VVS, who has been the Australian nemesis for the past decade, played a ‘Very Very Special’ innings and almost singlehandedly covered India’s run chase of 216.

Sachin Tendulkar (38) and Zaheer Khan (10) started the innings in a positive manner. Rather than trying to defend in the first hour, both were keen on playing their shots. While Tendulkar struck some well-timed boundaries off Nathan Hauritz, Zaheer ran a couple and a few singles to keep the scoreboard moving.

Zaheer hung around for half an hour and it looked like the nightwatchman’s vigil would allow MS Dhoni and Laxman ease into the 216-run chase. But Michael Clarke took an easy catch off Hauritz to dismiss him in the slip.

Then came Laxman and the manner in which he started, it never looked like he was suffering from back spasms and unbearable pain for the last couple of days. He announced his arrival with back-to-back boundaries off Hauritz; first a cover drive and then a back-foot punch through the extra cover. The best one came with the back-foot punch off Bollinger which was hit with minimum fuss.

With Tendulkar for company, the duo added 43 runs in only 6.1 overs and it looked like India was in cruise mode for a while. Tendulkar’s 38-run knock in 64 balls included five hits to the boundary. He was the man who carried Indian hopes of victory. It seemed he wanted to silence the critics who have questioned his ability to finish off matches in the fourth innings of a Test match.

However, just before the first drinks break of the morning session, Tendulkar tried an ambitious upper-cut off Bollinger delivery that rose but didn’t get the required elevation and Mike Hussey took a smart catch at gully.

Tendulkar’s wicket was exactly the tonic Aussies needed to spur themselves on.
The visitors absolutely pounced on to the opening and went on a wicket-taking spree, running out Dhoni (2) in a suicidal attempt by the Indian skipper for a single. He was found short of Ben Hilfenhaus’ throw into Tim Paine’s gloves, who removed the bails in quick time.

Harbhajan Singh also didn’t last long, gloving a Bollinger short ball to Ricky Ponting at second slip.

But the turning point on day five came when Ishant Sharma strode in at the fall of Harbhajan’s wicket. The long-legged pacer not only buckled down but also put on 81 runs for the ninth-wicket along with Laxman, hitting a few plucky fours in the match-winning partnership.

India needed under 15 when Ishant fell but it was a day that Pragyan Ojha would like to remember forever. He fought a few nervy overs but to his credit, stayed put with Laxman. The Aussies conceded a boundary off an overthrow when Indian needed six. And with two needed, a delivery down Ojha’s leg stump was all that the left-armer needed to give him two leg-byes that took India to a historic win.

Team India now lead by 1-0 against Australia in the Gavaskar-Border trophy 2010. The second and final test between two countries will start from October 9 in Bengaluru.

Match score

India 405 (Tendulkar 98, Raina 86, Johnson 5-64) and 216 for 9 (Laxman 73*, Hilfenhaus 4-57, Bollinger 3-32) beat Australia 428 (Watson 126, Paine 92, Zaheer 5-94) and 192 (Watson 56, Ishant 3-34, Zaheer 3-43) by 1 wicket

India drew the three-match series 1-1 after registering a five-wicket win over the hosts in the final Test at P Sara Oval in Colombo on Saturday.

“Sachin, Laxman and Dravid continue to give the Indian batting line-up the ‘monstrous’ look that it has and that showed. The way Laxman batted in the third Test at P Sara Oval was really commendable. The Indian team looked like a unit,” Akram said.

“The best thing about them is that they have gelled well with the youngsters. The team’s performance is uppermost in their minds,” Akram told a website.

The 44-year-old, however, felt that the poor turnout in the series made it a rather boring experience.

“The 1-1 result was a fair result. But the wickets, the poor turnouts and the general atmosphere made it a rather boring series. Except for some personal landmarks that determined the outcome of the matches and Muralitharan’s retirement, the series was nothing much to write about,” the legendary pacer said.

Akram rejected suggestions that Sri Lankan spinner Suraj Randiv is a good replacement for retired spin-wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.

“I am hearing a bit about Suraj Randiv. I haven’t seen him much, so I would not like to comment, but anybody who takes wickets against a strong Indian line-up, must have a lot of promise. But, for God’s sake, do not start saying he is a good replacement for Murali. 800 Test wickets is simply mind boggling,” Akram said.

India had lost the first Test at Galle by 10 wickets, while the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo had been drawn.

Meanwhile, commenting on Pakistan’s performance in the ongoing four-match Test series against England, Akram said the English conditions would present a tough challenge to the young Pakistani side, especially batsmen. “The series against England will be a stiff test for the young Pakistan team. The team struggled throughout the second Test at Birmingham,” Akram said.

He also trained his gun towards Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), planning to rope in a full-time batting coach.

“Pakistan doesn’t need a batting coach. By introducing a coach, the technique of our batsmen will not change overnight. Obviously, Pakistan’s poor show in England has inspired the PCB to mull over an exclusive batting coach. But I wonder how a coach will radically change the technique needed to negotiate a moving ball in English conditions… I don’t think a batting coach will do any good.”

Laxman cracked a fighting unbeaten 103 and anchored the innings brilliantly, while Sachin Tendulkar (54) and Suresh Raina (41 not out) gave him the perfect support from the other end as India defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets to level the three-match Test series 1-1.

Dhoni said Laxman, who was struggling for runs in the series, always has the habit of coming up with something special when it mattered most for the team.

“He (Laxman) proved today why he is called very very special. He always comes up with innings that have a huge bearing on the game. It was very important for him to score runs as the team needed it most to level the series. I think it is a very special innings. Hopefully, he plays plenty more innings like this for us,” the jubilant Indian skipper said. “I think the way he batted he paced his innings really well. He was struggling a bit with back spasms but still he wanted to go on without a runner. But after lunch, there was a time when he had to go for a runner. I think there was pain and pressure at the same time.”

Dhoni was also full of praise for Tendulkar and Raina, who played a vital role in the victory along with Laxman.

“I think Sachin too batted really well and after he got out, Raina came in and supported Laxman. Raina batted well. In the initial few balls, he played a few big shots but after that he calmed himself down and batted sensibly,” he said.

He said the win was the result of a collective effort and both his batsmen and bowlers did their bit. “If we had lost this series, it would have been because of our batting line up not performing really well. If it was a draw series which meant that both the batsmen and the bowlers did decently,” Dhoni observed.

“I think in the first Test, the batsmen could have done much better. I cannot really complain about the bowlers because in all the three Test matches, we bowled first on a fresh track where there was not much help for the fast bowlers initially, or the spinners. But this was one track where there was a bit of help for the spinners right from the very first day,” he said. “After the disappointment of the first Test, both the bowling and the batting department picked up and did really well in the rest of the series.”

Dhoni said although there was purchase for the spinners throughout the five days of the match, batting became easy once the ball got soft.

“Once the ball gets soft it doesn’t do that much compared to the new hard ball. When (Ajantha) Mendis came in to bowl, the ball got soft and so the spinners were not getting the same amount of turn with the kind of speed which they should have got,” he said. “We all knew if we could absorb the pressure of those initial few overs, it would be relatively easy to bat.”

Playing only his second Test, Suraj Randiv impressed all and sundry with figures of nine for 162 and Dhoni too, lauded the off-spinner for his effort, but said the Indian batsmen were experienced enough to tackle his threat.

“Randiv bowled really well. But we have got a batting line up where most of the players have played over 100 Tests. Some are very close to playing 100 Tests. So, they are experienced enough to make their own plans,” he said. “The first few overs were very important because the ball was quite hard which meant the spinners got a bit of bounce and turn. We just wanted to go through the initial overs and play our shots when the ball gets soft.”

Laxman defied cramps and anchored the innings brilliantly to notch up his 16th Test hundred, while Sachin Tendulkar (54) and Suresh Raina (41 not out) were the other notable contributors as the visitors overhauled a target of 257 about 10 minutes before the tea break.

Raina clobbered Chanaka Welegedara for a six to hand Sri Lanka their first at P Sara Oval Stadium since August 1994, triggering scenes of celebration in the Indian dressing room.

Chasing 257 on a rather difficult fifth day track, the Indians recovered from early blows suffered yesterday with a 109-run partnership between Laxman and Tendulkar that laid the foundation of the win.

But on the flip side, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men could not break the 17-year-old jinx of not winning a series in the island nation.

Resuming the chase from Friday’s 53 for three, India lost night-watchman Ishant Sharma (4) early on the Saturday morning. Ishant was caught at short mid-wicket by Kumar Sangakkara off Suraj Randiv in the morning.

Tendulkar and Laxman then took it upon themselves to steady the ship and steer a successful chase. Tendulkar was the more cautious of the two veteran right-handers taking 106 deliveries to reach his 55th Test half century. He didn’t celebrate much on reaching the milestone but the Indian dressing room was up in applause for another of the iconic batsman’s match-winning contributions.

145 for four at lunch, India still had some distance to cover before getting to the target and there was a bit of drama to come immediately after the break. Tendulkar was dismissed when Randiv flighted one outside the leg stump and the little master, attempting a sweep shot, ended up gloving one to wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

Tendulkar’s contribution to the win ended at 54 which came off 122 balls and included three fours.

But the ever-dependable Laxman ensured that his illustrious partner’s dismissal did not trigger another dramatic collapse. The stylish Hyderabadi scored freely and his fifty, which came while Tendulkar was there at the other end, came off just 81 balls in the post-lunch session.

Joined by the in-form Raina, who scored a century on debut in the drawn second Test, Laxman ensured that the boundaries kept coming for India at regular intervals and he alone collected 12 of them.

The 35-year-old’s body, however, started troubling him after he reached 60. Laxman was down on ground in pain before the 52nd over due to a lower back problem, which required the physio’s assistance. But the gritty batsman continued nonetheless with Virender Sehwag as his runner.

He reached his century off 146 deliveries by striking consecutive fours off Mendis in the 68th over.

Raina, on the other hand, rode his luck, getting away with some edges that flew over fielders to play his role in the final outcome with a 45-ball 41, which included four boundaries and a six. The 23-year-old left-hander has created a selection headache in the team by outperforming the injury-prone and desperately out-of-form Yuvraj Singh.

Laxman remained unbeaten at the other end, facing 149 deliveries in all.

Sri Lankan bowlers paid the price for not being attacking enough and though Randiv managed to pick up five wickets conceding just 82 runs in his 29 overs, others, including the much-feared pacer Lasith Malinga and Mendis, failed to provide the breakthroughs.

Match Summary:

India 436 (Sehwag 109, Raina 62, Randiv 4-80) and 258 for 5 (Laxman 103*, Tendulkar 54, Randiv 5-82) beat Sri Lanka 425 (Samaraweera 137*, Sangakkara 75, Ojha 4-115) and 267 (Samaraweera 83, Mendis 78) by five wickets

Man of the Match: VVS Laxman

Man of the Series: Virender Sehwag

Tendulkar (108 not out) showed immense character and temperament to score his first century on Sri Lankan soil in 11 years, as he anchored the Indian innings brilliantly to help them reach 382 for 4 at close on the third day, still needing 61 runs to avoid the follow on.

Virender Sehwag missed his century by just one run, while debutant Suresh Raina was the other notable performer with a sparkling unbeaten 66.

It was a much-improved display by the Indians who made sure that there was no repeat of Galle where the famed batting order had succumbed rather tamely. Raina was giving Tendulkar company at stumps on a day which saw 287 runs being scored and four wickets falling at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.

On Day 4, India’s first objective will be to avoid the follow and then come as close as possible to Sri Lanka’s mammoth first innings total of 642 for four declared. If India carry on in the same way tomorrow, a draw appears to be the only result possible as the track has shown no signs of breaking up.

After Sehwag provided the early fireworks, it was master blaster Sachin Tendulkar who stole the show with a fine exhibition of strokeplay and application to save the blushes for India who were in a spot of bother at one stage.

Tendulkar made the most of a dropped chance when he was on 29, wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene spilling a simple catch off Dilhara Fernando. But that was the only blemish from the star batsman, as he gradually opened up to unleash a flurry of strokes.

The champion batsmen had last scored a century in Sri Lanka in 1999 at the same venue.

Resuming at the overnight score of 95 for no loss in response to Sri Lanka’s mammoth 642 for four declared, the Indians got off to a solid start, with Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay putting on a 165-run opening partnership.

But the script changed dramatically just half an hour before the lunch break, with the visitors losing Sehwag (99), Vijay (58) and Rahul Dravid (3) in quick succession, with debutant off-spinner Suraj Randiv striking twice.

Sehwag, who resumed at overnight 64, looked set for a big innings, but missed out on his 21st Test century by attempting a reckless shot. Ajantha Mendis gave the second shock to the visitors by trapping the well-set Vijay and Dravid got out in the same fashion off Randiv just two overs before lunch.

Sehwag, who was dropped on 89, made his 99 from 101 balls with the help of 15 fours.

From a comfortable 165 for no loss, the Indians suddenly slumped to 173 for three, raising fears of another batting collapse.

But the seasoned duo of Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman came to India’s rescue by batting cautiously against the Lankan bowlers on the placid Sinhalese Sports Club ground. The experienced pair almost batted through the second session but Ajantha Mendis broke the slow 68-run stand by trapping Laxman 10 minutes before tea break.

Match Summary:

India 382 for 4 (Tendulkar 108*, Sehwag 99, Raina 66*) trail Sri Lanka 642 for 4 decl by 260 runs

One has to keep in mind, though, that the victories were against the two struggling teams at the bottom of the table, Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab. Deccan is quite in form and one would need a lot more ammunition to up a winner.

But RR has plenty of hope — Shaun Tait and Michael Lumb have begun making RR shine even in absence of key players like Graeme Smith and Dmitri Mascarenhas. The inclusion of Adam Voges too, has been a good decision, as was witnessed in RR’s last match opposite Kings XI. There are expectations from Yusuf Pathan as well. And even though Munaf Patel had a poor game against Punjab, he is seen as a senior bowler in the Rajasthan camp, so he is likely to be given more matches.

Deccan, on the other hand, whose batting unit piled on at least 170 in each of their past three games, has Andrew Symonds as their very sound investment. Symonds has been Man-of-the-Match in the past two matches, and made a brisk half-century and snagged two wickets, including that of MS Dhoni, in the win against Chennai. Chaminda Vaas too, has been in good form which is offsetting RP Singh’s bad one. Gilchrist may face a bit of a dilemma as to who to pick as his opening partner; Monish Mishra failed in the previous game, and the other option is VVS Laxman.

The combinations seem interesting and the match looks like a treat to IPL fans this evening at 8 pm. RR record shows a WWLLL while that of in-form Deccan stands at WWWL. And if Rajasthan get a winner this time, they will only be two points off the top spot.

Kirsten said with South Africa 115 for three and still trailing by 232 runs, India held the edge but all would hinge on how many overs’ play is possible on the final day. “We are in a pretty good position, we have got them three down and now we need just seven more wickets. It all depends on how much time we have,” said Kirsten.

Asked how many overs he thinks India would require to claim the remaining seven South African wickets, Kirsten said, “Hopefully we will need 40 or 50. But it’s very difficult with this weather.”

The Indian coach, however, believes that getting rid of South Africa’s batting mainstay, Jacques Kallis, just before the close of play was a big relief for the team. “It was handy getting Kallis out before the bad light. They got some good players all the way through,” he said.

Kirsten also lavished praise on his spinners and said the entire bowling unit would go all out for victory. “Amit (Mishra) bowled really good today and so did Harbhajan (Singh). With the two of them bowling really well and Ishant (Sharma) and Zaheer (Khan) adding to attack, we are really in a good position. It’s only about how many overs available to us tomorrow,” he said.

Kirsten said overall the team played well in this Test and they need to keep up the good work on Thursday. “We have had a very good Test, we played good cricket all the way through. We have done what we felt we needed to do. As anyone knows, we are in a good position and obviously we would like to close it up giving our best shot in the amount of time we have got,” he said.

He said that the first target would be to remove Hashim Amla, who has been in tremendous form and is holding the fort for South Africa with an unbeaten 49. “He is a quality player, he has played quality cricket this series and he is in really good form. It’s up to us to make sure that we bowl them out. We have to bowl a lot of balls in good areas so that we can put them under pressure and get them out,” he said.

After the disappointing innings and six-run loss in Nagpur, India put on a vastly improved show here and Kirsten said the players just worked on the areas they could have done better in.

“There was disappointment. There was a bit of talk around and they said they would sort it out. It’s amazing how Test match cricket works. Funny things happen. South Africa were 218 for one and then we were able to turn it around. This team is playing with a lot of pride at the moment, we are proud at the way they are going about their performances,” he said.

He said that the way India has bounced back in the series reaffirms why India is the number one team in test cricket.

“We did not become the number one Test team out of nothing. We have got guys who have got ranking records. I think we are very proud of our performances. We had a wobble in the last test, we were unfortunate with injuries as well, losing quite a few experienced players. But we bounced back. We can take a lot of pride in the guys who were really determined to bounce back. This team has shown over a while now that when they are back to the wall they can bounce back. I am happy not only for the batsmen but for the bowlers as well,” Kirsten said.

Kirsten also hailed the return of VVS Laxman who had an unbeaten century to his name in India’s big total of 643-6 declared. “He is a high quality player. It was great to have him back. We know what he can do and what he is capable of,” he said.

Before the start of the series, South African adventure-explorer Mike Horn had given the team a pep talk to square off the series and Kirsten also took the occasion to thank him.

“It was just fantastic to listen to him. Paddy (Upton) organised it for the team. The guys were really inspired by him. The timing just worked well. He is quite a busy man, at the moment he is travelling around the world. He just happened to be in this area this time. Paddy knows him quite well, it just happened. The guys really enjoyed his inspirational stuff. We enjoyed having him around,” Kirsten said.

Laxman, who cracked an unbeaten 143, and Dhoni (132 not out) helped India post a mammoth 643 for six in reply to South Africa’s 296 before the hosts declared their first innings on the third day at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.

“I think he (Dhoni) is the most destructive batsman in the world at the moment. He is a like an all-rounder and is so destructive as a batsman that puts any opposition under pressure,” Laxman told reporters after the third day’s play. “You can see the body language of the bowlers whenever Dhoni gets in. They become very defensive in the way they bowl and field. We are really happy that he is coming in at number seven and doing the required job.”

Laxman, who continued his love affair with the Eden scoring his fourth hundred at the venue, was also impressed with the temperament of his skipper.

“It’s also good that he is converting those fifties into big hundreds. It’s also good that whenever he gets a hundred, he gets it in quick time. It’s great when a number seven batsman comes in and destroys the opposition,” he said. “Everyone in our team has specific role. It’s important that we play to our strength. We don’t try to copy or emulate, that’s the beauty of our team which has a unique style. But our ultimate aim is to deliver for the team.”

Laxman also praised leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who chipped in with valuable 28 as a nightwatchman, saying that it was Mishra who brought the momentum back to the side after some quick wickets.

“It was crucial in the morning as we had lost three quick wickets yesterday. Mishra really played well and got the momentum back to the side with some of his attacking shots. Then my partnership with MS (Dhoni) took the game away from South Africans. I am always happy to take the team out of a tough situation,” Laxman, who shared a 47-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Mishra, said.

Asked to compare the bowling attacks of Australians and South Africans, Laxman said, “It’s very difficult to compare. Both the attacks were very good. It’s always good to get runs against such quality attacks. They have got bowlers who bowl at more than 145 kmph.”

Laxman also sounded confident when asked about where the game is heading from here, saying that the Eden pitch was fast deteriorating, which is encouraging for the Indian spinners as they will get a chance to clinch the match.

“The pitch is definitely deteriorating. There will be lot of assistance for the spinners without doubt. I am sure our quality spinners will be able to exploit the condition,” Laxman said. “Any Indian track on the fourth day becomes slow. There is a lot of help for spinners which is really encouraging. Especially from the far end, there will be help for our spinners.”

“There will be a tough fight without doubt. But we are quite confident that our bowlers will do the job like they did on first day. We are not looking to finish off tomorrow. There is enough time to bowl them out,” Laxman added.

He also complimented curator Prabir Mukherjee, who had been hogging the limelight with some controversies over the pitch, for preparing a sporting wicket. “The wicket has played really true. There was really value for shots and for spinners there was help. For medium pacers also, on the first day, there was some assistance. The curator has done a tremendous job,” he said.

Asked how tough was to make a comeback after a defeat in the last Test in Nagpur and what was the team strategy, Laxman said, “We were quite positive when we went into the Test. Yes, everyone was quite disappointed with the way we lost the Test in Nagpur. We just regrouped and wanted to do the things which we have been doing in the last two years. That’s what we did. First, it was important to score a lot of runs in the first innings to put pressure on South Africa,” he said.

When quizzed about South Africans being sloppy on the field and dropping catches, which is something that is not expected of them, Laxman said, “These are part and parcel of matches. We should not take away the credit from our batters for the way they stuck in there and delivered the goods. The partnership between Gautam and Viru set us up nicely yesterday. Then Sachin and Viru dominated the bowling. We stuck to our plans and we just wanted to bat as long as possible and put pressure on South Africa. We are really happy to do that.”

This was only the second instance when four Indian batsmen scored centuries in the same innings. Laxman and Dhoni joined Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who had scored centuries on the second day. With this hundred, Laxman took his tally of runs at the Eden Gardens to 1041 at an astonishing average of 94.63. He has now scored four hundreds in the nine tests he has played at his favourite venue.

India eventually declared their first innings at 643 for 6, with Laxman unbeaten on 143, his 15^th test hundred, and Dhoni unbeaten on 132, his fourth hundred. The duo added a record 259 runs for the seventh wicket.

Staring at a massive deficit of 347 runs, South Africa faced just five balls in their second innings before bad light stopped play. At the draw of stumps, the tourists were 6 without loss with Graeme Smith on 5 and Alviro Petersen on 1. They still need 341 runs to make India bat again and it would require a miraculous batting performance by them on the fourth and fifth days to come back into this game.

South Africa could manage only one wicket, that of night-watchman Amit Mishra, in the entire day, and their bowlers weren’t helped much by the dropped chances which proved very costly. Laxman added 95 more runs after he was dropped while Dhoni added 105 after his reprieve. Add to that the 118 that Virender Sehwag added yesterday after the chance that he got and South Africa wouldn’t have been in this position at the end of the third day.

Resuming on the overnight score of 342 for 5, the day began with night watchman Mishra hitting a quick-fire 38-ball 28 to put on a 48-run sixth wicket partnership with Laxman. But once he was dismissed caught at slip by Kallis, who earlier dropped him on 23, South Africa took the new ball and Dale Steyn started swinging it.

But Laxman, who has produced some of his classiest knocks at Eden, and the Indian skipper Dhoni, were in no mood to let go of this opportunity to win the test and level the series. Both of them paced their innings brilliantly and the score of 643 for six turned out to be India’s highest-ever total against South Africa, eclipsing the previous best of 628 at Chennai in 2008.

One felt sorry for the South African bowlers as Laxman and Dhoni literally started toying with the bowling after reaching their hundreds. In fact, there came a stage when Dhoni even started turning down singles to Laxman! From 100 off 203, Laxman went to 143 off 260 while Dhoni went from 100 off 159 to 132 off 187.

If India manages to win the Test, they will retain their number one position in the ICC Test rankings. However, if the South Africans draw or win the match and clinch the series 1-0 or 2-0, they will dislodge India from the number one position.

Match Summary:

South Africa 296 and 6 for 0 trail India 643 for 6 dec. (Laxman 143*, Dhoni 132*, Sehwag 165, Tendulkar 106) by 341 runs

South Africa, resuming on their overnight score of 266 for 9, were bowled out for 296. Sehwag storm then struck the tourists with full flow and blew away the Proteas as the Delhi dasher notched up his 13^th 150-plus score in test cricket. On the one hand, Sehwag was wrecking havoc on the South African bowlers and on the other, Sachin was just coolly going about his business. The master and his protégé added 249 runs for the third wicket but once their partnership was broken, South Africa struck back with three quick wickets towards the end of the day.

But both Sehwag and Tendulkar (106) fell at the fag end of the day alongwith S Badrinath to allow the visitors to claw back into the game to some extent.

Sehwag fell to part-time bowler J P Duminy with Ashwell Prince taking a simple catch in the covers. His 174-ball 165 contained 23 boundaries and two sixes. Tendulkar also returned to the pavilion soon after completing his century, his fifth against South Africa, with Harris plotting his dismissal. The star batsman edged the ball to Jacques Kallis in the slip as he tried to play an inside-out shot off Harris. Tendulkar made 106 off 206 balls with 12 exquisite boundaries.

At stumps on an eventful day, VVS Laxman (9) and night watchman Amit Mishra (1) were at the crease with India having taken a lead of 46 runs. They will now look to take a substantial first innings lead and then push to level the series 1-1 in the remaining three days. South Africa, meanwhile, will be looking to bowl India out quickly on the third day. The tourists need to draw or win this game if they want to dislodge India from the No. 1 spot.

Earlier, resuming at 266/9, South Africa added 30 runs to their overnight total before Wayne Parnell (12) was dismissed by Zaheer Khan leg before wicket in the fourth over of the second day. Khan was the most successful Indian bowler, returning with figures of 22-5-90-4.

Gautam Gambhir and Sehwag gave India an explosive start, adding 73 runs for first wicket in just 9.2 overs before the southpaw was run out for 25.

Match Summary:

India 342 for 5 (Sehwag 165, Tendulkar 106) lead South Africa 296 (Amla 114, Petersen 100, Zaheer 4-90) by 46 runs