India vs South Africa, 3rd Test, Day 2 Highlights (03 January 2011)
Kallis stars as teams scrap for advantage
India 142 for 2 (Gambhir 65*, Tendulkar 49*) trail South Africa 362 (Kallis 161, Amla 59, Sreesanth 5-114) by 220 runs
Jacques Kallis produced the innings of the series to prevent India from taking a grip on the deciding Test at Newlands. His 39th Test century, which had shepherded South Africa out of difficult conditions on the first day and helped them survive a stern examination against the second new ball today, was a lesson in tight defensive technique. It was also an exhibition on how to bat with the tail, and score abundantly while you're at it. Kallis dragged South Africa beyond 300 under trying circumstances, for at one stage Sreesanth had threatened to skittle them for fewer, and scored the bulk of the 79 runs he added with the last two batsmen, prolonging India's time in the field.
Kallis' innings grew in value during the course of India's reply. Like South Africa, India also lost two wickets early - Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid - as Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel hustled with seam, steep bounce and that extra bit of pace, which can make the difference when a pitch is easing out. India could have been in further strife but Lonwabo Tsosobe, the most unheralded of the pace attack, had three edges dropped. Gautam Gambhir, who sat out at Durban because of a hand injury, used his two reprieves to compile a half-century that was edgy in phases, while Sachin Tendulkar batted solidly apart from his one let-off to lead India slowly, inch by inch, towards relative comfort. They batted with extreme caution through the final session, taking India to 142 for 2, trailing by 220 with eight first-innings wickets in hand.
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