Kolkata: Hashim Amla was just 9 balls away from completing one of the best rearguard actions in test history but it wasn’t to be. India managed to keep him away from the strike, although Virender Sehwag’s actions on the field when he kicked the ball over the boundary rope were against the spirit of the game, and kept chipping with wickets from the other end to complete a series-levelling win by an innings and 58 runs in the second and final test at the Eden Gardens to retain their number one status in test cricket.

India, who needed seven wickets on the final day to win the game, were made to work hard for every wicket and it wasn’t until the fag end of the day that they had their moment of glory as Hashim Amla, scoring his third consecutive hundred and probably the best among the three, almost carried South Africa home with a heroic effort. Amla stayed at the crease for more than 8 hours in his innings of 127 not out during which he faced 394 deliveries.

India just couldn’t get Amla out. So, they did the clever thing of not even trying to! India, taking the field with just three bowlers with Zaheer Khan pulling a leg muscle before the beginning of the day, led by Harbhajan Singh, found a way around Amla, leaving him stranded at one end. With just 9 mandatory balls to be bowled, Harbhajan Singh trapped Morne Morkel, who had resisted for 76-minutes with Amla, with a slider that went straight-on and hit Morkel right in front of the wickets. As the finger went up, the capacity Eden crowd erupted in thunderous applause and the Indian team tried to catch hold of Harbhajan, who almost ran all the way back to Punjab in his victory lap!

It didn’t come easy for India and one has to give it to them for showing immense fighting spirit. The Indian bowlers, who have often been accused of not being good enough to retain the No. 1 ranking for India, bowled their hearts out. Spinners Harbhajan Singh (5/59) and Amit Mishra (3/84) were the wreckers-in-chief as they ripped through the South African middle order but it was the spirited resistance from Amla and the tail-enders that delayed the victory. The last three South African wickets batted out 53.3 overs and it was only the never-say-die attitude of the Indian bowlers that got them home.

But among all the carnage, one man stood defiant. He was out on a mission to reclaim the No. 1 spot for his team. The 8 hours and 19 minutes that he spent at the wicket during this innings took the total time that he has spent at the crease in this series to 23 hours and 22 minutes. Hashim Amla did all that he could to save the game for South Africa and only if he had got better support from the other end, he would have! It was a remarkable effort by Amla who not only notched up his 10th Test ton but showed amazing temperament and skill to negotiate the Indian bowlers on a fifth day Eden Gardens track.

Amla, however, achieved the rare feat of scoring centuries in all the innings he played in the series. He was deservedly named the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series.

India, on the other hand, showed a lot of character to bounce back the way they did. They lost in Nagpur by an innings inside four days. Coming to Kolkata, they had everything to lose. Luck clearly wasn’t on their side with weather playing spoilsport throughout the match, the fourth day almost washed out completely, and then losing their bowling spearhead on the final day.

If not anything else, with this win, India proved once and for all, that they deserve to be No. 1 team in test cricket.

Match Summary:

India 643 for 6 dec (Sehwag 165, Laxman 143*, Dhoni 132*, Tendulkar 106) beat South Africa 296 (Amla 114, Petersen 100, Zaheer 4-90, Harbhajan 3-64) and 289 (Amla 127*, Harbhajan 5-59, Mishra 3-78) by an innings and 58 runs

Man of the Match: Hashim Amla

Man of the Series: Hashim Amla

Tagged with: Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh, Hashim Amla, India, Kolkata, Morne Morkel, South Africa

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