India made amends of its previous defeat to canter an eight-wicket win over South Africa in just three days at Kanpur levelling the three-match series 1-1. India was trailing 0-1 after losing the second Test from tourists at Ahmedabad.
The match was fascinatingly poised after the end of second day’s play. India had a slender lead of 23 runs with Ishant Sharma and S Sreesanth were battling their way in the middle.
The pitch was on the deteriorating side and was surely be looking to put up a great challenge for the Proteas who had to come out to provide India a stiff fourth innings target.
But every thing went India’s way on the third day as first the last pair of Ishant and Sreesanth made mockery of Proteas attack. The duo S Sreesanth (29) and Ishant Sharma (14no) batted superbly to add 46 for an overall lead of 60 taking their side to 325.
On the other hand, the tourists meekly surrendered in their second innings as the hosts completed up the victory in only three days after dismissing their opponents for a second-innings total of 121 that left them needing only 62 to win.
The hosts quickly wrapped up victory with two days to spare after notching up the target of 62 runs in just 13.1 overs despite losing openers Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer.
Harbhajan Singh (4-44) and Virender Sehwag (3-12) made short work of the touring South African batsmen on a dodgy pitch that was offering plenty of vicious turn. South Africa’s batsmen caught in the Indian spin trap as they fall like nine pins in a dismal collapse. Only captain Graeme Smith offered some resistance before falling for 35.
Earlier in the day, South Africa started their second essay on a dismal note losing out their openers Neil McKenzie for 14 before Hashim Amla went for a duck. Skipper Smith and Jacques Kallis held fort for a brief to get the tourists back in to the match before Kallis was dismissed by Sehwag’s first delivery.
The star performer of the second Test AB de Villiers made his way back to pavilion after adding just seven, South Africa capitulated adding only 31 runs in the final session.
The Indian openers were in a hurry to attain the target as they started to hammer Proteas bowlers all over the park right from the start. Sehwag smashed two massive consecutive sixes of Paul Harris before losing his cool on the third resulting a wicket at the score 32. Sehwag made 22 with the help of 2 sixes and a boundary in his brief stay.
Jaffar was next to follow at the same score after he was adjudged LBW off the bowling of Morne Morkel
But the most experienced senior players of the team and former captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly completed the final proceedings to take India comfortably home with the former hitting the winning runs through an impressive sweep off Paul Harris.
Ganguly was adjudged Man of the Match, as he played a defiant knock of 87 runs in the first innings, while Harbhajan Singh, who took a total of 7 wickets in the match and 19 wickets in the series was declared Man of the Series.
The touring South African team took the lead in the series by defeating India by an innings and 90 runs in the second Test at Ahmedabad, while the high-scoring first match of the series at Chennai was ended in a tame draw.
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