India skipper had suspected the white kookaburra ball would behave differently in daylight and floodlights as visitors crashed to a 135-run defeat against South Africa
India skipper had suspected the white kookaburra ball would behave differently in daylight and floodlights as visitors crashed to a 135-run defeat against South Africa
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni's suspicions of the white Kookaburra ball behaving conversely in broad daylight, and later under floodlights, were firmly established as India crashed to a 135-run defeat against South Africa in the first of five one-dayers here at Kingsmead last night. Chasing a record target of 290, India were bowled out for 154.
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| South Africa's Lonwabo Tsotsobe (right) celebrates after dismissing Sachin Tendulkar during the first ODI at Kingsmead yesterday. Pic/AFP |
Despite a member of the ground staff denying theories of the Indian Ocean's tidal impact playing a colossal role in outcome of day-night encounters, history repeated itself. Since December 2002, only four teams have won while batting first at this ground. India's seamers got minimal support after Graeme Smith elected to bat, but South Africa's trio of Dale Steyn (2-29), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (4-31) and Morne Morkel (2-12) made the ball dart around prodigiously leaving India in tatters at 43-4 inside 11 overs.
Tsotsobe was adjudged Man of the Match for his four victims ufffd Sachin Tendulkar (7), Suresh Raina (32), Zaheer Khan (6) and Ashish Nehra (1).
Virat Kohli (54) displayed courage in driving the ball on the rise in punishing rare loose balls with authority, but perished in an attempt to accelerate the scoring rate when he holed out to Graeme Smith at midwicket off Steyn during the batting power-play.
There was more bad luck for India, courtesy Rohit Sharma (11) and Dhoni (25), the two batsmen who began constructing potentially healthy partnerships with Kohli. Firstly, Sharma fell to a shocking caught-behind dismissal off Morkel, while Wayne Parnell got a hand to a straight drive from the Indian skipper just before the half-way stage. Dhoni's run-out ended a 52-run stand and meant it was game over for India. Suresh Raina struck 32 runs off 36 balls, but it was in a lost cause.
Earlier, a blazing half-centuries from Hashim Amla (50), AB de Villiers (76) and JP Duminy (73) powered the hosts to 289-9, a total that was truncated enormously by India's spin quartet of Harbhajan Singh, Raina, Sharma and Yuvraj Singh, who between them sent down 27 overs for just 139 runs, and allowed South Africa only 56 runs in their last 10 overs.
Amla ka hamla
South Africa had raced along to 82-2 inside 14 overs with local boy Amla continuing his golden run, until Munaf Patel (2-36) kept the batsmen on a tight leash. Munaf was smart in keeping the ball a little short off driving length, which propelled the batsmen to manufacture strokes.
Munaf removed Ingram, who top-edged a pull, in the 12th over, and dismissed Amla in his next over. Amla, as he had done a few times, shuffled forward and across but miscued an intended big hit and couldn't clear mid-on. Only a special piece of cricket could've dislodged a red-hot Amla and Harbhajan produced that when he ran back from mid-on to take a stunning catch.
Thereafter, de Villiers and Duminy added the 131 runs together with the turning point coming between overs 28 and 33 when they blasted 45 runs off the batting power-play. De Villiers holed out to Harbhajan at deep mid-wicket off Rohit in the 36th over, but had already set up the platform for a
big total.
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