sachin Tendulkar was brought into attack and his hugely turning leg-breaks provided the Indians a breakthrough. Kallis went for a lofted sweep shot against Tendulkar and skied it high for Munaf Patel to take an easy catch at deep midwicket. His partner Prince departed without any addition to the total and Indians were back in the game again. The position only improved for the Indians before the tea break when Herschelle Gibbs (7) became the third batsman to be out in the afternoon session.
With South Africa 6 down for 281, India suddenly were sensing their chances. However, the position was retrieved appreciably by the Pollock-Boucher duo which put on 69 runs for the seventh wicket. Pollock departed first, driving a chance to Sourav Ganguly in the slips and soon after Boucher had completed his 50, the wicketkeeper-batsman tamely steered a catch behind the stumps off Munaf Patel. Kumble then picked up the final two wickets off successive balls in his 43rd over.
Scorecard(Agencies)
