Daily Cricket News

1st Test: Ind lose by an innings and 25 runs

Centurion: South Africa took a little less than six overs on the final day of the first cricket Test to wrap up the last two Indian wickets and clinch the high profile series opener with a resounding innings and 25 runs victory here on Monday.

But more than South Africa's convincing victory against the number one ranked side in the world to take a 1-0 lead, the match at the SuperSport Park here will go down in history books as the one which witnessed Sachin Tendulkar reach the coveted landmark of scoring 50 centuries in Test cricket.

After they finished the penultimate day staring down the barrel at 454 for the loss of eight wickets, India's hopes, more than Tendulkar's broad shoulders, rested on the weather gods.

While Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 111, there was no rain interruption on the fifth and final day as the South African pace duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel sealed the issue in their team's favour in no time.

Resuming at 454 for eight, India could manage just five runs to their overnight total, four of them coming off Tendulkar's blade.

S Sreesanth was the first casualty of the day, falling vitim to Morkel's accuracy. The India pacer nicked one to a delivery that had a hint of away movement and AB de Villiers made no mistake at third slip.

Last man Jaidev Unadkat lasted just 10 balls for his one run before offering a simple catch to Ashwell Prince at gully as Steyn brought the curtains down on India's stiff second-innings resistance.

After the collapse in their first innings, India rode on Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir's half centuries in their second essay.

But four quick wickets pushed the visitors on the brink again before Tendulkar and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stage a recovery with a spirited 172-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

It was Tendulkar's historic ton and his association with skipper Dhoni that helped India delay the inevitable.

While the batsmen dished out a much better performance in the second innings, India's bowling lacked the bite in the absence of spearhed Zaheer Khan.

The two teams now move to Durban for the second Test starting December 26.

With Tendulkar content to give Sreesanth and Unadkat the strike after both teams woke up to clear skies on the final morning, it was just a matter of time before the hosts inflicted on India their fisrt innings defeat on South African soil.

Despite the presence of a Tendulkar at the crease, India were never in with a chance to save the match.

The visitors, however, owe it to the champion batsman who on Sunday became the first cricketer to score 50 Test centuries.

With India almost on the brink of defeat after losing the wikets of Dravid, Laxman, raina and nightwatchman Ishant Sharma at the start of fourth day, Tendulkar played a sublime chanceless innings and along with Dhoni, frustrated the South African attack for more than three hours while adding runs at a brisk pace.

Tendulkar and Dhoni, who joined forces when an innings defeat was staring on India at 277 for six just before lunch on the penultimate day, were at ease while dealing with South African bowlers.

Tendulkar reached the milestone with a single off Steyn, a perfectly placed drive that pierced through cover and extra cover midway into the final session.

But, the joy of the iconic batsman reaching the coveted landmark did not last long as just four overs later, Dhoni perished to a rising delivery from Steyn. The Indian captain was caught in an awkward position and fended it to Boucher, who took a neat catch, diving to his right.

Once the big partnership between Tendulkar and Dhoni was broken with the latter falling victim to Steyn, India lost Harbhajan Singh who could score just one run from two balls just before rain interruption.

Before that, Tendulkar and Dhoni denied the South Africans any success as India scored at a fairly health rate, a far cry form their display in the first innings.

Tendulkar, who came in at the fall of Sharma at 214 for three in the morning session of the fourth day, stood rock solid while Dhoni was the aggressive of the two.

Both Dhoni and Tendulkar gave Steyn and Morkel some special treatment during their stay at the wicket by hitting them for a flurry of fours. The duo seemed undettered even after the home side had taken the new ball.

While India batted much better in the second innings, the damage had been done on the first morning itself after the visitors were put in by Grame Smith on conditions condusive for seamers.

By the time South Africa started their innings, the pitch at SuperSport Park had eased out considerably with fast bowlers not posing too much of a problem as they had done on the first day.