India vs South Africa, 3rd Test, Day 4 Highlights (05 January 2011)
India vs South Africa, 3rd Test, Day 4 Highlights (05 January 2011)Kallis' superhuman effort deflates India
South Africa 362 and 341 (Kallis 109*, Boucher 55, Harbhajan 7-120) lead India 364 by 339 runs
Jacques Kallis was immense, for the second time in this deciding Test, using his strength of will and mastery of technique to drag South Africa out of danger and then give them the strongest advantage enjoyed by either team in this gripping contest. Kallis battled the challenges posed by India's bowlers on a wearing pitch, and the constraints and pain of a side strain, to become the only South African to score two centuries in a Test at home. His partnerships of 103 with Mark Boucher, who was also under pressure to perform, and 54 with Dale Steyn came after India were rampant, and they put South Africa in pole position to win the series. The stand of 46 with Morne Morkel simply poured acid into India's gaping wounds.
India's performance during the first session of this pivotal day was aggressive, but they couldn't have been more listless in the second and third. On a pitch with cracks that were widening, rough areas that were worsening and bounce that was becoming increasingly variable, India took three wickets and conceded only 69 runs before lunch. They even picked up the sixth wicket soon after the break, when South Africa's lead was only 128. And then they went to pot, largely due to Kallis' skill and Boucher's grit, but also because Harbhajan Singh ran out of ideas, Zaheer Khan's pace and fitness levels plummeted, and Ishant Sharma's lines and lengths were atrocious. South Africa added 91 for 1 in the second session, and 129 for 3 in the last. Harbhajan finished with 7 for 120 but only after South Africa's tailenders, Lonwabo Tsotsobe included, hit him around.
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