The conditions were helpful were pace bowling and Dhoni inserted the opposition. Throughout the day the ball didn't really swing consistently. A few balls did, but not as many as would be expected. Anyway, things started well -- order was restored when Zaheer Khan got his bunny Smith early -- again if you look at the ball he got out on, it would look like a straight ball that was angling in. But it was set up by a few away swingers that beat Smith. But generally, in the first spell the Indians struggled to find the right lengths. Right
when things were settling down, off they went.
After the first resumption, Ishant Sharma got Petersen off a ball that seamed a touch away outside off that he tried to drive. That was one of the few good balls that Ishant bowled that threatened to take a wicket. Generally, Ishant figures are deceiving because he bowled a little too short and outside off. He got a fair amount of steepling bounce, but most of the time the batsmen let the ball pass through. And at the second break for rain, it was 61/2 -- India hadn't bowled anywhere near as well as they could have but it wasn't as good as it could have been.
When they came out, Amla was the man in a hurry. Zaheer looked extremely stiff and uninterested when he came back ambling up to the wicket. Trying for swing he overpitched and served up 3 juicy half volleys that Amla dispatched gratefully. Sreesanth also pushed it up as well -- it was almost as though the Indians felt that they had to just put it up and wickets would come. There was none of the "come at the batsmen all the time" attitude that won us the game at Durban.
Anyway, the man who pulled us back was Sreesanth -- figures can lie, he went for 13 in that over, but it was actually a good over. Amla hooked him for six of a very good bouncer that Amla was lucky to keep down. Next ball edged through gully in the air off the leading edge. Then a genuine nick that flew short of the vacant 3rd slip and another bouncer that was well hooked for a single. Zak bowled his one good over where he beat Amla twice, but generally he was extremely poor. And then India got a bit of luck -- Amla pulled a long hop and just hit poorly and hit it down Pujara's throat. That was a huge relief for India -- Amla was taking the game away from India, but still hooking with two men on the fence was not a high percentage shot. Amla seems to be a man in a hurry -- what happened to the patient man we saw in India. I think -- as an opposition fan -- I prefer this Amla. This man gives you a lot of chances.
The next session will be key. At 124/3 South Africa is definitely ahead. 90/5 would have been the par score had India bowled well. Dhoni will be hugely disappointed in the effort of his quicks -- particularly Zaheer Khan. We also have a long session coming up, and Harbhajan will be key as he will need to bottle up one end.
However, the conditions are still tough for batting and an early wicket could open it up. The pacers need to really go at the opposition the way they did at Durban Unless we run through the opposition here, the strategy surely would be for Harbhajan to keep one end tight -- in Durban he bowled 13 overs for 25 runs which built up the stranglehold on South Africa on the 4th morning. deVilliers -- who has motored to 14 without any real effort -- will be important as he can make Harbhajan go for over 4 an over -- so if Bhajji can keep it under 3 an over, that will be crucial. Need to keep the singles down.
Bharat
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