India came in knowing their one chance to get back into the match was with the new ball -- and they used it to perfection. Dhoni gave Ishant one over with the new ball, and the tossed it to Sreesanth to partner Zaheer, and the next 4 overs could not have been better scripted. And in his first over itself, Sreesanth delivered -- two wickets in his first over, getting first Prince and then the luckless Boucher. Prince got one that seamed away and jagged back to take off stump -- a seam bowler's dream bowl. Sree then got Bouncher with a beautiful away swinger that could have got a set batsman, let alone one who just walked in. Zaheer continued his personal duel with Dale Steyn, bouncing him repeatedly, and Steyn fended one off his throat to Pujara, and when Morkel misjudged another Sreesanth special, South Africa had slumped from 252/4 to 283/8 in just over 4 overs. Kallis was on 99, having plundered 30 runs in that 4 over spell, but with the new ball only 8 overs old, Harris & the hapless Tsotsobe to come (he of the highest Test score of 3), Sehwag & Gambhir must been mentally putting on their pads.
As well as India had bowled, better did Kallis bat. He had a 11 over partnership with Harris where they split the strike, but at 310/9 India again was back into the match. Kallis was on 118* and he literally flew to 161, adding 52 runs with Tsotsobe in just 14 overs. More importantly, he hogged almost 70% of the strike in that 10th wicket partnership (India take note) providing a masterclass on how to bat with the tail.
Every time I see Kallis play, I find myself surprised by the sheer beauty and elegance he can bring to the crease. Face it, he is a great big lumbering ox of a man. When he runs in to bowl with his shamboling run up, elegance is the last thing that comes to mind. Yes, he takes those amazing catches, but still you put that down to great reflexes. And when he bats, and stands there like a Goliath wielding a club, as he waves his bat menacingly at the bowler, you expect brute force -- and that you get as he lashes the ball through point off the back foot. But then -- just when you are settling down to expect something like a Shahid Afridi special -- out comes that cover drive. A stroke off such beauty and balance that it takes your breath away, and every time I see it, I must confess to a brief frisson of surprise, followed by a sense of contentment and sheer amazement (tempered somewhat that it is 4 more runs against India) at the sheer skill of this man.
His batting is of the highest class -- of his contemporaries, I would rate only Tendulkar, Lara and Ponting a notch ahead of him -- but when you add in his ability with the ball (he would play for many Test sides -- certainly India -- as a pure bowler) there is no question -- Kallis is the most valuable cricketer in world cricket today, and the only allrounder ahead of him is Gary Sobers.
Bharat
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