Sachin Tendulkar kept his tryst with a 50th Test century, producing a true gem in extenuating circumstances, but not even his unconquered magnum opus should be able to deny South Africa victory at some stage on Monday’s final morning of the first Test.
The little man translated India’s desire to make a strong statement after their abysmal first-innings effort into reality in the company of his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the visitors launched a stirring third-innings fightback.
Indeed, during their stirring seventh-wicket partnership of 172 (178m, 246b), the possibility of India salvaging a draw loomed on the distant horizon, but the class of Dale Steyn accounted for Dhoni ten short of a deserved century, and the balance had decisively titled the home side’s way when driving rains and gale force winds brought a premature halt to the entertainment.
Overnight 190 for two, India had battled to 454 for eight, no mean accomplishment that; they are, however, still 30 shy of making the Proteas bat again, and despite Tendulkar’s continued towering presence, it is difficult to see the Indians stretch this contest into the second session on the morrow.
Sunday saw Test cricket at its best. There was resolve and gumption from Rahul Dravid, determination, resilience and oodles of intelligent, attractive strokeplay from Tendulkar (107 n.o., 301m, 226b, 13x4, 1x6), and an innings of great flair and fluency that many believed was beyond Dhoni (90, 178m, 106b, 10x4) at the highest level.
There were also some wonderful spells of terrifyingly quick bowling even on a slowing fourth-day track from Steyn in particular and Morne Morkel, none perhaps more decisive than the final spell of the evening when the former produced a snorter that got big on Dhoni, kept following him, brushed his glove and nestled into Mark Boucher’s gloves.
It was a telling strike, a crippling blow to the solar plexus that undid almost all of the spunk and spirit India had shown for most periods of the fourth day, except during a half-hour period before lunch when VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina perished to ill-advised strokes.
Pocket of resistance
Dravid and night watchman Ishant Sharma had provided the first pocket of resistance, the former enjoying the challenge of batting out time against a hostile attack and the latter showing the application that should have done specialist batsmen proud. The Proteas came hard from the off, but the composed Dravid and a slightly lucky Ishant baulked them for nearly three-quarters of an hour when Ishant’s stay was ended by Steyn.
Alongside Tendulkar, who began with a succession of boundaries mainly off the back foot – his favoured mode of strokeplay -- Dravid carried on quite beautifully, judging length and line impeccably and seemingly having booked himself in for the long haul. It needed an absolute beauty from Morkel, an unplayable delivery that shaped in and then left him late after pitching just outside off, to evict the Bangalorean. South Africa’s delight at his dismissal amply illustrated just how much that scalp meant to them.
Laxman wafted loosely outside off and Raina provided catching practice to slip – surely, he has played himself out of the Durban Test – as India went to lunch at 277 for six, 207 behind and the end appearing nigh even though Tendulkar was well entrenched.
That’s when Dhoni took things into his own hands. The Indian captain is effective and efficient; on Sunday, he summoned rare grace too as he drove with elegance down the ground, snatching the initiative and triggering worry-creases on South African brows.
Dhoni was on overdrive all the way through, playing Paul Harris’ left-arm spin too with a felicity that eluded Tendulkar, otherwise in supreme command while both defending and playing sweetly in the arc between third-man and cover, as India went through the second session and a good part of the third wicket losing a wicket.
In a final throw of the dice, with the clouds closing in and a thunderstorm imminent, Graeme Smith turned to Steyn, and his hitman obliged to get rid of Dhoni. Game almost over, even if Tendulkar might have other ideas.