Boje, Kirsten at home with spin as South Africa tighten the screws

Boje, Kirsten at home with spin as South Africa tighten the screws
VEDAM JAISHANKAR

BANGALORE, MAR 3: The only way this Indian team could have wrested the initiative after being bowled out for 158 on the first day, was if Anil Kumble could have bowled from both ends. Alas! The rules of the game do not permit that. Instead, India, desperately trying to play catch-up with South Africa, were reduced to deploying either a Test debutant or another with just one Test experience at the other end.

The sum total of this exercise was that at the end of the second day's play in this second and final Test, India, for long acknowledged tigers at home, are in serious trouble. They have already conceded a lead of 96 runs and would require a miracle of the proportion that parted the Red Sea to save this Test.

Barring one impressive short spell in the post-tea session from Javagal Srinath, Kumble was the only bowler who looked like being a threat at any given time. The debutant off spinner Nikhil Chopra looked far too ordinary to worry any international batsman worth his salt at the Test level while Murali Karthik increasingly looked like the Railways left-arm spinner he is. The contempt with which Dave Cullinan placed him inside out into the vacant gaps was a telling commentary of his abilities.

Of course, Karthik and Chopra bowled at their best. But the question is: Is their best good enough at this level?

India, this morning, took the field with hope. The Bangalore spectators, however, knew a hopeless situation when they saw one. They stayed away from the stadium to the extent that the stands were three-quarters empty right through the day (at this rate DD would be better advised to cancel their contract with BCCI and ask for a refund of their money!).

India banked on gaining early breakthroughs. That never happened as nightwatchman Nicky Boje and Gary Kirsten batted with purpose. The South Africans worked on being excessively cautious against Kumble. They, like everyone else, knew that he was the sole threat. The others were there only to make up the numbers.

Srinath hardly made the batsmen play initially and this suited the visitors fine. To add to India's woes, the ball did not run kindly. Snicks went abegging as Saurav Ganguly, Nayan Mongia, Wasim Jaffer and Mohammed Azharuddin did not look as sharp as they ought to have. Perhaps a more athletic fielding side would have made the difference.

Boje, supposedly the weak link in the partnership, showed why the South Africans held his batting abilities in high esteem (he has three first class hundreds). He batted with all the seriousness and determination of a top order batsman by grinding the Indian bowling.

He grafted very well initially and before long the bowlers knew that this was one nightwatchman who had to be prised out. At the other end, Kirsten was dogged. His nudges off the hips might have been uppish. But there was nobody around to cling on to the catches.

Kirsten and Boje not only thwarted the bowlers this morning, but actually carried the fight to their camp. The duo added 161 runs for the second wicket, during which period they went past India's paltry total.

Ultimately, Boje was castled by Kumble for 85. A little later Kirsten fell when Wasim Jaffer pouched him at forward short leg off Kumble again.

Suddenly, with the loss of two quick wickets, there was some interest in the game. But that was shortlived as Jacques Kallis and Cullinan, in differing styles, took the game away from the Indians.

Kallis batted in the same obdurate style he adopted in Mumbai to stay unbeaten at close on 31 (111 balls, 1 four). Cullinan, neither the tortoise nor the hare, was more a limping springbok (Gibbs came as a runner) and was on an unbeaten 46 (67 balls, 4 fours, 1 six).

That India have an uphill task over the remaining part of this Test goes without saying. On the evidence of their recent batting performances, their `stars' need to bat out of their skin to save this one.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st innings): 158
SOUTH AFRICA (1st innings; overnight 11-1)

Gary Kirsten c Jaffer b Kumble (209b, 264m, 7 fours) 79
Herschelle Gibbs lbw Kumble (12b, 16m, 1 four) 4
Nicky Boje b Kumble (198b, 221m, 9 fours) 85
Jacques Kallis batting (111b, 141m, 1 four) 31
Daryll Cullinan batting (67b, 115m, 4 fours, 1 six) 46
Extras: (16b, 3nb) 19
Total (for 3 in 99 overs, 380 mins) 254
Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Gibbs), 2-171 (Boje), 3-186 (Kirsten)

Bowling: Srinath 17-3-35-0; Kumble 36-9-64-3; Chopra 13-1-45-0; Murali 22-4-61-0; Tendulkar 5-2-15-0; Ganguly 6-1-18-0.