da bwin： An unbeaten 217 by AB de Villiers and his 256-run stand with Jacques Kallis, who made 132, helped South Africa to 494 for 7, a lead of 418
da gbg bet： The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran at Motera04-Apr-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
AB de Villiers ended the day on an unbeaten 217, the highest Test score by a South African against India © AFP
If an Indian team with ambitions to world dominance found the openingday at the Sardar Patel Stadium humiliating, day two was soul-destroying, with aclassy AB de Villiers double-century and a dogged Jacques Kallis hundredunderpinning a relentless South African charge to victory. By the time therain came down to wash away Indian tears, they had rampaged to 494 for 7,with de Villiers still going strong on 217, the highest score by a SouthAfrican against India.In the 77.2 overs bowled in the day, India managed just three wickets, twoof them when the batsmen were in the quest for quick runs after tea. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh picked up one apiece, with Mark Boucher and Morne Morkel trapped leg before, but by then the only question being posed was just how imposingthe lead would be.de Villiers needed just 146 balls for his second hundred, and played somestupendous strokes in the final session. A huge six off Harbhajan landedon the roof at what is a massive venue, and when he was later gifted afull toss that he creamed through cover, the celebrations could begin.That stroke also brought up the 400-run lead, and de Villiers put the sealon an impressive day’s work with a mighty heave off Kumble that soaredinto the empty stand at deep midwicket. As a weary Indian side trudgedoff, a defeat of mammoth proportions beckoned unless they could bat with agreat deal more application at the second time of asking.Kumble and his men could reflect on opportunities that came their wayearly in the proceedings. Harbhajan, the pick of the bowlers, wasdesperately unlucky against both batsmen. Kallis had made just 61 when hefended one awkwardly off the glove, only to see it roll back and strikethe stumps. The bails stayed on, Harbhajan held his head, and the chancehad gone. In his very next over, an offbreak went right through deVilliers, missing the stumps by a whisker.Irfan Pathan was insipid with the old ball, and Kumble soon replaced himat the other end, but the runs slowly started to mount as the pitch showedfew signs of menace. de Villiers cut Harbhajan for four, and Kumble wasthen far from thrilled as a Kallis cover-drive was fumbled over the ropeby Sourav Ganguly.Despite slightly overcast conditions, Kumble didn’t call on Sreesanth. Bythe time the new ball was taken after 81.2 overs, whatever little moisturethat might have been in the pitch was long gone. Sreesanth soon made animpact too, striking Kallis on the shoulder with a bouncer and then havingan excellent leg-before shout turned down.Once the initial threat posed by the new ball passed, the runs camefreely. de Villiers flicked RP Singh for four and then glanced Sreesanthfine, before Kallis highlighted his power with two contemptuous pulls forfour. On the stroke of lunch, Ganguly came on, and a paddle down to fineleg saw de Villiers reach his fifth Test century.Kallis was on 97 at the time, and the 30th century that took him past SirDonald Bradman arrived soon after the interval, with a magnificentcover-drive for four off Ganguly. It had been a stolid and at timesfortuitous effort, spanning 228 balls, but vital in the context of thematch after Harbhajan’s three quick wickets on the first afternoon.The 200-run partnership came from 401 balls, and the runs were milked withease after that. Pathan was pedestrian at best and Kumble merelyrestrictive. Both men played the sweep with increasing confidence and itwas quite bizarre that Sreesanth, the most effective Indian pace bowler onview, was called on only an hour and ten minutes after lunch.Kallis swatted the first ball for four, and when an edge then streakedpast slip, Sreesanth’s frustration boiled over. But instead ofself-destructing, he used the anger to produce a gem of a delivery thatlifted from outside off stump and caught Kallis in two minds. By the timehe tried to arc the bat away, it was too late and the inside edge cannonedinto the stumps. He had batted six hours, and the partnership of 256 wasSouth Africa’s highest against India, surpassing the 236 that GaryKirsten, currently India’s coach, and Andrew Hudson added at the EdenGardens in 1996-97.A sparse crowd watched it all with a mixture of frustration and reluctantadmiration, and there was something forlorn about the few Indian flagsbeing waved in the stands on a day when dreams of global conquestevaporated in egg-frying heat.
