South Africa bolt after early jolt

The Indian team collected in the now-famous huddle before the start of play. They came together again,linked at the shoulders...

The Indian team collected in the now-famous huddle before the start of play. They came together again,linked at the shoulders,after Graeme Smiths dismissal had reduced the visitors to a very shaky 6/2. They huddled after lunch,and again after tea and also after every drinks break in between,but nothing Mahendra Singh Dhoni said assuming he made different speeches at each congregation could rouse Team India out of the hopeless slumber they seemed to have drifted into.

The two men responsible for piling on that sense of hopelessness on the Indians were Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla: the former more robust,playing with strong wrists and leading with the elbow,the latter playing the ball late,using supple hands to find the gaps. Kallis stayed unbeaten on 159,Amla on 115. Together,they were the immovable object that made Indias attack seem toothless,as the visitors ended the first day at a happy 291 for two.

Bad news,good start

With VVS Laxman unable to recover in time to make the XI and Rohit Sharma twisting his ankle an hour before start of play,India had the worst start possible to this series. With Wriddhiman Saha coming in to an already weakened batting line-up,India really needed their bowlers to fire. And they did,but only for the first 10 overs.

Zaheer troubled Ashwell Prince with a series of full-length deliveries,darting this way and that,before getting him with a bouncer that Prince could do nothing about. Replays showed that the ball had come off his arm-guard,but the left-hander hadnt looked like hed last anyway. At the other end,Graeme Smith started off more patiently than he normally does,but played all over a delivery that cut back in off the seam to leave his stumps in disarray.

Zaheer,and India,had nullified any advantage South Africa had gained from winning the toss.

All downhill

From that point on though,it was all downhill. Once Kallis had weathered the storm,he was unusually severe on the bowlers. The South African No 4,despite having an extremely attractive cover drive ask Ishant Sharma,a fairly authoritative pull ask Amit Mishra and a reasonably dismissive cut shot ask Harbhajan Singh,carries a reputation of being one of the more unwatchable batsmen in world cricket. His batting is more effective than effortless,and the relentlessness with which he grinds out his runs tends to wear down the viewers as well.

Not on Saturday. Mishras slow,loopy leg-spinners were dispatched each time he erred in length which was far too often for a top tweakers liking,while Ishant,whose greatest strength had always been his ability to make the batsmen play at every delivery,operated too far outside off to make an impact even if he finished as the most economical bowler on the day. Meanwhile,Harbhajan Singhs middle-and-leg line was inexplicable on a pitch that needed him to draw the batsmen into mistakes. England off-spinner Graeme Swann,not rated too highly in these parts,had picked up 19 wickets in three Tests against the South Africans recently apart from constantly troubling them with flighted deliveries outside the off-stump. Harhbajans figures for the day read 21-0-81-0.

More in store

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Kallis took advantage,reaching his 34th Test century off 165 deliveries with nine fours and two sixes,and then marching on to his 150 off 267. At the other end,Amla took his time settling down,getting to his half-century off 132 deliveries before opening up a little bit,bringing up his ton off 204. South Africas batting coach Kepler Wessels was all smiles. Both batsmen were exceptional today, the former captain said. Their shot selection was very good,the way they batted showed that they had a very good game plan.

After stumps,Kallis and Amla trooped off for well-deserved ice-baths even as the rest of the team walked out for a chirpy game of football. A few yards away,Indias close-knit huddle had scattered into a larger circle of weary bodies stretching exhausted limbs. If India are to get back into this contest,Dhoni needs a new speech for Sunday.