India snatch thrilling win
by Jason Humphries 15 January 2011, 21:54
India staged a remarkable fightback to snatch a thrilling one-run win over South Africa in the second MTN one-day international at Bidvest Wanderers in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Match Highlights
Full Scoring
South Africa, chasing 191 for victory, had looked comfortable on 120 for three in the 25th over. But the home side lost their last seven wickets for the addition of 69 runs to be bowled out for 189 in 43 overs.
Seamer Munaf Patel finished with figures of four for 29 off eight overs as India levelled the five-match series at 1-1.
Graeme Smith starred with the bat for the Proteas with 77 off 98 balls but his was the fifth wicket to fall when he dragged a wide delivery from Patel back onto his stumps as the South Africa innings fell apart.
David Miller (27) top-edged a delivery from left-arm quick Zaheer Khan to short fine leg before Johan Botha (4) was unlucky to be given out leg-before off the bowling of Zaheer with television replays showing that the ball had hit the outside edge of Botha’s bat, not his pad.
The Proteas were staggering on 163 for seven, needing 28 runs to win with just three wickets in hand.
Dale Steyn (6) and Wayne Parnell (12) put on 14 runs for the eighth-wicket to raise the home fans’ hopes of a victory before Steyn (6) was run out attempting a quick single to mid-on as he was well beaten by Murali Vijay’s throw to the bowler’s end.
Parnell and Morne Morkel (6) looked to have swung the match back in the Proteas’ favour by scoring 11 runs for the ninth wicket.
But with just three runs needed to win Morkel slapped a Patel delivery to point before the bowler wrapped the match up four balls later when he had Parnell caught at gully.
STARTING THE SLIDE
After the early loss of Hashim Amla (4), Smith and Colin Ingram (25) tore into India’s bowling attack with a second-wicket stand of 59 off 10.2 overs.
But Ingram was trapped leg-before by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh before AB de Villiers (8) edged a delivery from left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra through to keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Smith and JP Duminy (13) looked to have steadied the innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 43 before Duminy holed out to long-on off the bowling of off-spinner Rohit Sharma to start South Africa’s slide.
Zaheer provided Patel with wonderful support to finish with figures of two for 37 off nine overs.
Smith said he was extremely disappointed at the way the match finished after his team had done so well in the field.
"I thought we were great in the field today and with the ball. It was an excellent performance but, instead of searching for that glory, we needed to be a bit more solid," he said of their batting performance.
"I think there was a lot of decision making that we didn't do well tonight with the bat and we need to look at that.
HEART OF THE COLLAPSE
Lonwabo Tsotsobe had earlier dismantled India as the visitors were bowled out for 190.
Tsotsobe followed up his four wickets in the first match of the series by returning career-best figures of four for 22 off 10 overs with two maidens as India were dismissed in the 48th over, with 16 balls of their innings remaining.
The 26-year-old Tsotsobe was at the heart of a collapse from the visitors that saw them lose their last seven wickets for 40 runs and their last six wickets for just 21 runs.
Left-arm seamer Tsotsobe was well supported by fellow quicks Steyn (9.2-1-35-2) and Morkel (8-0-32-2) while off-spinner Botha (10-0-35-1) bowled with superb control.
Yuvraj Singh, who top-scored with 53 off 68 balls, was the one batsman to really trouble the Proteas as he shared in a fourth-wicket stand of 83 with his skipper Dhoni (38).
But the left-handed Yuvraj perished in the 37th over when he was caught at mid-off, off the bowling of Tsotsobe.
After Dhoni had won the toss and elected to bat, Tsotsobe, who shared new ball duties with Steyn, found appreciable bounce on a wicket which was a touch two-paced while he made clever use of off-cutters to take the pace off the ball in the latter stages of the innings.
Vijay (16) was Tsotsobe’s first victim when he was caught at mid-on before Virat Kohli (22) was run out at the keeper’s end after a direct hit from Miller fielding at cover point.
Sachin Tendulkar compiled a watchful 24 off 44 balls before he chopped a Botha delivery on to his stumps to leave India on 67 for three.
Dhoni and Yuvraj looked to have steadied the innings as Yuvraj brought up his 45th ODI fifty off 67 balls but he departed to the next ball that he faced.
The tall Tsotsobe then trapped Suresh Raina (11) lbw before he bowled Dhoni off an inside edge to complete his fourth four-wicket haul in ODIs.
Smith applauded Tsotsobe for his efforts after the paceman picked up eight wickets in the first two matches of the series.
"Lopsy (Tsotsobe) bowled really well for us in Abu Dhabi and Dubai against Pakistan and he's really carried that confidence through here," the skipper said.
"He's gaining confidence and the rest of the guys in the field supported him really well.
"It was terrific to see him do so well and see our fielding performance again.
"I thought it was really good, so it was all the more disappointing to watch us finish the game. It was really frustrating."
The series now shifts to Newlands in Cape Town with the two teams set to clash on Tuesday.
Teams
South Africa - Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Colin Ingram, AB de Villiers (wk), JP Duminy, David Miller, Johan Botha, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
India - Sachin Tendulkar, Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel.
