Tendulkar shines with 51st Test century

 

Tendulkar shines with 51st Test century

Sachin Tendulkar's 51st Test ton and Harbhajan Singh's double strike put India slightly ahead on the third day of the Cape Town Test. For South Africa Dale Steyn took 5/75 as India went past South Africa's total with a lead of two runs.

Cape Town: Sachin Tendulkar cracked his 51st Test century in difficult conditions as India eked out a slender 2-run first innings lead and then scalped two quick wickets to take a slight upper hand in the series-deciding third cricket Test against South Africa.Tendulkar held the innings together brilliantly to not only notch up his second century in the series but also pull India out of trouble and keep its hopes alive for a first ever series triumph on South African soil.

Apart from Tendulkar's heroic 146, Gautam Gambhir (93) and Harbhajan Singh (40) were the other notable contributors as India scored 364 in response to South Africa's first innings total of 362.The hosts were struggling at 52 for two at close on the third day with Harbhajan Singh claiming the wickets of skipper Graeme Smith (29) and Paul Harris (0).

Alviro Petersen (22) and Hashim Amla (0) were at the crease when play came to an end on an absorbing third day. With two full days of play left in the decider India will try to capture the remaining eight wickets as quickly as possible and push for a victory. It was an engrossing tussle between the bat and the ball right through the day with South African speedstar, particularly Dale Steyn, who returned with figures of five for 75, getting a lot of movement with the second new ball.

There was also a brief interruption in play when pacer S Sreesanth was hurled empty water bottles at the boundary but order was restored quickly to play to resume again. Earlier, resuming at the overnight score of 142 for two, the two overnight batsmen -- Gambhir and Tendulkar -- faced a few anxious moments early in the pre-lunch session as they played and missed a number of times.

Dale Steyn produced a brilliant first over to Tendulkar who was repeatedly beaten as the balls kept swinging away. Tendulkar was a little uncomfortable with the late movement Steyn got in his first over.But the champion batsman gradually settled down to unleash some delightful strokes on both sides of the wicket, a majestic drive through covers off Steyn standing out. Gambhir also grew in confidence as he pulled Morne Morkel for a boundary, though some of his strokes were a little streaky.

The third wicket pair of Gambhir and Tendulkar put on 176 runs before spinner Paul Harris provided the breakthrough much to the relief of the South Africans. Gambhir fell to a ball that jumped after pitching on the rough and the left hander got a thin edge. Mark Boucher took a smart catch behind the stumps. Laxman, who joined the action after Gambhir's departure, struck three delectable boundaries, before returning to the pavillion in a tragic manner.

Ironically, a dropped chance of Tendulkar by Harris led to Laxman's run out. Tendulkar went down the track and smashed the ball straight to Harris who just about managed to get some hand on it. Laxman was outside his crease and the ball fell on the stumps at his end. The Indians added 95 runs in 32 overs in an engrossing two and half hour pre-lunch session.

Tendulkar brought about his century with a six off Morne Morkel shortly after the lunch break in an absorbing post lunch session which saw Dale Steyn produce a fiery spell to dismiss Cheteswar Pujara (2) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (0) in the span of 9 deliveries. The young Pujara was dismissed in the very first over after lunch, trapped leg before wicket to a gem of a delivery from Steyn to reduce India to 237 for five.

Tendulkar then completed his century by hooking Morne Morkel for a six. It was a mistimed shot and the ball took the top edge and flew for a six. Steyn struck again in his next over by getting rid of captain Dhoni with a ball which swung away sharply. the Indian captain tried to steer the ball but only succeeded in edging it to Ashwell Prince at third slip.

Harbhajan tried to play a few attacking shots to ease the pressure on the Indians who suddenly found themselves in trouble with the two quick dismissals. He had a huge slice of luck when a Steyn express delivery clipped the edge of the off-stump but the bails did not fall much to the disbelief of the South Africans. The fiesty spinner celebrated the reprieve by clobbering Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who replaced Morkel from the pavilion end, for a huge six in the square leg region. He then cracked him for a boundary.

Tendulkar and Harbhajan have stitched an unfinished 69-run partnership for the seventh wicket to take India beyond the 300-run mark and inch closer to the South African total. Harbhajan Singh (40) perished immediately after the tea break as he went for the short-arm pull to a short-pitched ball from Steyn but could not connect well and substitute JP Duminy ran in from deep square-leg take the catch.

It brought an end to the vital 76-run seventh wicket partnership which pulled India out of a difficult situation. Morkel then got the prized scalp of Tendulkar with a superb delivery which dislodged the off stump. Tendulkar's knock of 146 came off 314 balls and was laced with 17 boundaries and two sixes.Ishant Sharma could not survive for long as he tried to fend a short-pitched ball and offered a simple catch to Boucher to give Steyn his fifth wicket of the innings.

Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth then added 14 runs to help India overhaul South Africa's first innings total and gain a slender two-run lead.

In their second essay, South Africa went off to a good start but off-spinner Harbhajan dealt two quick blows late in the evening to hand India a slight advantage.

Smith was the first one to go after he was wrapped on the back foot by a Harbhajan delivery which pitched on the middle and leg and then straightened up in the 14th over.Harbhajan struck again on the second ball of his next over, removing night watchman Harris for nought. Harris was completely deceived by Harbhajan's offbreak which landed outside the off stump and turned square as the batsman didn't offer a shot.

Source: PTI