Proteas land body blows

In the 82nd over, with 10 minutes to go for stumps, Indian skipper Anil Kumble came up with a stunning caught and bowled effort.

Ashwell Prince mistimed his drive against a faster one and Kumble dived across the pitch to grab it one-handed. The catch drew warm applause from the team mates and spectators. On a day dominated by the sound of ball hitting the sweet spot of the willow, finally there was a welcome cacophony of claps from the home crowd.

Leading from the front

Like so often in the past, Kumble was standing tall among the ruins and leading by example. He bowled a marathon 29 overs, claiming two wickets, apart from marshaling his resources on a difficult day. Prince’s dismissal was vital, as the Indians know the worth of his wicket from previous experience. If Prince had remained unbeaten today, the nightmares from India’s tour to South Africa would have returned.

The other plus for India was getting Jacques Kallis out cheaply. An off-break from Harbhajan Singh jumped and the ball took a big edge of his bat before caressing his pads on its way to Wasim Jaffer at short-leg. Umpire Asad Rauf didn’t seem to react to the mild appeal, but the South African all-rounder walked. As Harbhajan said later, “It was a big nick, so good he walked. Otherwise, it would have been difficult getting him out.”

It wasn’t just Kallis who was tough to dislodge, the same was true of any batsman who came to the pitch today. With the South African openers — Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith — in their elements, a few problems with this squad surfaced again.

Hanging in there

This is a team whose top six cricketers happen to be on the wrong side of 30, their new ball bowlers are returning from injuries and the wicket-keeper seems troubled by a bad back. Those who predicted that this series would be a walkover for the hosts would be having second thoughts.

If losing the toss and the miserable start weren’t enough, the rest of the batting line-up aggravated India’s misery. Hashim Amla, who had a forgettable series when he toured India last time, was solid. Unbeaten on 85, he isn’t through yet.

So was Kumble’s late strike a trigger that can see India restrict South Africa? The eternal optimist would hope so, but not Harbhajan. Ask him about the pitch and he says, “It’s not just paata (flat wicket), it’s a super paata.”

When a home team bowler is complaining about the pitch at the end of Day One, it’s easy to guess on which side the balance has tilted.