South Africa vs India 2nd Test, highlights: Kohli, Pujara toil as hosts dominate Day 4

The visitors reach 68-2 at stumps, trail by 98 runs. Catch South Africa vs India, Day 4 highlights here: (Scorecard | Commentary | Final Report)

 

21.30 (IST): Day 4 wrap:

Day 4 has belonged to the Proteas. Despite the interruptions due to rain, they've batted and bowled with aggressive intention to keep the momentum by their side. Robin Peterson starred with both bat and ball, scoring a quick-fire half-century and then troubling the Indian batsmen in fading light before the troika of Steyn, Philander and Morkel served some hostile dishes upfront to Dhawan and Vijay. While Vijay fell early, Dhawan dug in, only for Faf du Plessis to take a one-handed blinder of a catch to send him packing. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara played with great concentration till the umpires decided that the light was too low. They have just 68 runs on the board, trailing the hosts by 98 runs.

Smith will believe his bowlers can crank it up in the first session on Day 5. A lot would depend on Kohli and Pujara to eke out a draw here. South Africa can start to believe that they've reached a stage from which a defeat is almost impossible.

21.22 (IST): Very nice gesture from the Indian duo of Kohli and Pujara. They wait for Jacques Kallis to lead his team back to the pavilion before heading for their dressing room.

 

21.20 (IST): Bad light! Umpire Steve Davis brings out the light meter and leads both teams back to the pavilion due to bad light. This could very well be the end of Day 4. India 68-2, trail SA by 98 runs.

21.17 (IST): Lot of negative, down the leg side bowling from Peterson, letting the occasional ball to pitch on the rough and surprise the batsmen. Both Pujara and Kohli have done well to negotiate that so far.

21.12 (IST): Robin Petersen seems like the thorn in India's flesh. He first scored a fifty early on in the day and now he is testing two of their best batsmen with an attacking field.  India 64-2, trail SA by 102 runs.

20.57 (IST): The South African bowlers have given absolutely nothing away to the Indian batsmen here. Dale Steyn, has bowled seven overs and conceded just five runs.

20.55 (IST): Faf du Plessis, you beauty! He pulls off a single-handed blinder with a perfectly-timed jump to bring an end to Shikhar Dhawan's misery at the wicket. India 53-2, trail SA by 113 runs.

 

20.47 (IST): Steve Davis brings out the light meter to check. If its poor, Smith might be forced to have spinners from both ends. Duminy bowls a maiden over, India 50-1, trail South Africa by 116 runs.

20.41 (IST): Robin Peterson returns as India have 45-1 in 25 overs.

20.28 (IST): Just when Pujara and Dhawan begin to settle down, Steyn is back into the attack. He has three slips, a leg slip, a short mid on and short mid-wicket for Pujara. There could be a lot of short deliveries targeting at him.

20.16 (IST): Oh dear! Duminy bowls a bit short and Pujara looks to flick it on the leg side. But the ball hits the forward short leg fielder, Hashim Amla's little finger on his right hand at full speed. He walks off the pitch with a bleeding finger. Hope its not as bad as it looks.

20.15 (IST): Smith brings on JP Duminy as he looks for another wicket to put the Indians on the back foot.

20.10 (IST): The two batsmen are yet to come to terms with the wicket and the South African attack. Both Dhawan and Pujara are batting rather gingerly. Dhawan, specially, is being duly tested by Morkel, who has a few words for the Indian opener every now and then. India 28-1 in 19 overs, trail SA by 138 runs.

20.00 (IST): Welcome boundary for Shikhar Dhawan. He comes down the wicket to Peterson and hits the ball through covers for a four. India 21-1, trail South Africa by 147 runs.

19.50 (IST): Much to Dhawan and Pujara's respite, a spinner comes into the attack. Robin Peterson comes in, with the hope to cause the kind of damage Ravindra Jadeja did.

19.36 (IST): Morne Morkel takes a leaf out of Zaheer Khan's book, starts round the wicket and allows Dhawan to hit him for a straight boundary.

19.34 (IST): Dhawan is not looking comfortable one bit here. He has just three runs in 32 balls, while Pujara has 1 in 15. India 10-1 in 10 overs, trail South Africa by 156 runs.

19.25 (IST): How did that miss the stumps? Philander gets the ball to pitch on middle and nip back into Dhawan, going through his bat and pad but doesn't clip the top of the stumps. De Villiers appeals for a caught behind. India 8-1, trail South Africa by 158 runs.

19.17 (IST): The 'BIG VERN' beats Dhawan's bat and gives the left-hander a cold stare. Tough times ahead for the Indian batsmen. South African pacers have their tails up.

19.16 (IST): Philander strikes! Murali Vijay is gone! He edges the ball to Graeme Smith in the slips. India 8-1, trail South Africa by 158 runs.

 

19.12 (IST): Steyn and Philander are all over the Indian openers who have done well to keep their eyes on the ball and duck at short deliveries at the right moment. They've managed 8-0 in 5 overs, trail South Africa by 158 runs.

19.00 (IST): Steyn has three slips and a wide gully for left-handed Dhawan. He is bowling it way outside the off-stump at the moment and Dhawan is happy to let them go.

18.58 (IST): First boundary of the innings! Vijay defends the ball and the ball races away to the wide third-man boundary off the outside edge. He is off the mark. India 6-0, trail South Africa by 160 runs.

18.55 (IST): The conditions will encourage the South African pacers. The last ball of Steyn's over climbed on Vijay unexpectedly while Philander's first ball has generated movement off the track.

18.51 (IST): The Indian openers walk out to overcast conditions. Very important passage of play as far as the visitors are concerned. Will be interesting to see their approach in what is left in the day.

18.43 (IST): Six for Jadeja! Career-best figures of six for 138 for him. He wrapped up the South African innings as he took a good diving catch off his own bowling to send Morkel back to the pavilion. South Africa lead India by 166 runs.

18.38 (IST): Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack now.

18.36 (IST): GONE! Faf du Plessis is run out. The batsmen challenged Rohit Sharma's arm and paid the price as a direct hit at the non-striker's end found Du Plessis short of his ground. SA 500-9, lead India by 166 runs.

18.30 (IST): So, players are back on after rain consumes another half-an-hour of play. South Africa are still not in a mood to declare. The first over brings up the 500 for South Africa. Lead is now 166.

 

17.56 (IST): Tea seems to have been taken as the rain is getting heavier. SA 497-8, lead India by 163 runs. This session was characterised by exceptional counter-attack from Du Plessis and Peterson, with the latter racing away to a stroke-filled half-century. Dhoni finally gave in and opted for the new ball that was due for 66 overs when it was taken but that didn't change India's fortunes. Peterson continued to play his shots and even got a six off a switch hit. However, he  perished while attempting a lofted shot, right after which rain forced players to leave the field.

17.40 (IST): It's raining again! Just after Peterson's wicket, the players have walked off the field due to rain.

17.38 (IST): Peterson falls! He went for one shot too many and has been caught in the deep by Murali Vijay for 61. SA 497-8, lead India by 163 runs.

 

17.34 (IST): Robin Peterson scores a ruthless reverse six off Rohit Sharma! Rohit tosses one up and Peterson changes guard and hoicks it over the deep midwicket fielder.

17.30 (IST): The lead is now over 150 runs. Will be interesting to see what Smith considers a good lead here.

17.25 (IST): Fifty for Robin Peterson! He gets there with a boundary, his ninth of the innings. It has taken him just 44 balls to get to his milestone as he and Faf have done exceptionally well to take lead to 142 runs.

 

 

17.22 (IST): Zaheer comes in to bowl. He has one slip for Peterson.

17.17 (IST): India is leaking runs here. Nothing going their way. Ishant bowls a short ball and Peterson goes for an awkward pull shot, but the top edge carries the ball to the fine leg fence. SA 473-7, lead India by 139 runs.

17.12 (IST): Faf du Plessis plays what can be called an aerial straight drive to the fence. The ball was full and had enough pace on it for Du Plessis to hit it on the up. This has to be the straightest shot of this game. SA 464-7, lead India by 130 runs.

 

17.05 (IST): The new ball is zipping around for the India pacers but both Faf and Peterson are doing enough to get the boundaries going. The ongoing session has fetched 63 runs in nine overs.

17.00 (IST): Poor start from Ishant with the new ball. He strays down the leg and Peterson just has to guide it to the fine leg fence. Even the diving Shikhar Dhawan can't stop it from fetching four runs for the hosts. With that shot he has moved into the 40s. SA 449-7, lead by 116 runs.

16.55 (IST): BIG APPEAL! Shami gets the ball to pitch on middle and off and straighten to hit Peterson just below knee roll. A loud shout but Steve Davis probably thought it was going high. Replays show it would have hit the stumps. Peterson survives. SA 443-7, lead India by 110 runs.

16.55 (IST): New ball finally! Shami begins the proceedings with the new ball.

16.51 (IST): Peterson has been brilliant in his brief stay so far. His 'senior' batting partner, Faf du Plessis seems happy to let the left-hander take strike and get some quick runs. Peterson already has 29 off just 30 balls. SA 431-7, lead India by 97 runs.

16.42 (IST): Jadeja comes round the wicket to Peterson and has an attacking field for him. One slip, a leg slip and a short leg. SA 426-7, lead India by 92 runs.

16.38 (IST): Peterson gets a short ball from Ishant but there is not enough pace on it to intimidate the left-hander who pulls it through mid-wicket for a four. He is making up for the 15 minutes that were lost due to rain at the start of the session. SA 423-7, lead India by 89 runs.

16.35 (IST): Ishant Sharma brought in and Peterson gets a poor delivery which he hits in front of point for a four. SA 417-7, lead India by 83 runs.

16.32 (IST): Faf du Plessis comes down the track and hits the ball to the long off boundary. The message at lunch time seems to have been about playing their shots and extending the lead to as much as possible.

 

16.28 (IST): There is not much reverse swing now as Peterson played a good cover drive to get a boundary. The following delivery swung in but was full and Peterson flicked it to the deep mid-wicket fence.

 

16.26 (IST): The players are out in the middle now. Zaheer has the ball in his hand.

16.20 (IST): Rain has  delayed the start of the second session on Day 4.

 

15.39 (IST): 1st session wrap:

- Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn resumed from an overnight score of 299-5.

- MS Dhoni did not take the new ball and trusted Jadeja to provide him the breakthrough.

- Kallis was fluent and reached his 45th Test ton with a boundary.

- Steyn, too, looked good and was sent out with the intention of taking on the Indian bowlers.

- Kallis went past Rahul Dravid by one run in terms of highest run getters in Tests (13,289) to take the third spot in the list, only behind Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar.

- Jadeja then dismissed him immediately, picking his fifth wicket of the innings. This was his second five-wicket haul.

- At lunch, South Africa were 395-7, with Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson at the wicket.

 

15.33 (IST): LUNCH TIME! South Africa reach 395-7 at lunch, lead India by 61 runs with Robin Peterson and Faf du Plessis at the crease.

15.18 (IST): REVERSE SWING! Zaheer bowls an exceptional in-swinging yorker to left-handed Peterson.

15.16 (IST): Peterson is the next man in. Zaheer has a leg slip and first slip for him. With two new batsmen, Dhoni might opt for the new ball that has been pending for over 50 years.

15.15 (IST): Dale Steyn's cameo comes to an end. He goes for 44 as he edges a delivery from Zaheer to Dhoni behind the stumps. SA 387-7.

15.10 (IST): Faf du Plesis joins Dale Steyn in the middle. The lead for South Africa is now 51 runs. SA 387-6.

15.06 (IST): Jadeja strikes! Its a fifer for the left-arm off-spinner. And he gets the big fish, Jacques Kallis, who departs for 115. SA 384-6. Kallis and Steyn added 86 runs for sixth wicket.

15.05 (IST): Jacques Kallis goes past Rahul Dravid in terms of Test runs (13,289 runs), and takes the third spot in the list of highest run getters in Tests.

14.45 (IST): The end of Jadeja's 50th over (yes, you read that right) and drinks are called for. Dhoni is probably looking for some reverse swing and spin with the old ball but it hasn't worked for him yet.

14.39 (IST): No sign of Dhoni opting for a new ball yet. It has been due for 48 overs now. Back in 1961-62, India bowled as many as 185 overs with an old ball.

14.37 (IST): Hamstring trouble? Kallis was seen limping towards the end of a run in the previous Ishant Sharma over and reaching for his hamstring.

14.36 (IST): Indian milestone: While the entire spotlight is on Kallis, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma is in the hunt for his 150th Test wicket.

14.25 (IST): Kallis' next milestone: Now that the century is out of the way, he is within six runs of Rahul Dravid in the list of highest run-getters in Tests. SA 370-5.

14.15 (IST): FACTOID: Four South Africans have scored a ton in their last Test.Pieter van der Bijl (in 1939), Barry Richards and Lee Irvine (in 1970) and Jacques Kallis (2013).

14.07 (IST): While all the focus has been on Kallis and his century, a lot of credit should also go to Dale Steyn for hanging around at the crease. The last time he came out to bat, it wasn't the best scenario for him and he walked back to boos from his own fans. In that sense, he has done well to leave that behind. The partnership between the two is now 50. SA 352-5, lead India by 18 runs.

 

14.03 (IST): HUNDRED for Kallis! Take a bow, big man! He gets his 45th Test ton in his final Test. Seventh against India. Even the Indian dug out is on its feet.

13.52 (IST): A single off Jadeja levels the scores. Kallis gets a boundary to take lead off the very next ball. He moves on to 98 and has a big smile on his face.

13.49 (IST): Mohammed Shami into the attack and straightaway gets the ball to jag back into the right-handers. A few extra yards of pace is keeping the batsmen on their toes. Dhoni places a leg slip for him.

13.35 (IST): Steyn comes down the track and whacks Zaheer for a six over long on. The South African pacer seems to have been sent out with the message to go after the bowling and disrupt the rhythm. He has already charged down the track against Jadeja on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, Kallis leans into an over-pitched delivery and sends it to the cover boundary. With that he takes his score to 90. What a farewell Test this is turning out to be for him.  SA 325-5, trail India by 9 runs.

 

13.20 (IST): Now some reverse swing for Zaheer! It pitches on middle-and-leg stump and moves away from Steyn, who was thoroughly beaten. SA 310-5

13.17 (IST): Sharp turn for Jadeja there. He squares Kallis up as the ball spins past big South African. SA 309-5.

 

13.13 (IST): Zaheer continues from round the wicket to Kallis and shifts to over the wicket while bowling to Steyn. Steyn needs to be wary of the ball slanting both ways. SA 309-5.

13.10 (IST): Jadeja continues, and a 'yes-and-no' mix-up between Kallis and Steyn almost results in a run out. Steyn then steps down the track and hits one over the in-field to the fence for four. SA 308-5.

13.07 (IST): Despite the swing, Zaheer opts to go around the wicket and fires down the leg side to Kallis, who guides it to the fine leg boundary.

13.05 (IST): Some swing for Zaheer there. The ball pitches on leg and straightens but Steve Davis believes it wouldn't have hit the stumps as Zaheer went up in appeal. 300 up for South Africa now.

13.03 (IST): Ravindra Jadeja bowls the second over of the day and keeps his wicket-to-wicket line intact. He is just one scalp away from a fifer. SA 299-5.

13.01 (IST): Rohit Sharma bowls the final ball of his over that was incomplete on Day 3, to kick-off the fourth day.

Based on the evidence on Day 3, South Africa are looking to bat just once in the Durban Test against India. With Jacques Kallis leading the charge, the Proteas are at 299/5, 34 runs behind India's first innings total of 334. After AB de Villiers' (74) departure, the Run Rate drastically reduced.

However Day 4 is likely to be a different matter altogether. Kallis reach 22 runs to reach a century in his final Test and the hosts will go on the attack once he gets there. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja seems to be South Africa's biggest thorn. He took four out of the five wickets that fell on Saturday and is eyeing a five-wicket haul, including the prize scalp of Kallis.



Greatest all-rounder ever?

Former South African captain Shaun Pollock termed Jacques Kallis as the "greatest all-rounder of the modern era" and someone who can only be compared to the contemporary legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara to name a few. "In the modern era, he will go down as the greatest all-rounder, if not the cricketer. I can't compare with others that I didn't see play. I don't know what (Sir Garfield) Sobers was like. From what I have experienced, Kallis was certainly the greatest all-rounder of my generation," Pollock said. He went on to term Kallis as the backbone of the Proteas side.

Happy days are back again

Kallis is also reportedly back with model girlfriend Shamone Jardim. This after the two had earlier opted to part ways. The love has in fact grown and the two reportedly plan to have a happy family life with Kallis opting to retire from Test cricket.

A model and actress by profession, Shamone is not the first woman in Kallis' life. Kallis dated former Miss South Africa 2002 Cindy Nell, and was even engaged to her but he broke the relationship. After that, he dated Miss South Africa 2003 1st runner-up Marisa Eggli for a brief period. Since 2007, Kallis dated Shamone for six years. In June, Kallis and Shamone decided to part ways. Insiders say that this was the reason for Kallis pulling out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in the UK. (Related: Will their wedding take place in India?)

Guard of Honour

Kallis was given a guard of honour by the Indian team in his 166th and final Test match at Kingsmead, Durban. The Indian team arranged themselves in two lines with Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the helm. The Indian skipper shook hands with Kallis while the rest of the Indian squad, along with the two umpires (Steve Davis and Rod Tucker) and non-striker Alviro Petersen, applauded. (Related: Kallis timed his retirement perfectly, says Kirsten)

Kallis was also given a warm round of applause by the sparse crowd at Kingsmead. Fans held up banners with 'King Kallis!' written and cheered his every run. Kallis' former teammate and captain Shaun Pollock tweeted: "Great to see the Respect Shown to Jakes with the Guard of Honour!! Let's hope he plays a typical Kallis Knock!!"