India in South Africa 2013

First topic message reminder :

The BCCI have picked the test squad for South Africa well in advance, so the debates can also start well in time.

kingraf wrote:This is how we like it, in the trenches,no chance of rain, dodgy wicket. The script is written for the greatest fourth innings batsman of them all: Step forward Graeme Smith.

He hint no Paul collingwood buh

Yeah Alfie we pretty much up a creek without a paddle - and I wouldn't mind a defeat so much if it wasn't for the drama which took place prior to the tour. A win for India here feels like the BCCI's bullying has been rewarded

Olly - Collingwood is great if you're looking for a draw, I want the whole Enchilada.

Decent start though , kingraf

If these two can put a solid opening stand together , who knows ?

I was a bit shocked at India bowling them out first innings...they might have to work a bit harder this time around. This sort of lead and time usually gets a result , but...

Alfie - I don't think it's beyond our reach to be honest. The pitch is playing well (almost day 3-ish). And we have a top seven versed in the art of Houdini-esque escapes. But most importantly, the Indians have only three seamers - if we can get at Ashwin, somehow, we could tire them out.

I'm a betting man, and I absolutely think the smart money is on India, but this is the ground where we chased 434 against the mighty Australians (albeit in an ODI)

Hmm. Couple of balls did a bit there , though mostly off the stumps.

Open mind at present. Chase isn't impossible by any means , but I wouldn't be betting against your "smart money".

Umpiring has been top quality in this game.....and shows even when you have no DRS the on field umpire when competent arrives at the right conclusion.

conversely when you have incompetent TV umpires....there are howlers with DRS also...whichg are so much harder to swallow for the average fan

The South African openers have given them a good start and have moved along to 38 without loss at tea. The 3 seamers bowled well but Smith and Petersen have denied them so far.

We absolutely cannot be more than 2 wickets down at stumps.

Will be interesting to see Ashwin tweak it, South Africa are probably the best players of spin not based in the sub-continent. The ball is already 12 overs old, the Kookaburra stops really swinging around 30, so we are still in a bit of trouble as conditions are conducive, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

msp83 wrote:The South African openers have given them a good start and have moved along to 38 without loss at tea. The 3 seamers bowled well but Smith and Petersen have denied them so far.

it's not like they have been comfortable and on top of the game SA openers that is.....
it's been more like the one that will get them anytime didn't come through in the last 11 odd overs.

don't get fooled by the scorecard would be my advise to one who hasn't been watching

71/0 - hope growing?

A good fifty for Petersen , who has really hogged the strike from his skipper !
Beaten outside off a few times , but hanging in well. The longer these two bat...

The target needs to be below 200, with us having seven or eight wickets in hand before I start believing. The target now is 376, which is still a mile away and would be a monumental chase in and of itself.

India starting to pick it up in the field and with the ball.

What a final hour of day four awaits us now.

Smith run out   

You stupid bar-stewards South Africa.

It was just drifting to stumps and you've gifted them a wicket. Good throw yes, but the opportunity shouldn't have been presented.

India bang up for the final 14 overs now.

Smith doesn't make a hundred, his innings is cut off on 44 through a direct hit from Ajinkya Rahane. India can still hope!.

Runs drying up now as South Africa retreat into a shell trying to see it out till stumps with no further losses - all because of that run-out!

Prise another out before stumps and India will be back where they want to be.

It was a typical innings from the South African skipper, not pretty, but mighty effective. He's a 4th innings specialist when it comes to difficult chases, and his side can't lose if he scores a hundred. So that run-out is a lot of good work for India. Alviro Petersen is a relative weakling in that South African lineup, but he has got a score and is going strong, and with Amla for company and Kallis and AB yet to come, there is absolutely no need for South Africa to lose hope.
Any other side, on this track I'd back India to win it 75 % and a draw 25 %, but with South Africa and their lineup that do not often repeat mistakes in the same game, I am giving them a decent chance to effect an absolutely difficult chase like this.

Seems the clouds are closing in. Hopefully they won't ruin a fabulous test match.

Would be nice if they could facilitate some quality swing though!.

South Africa will be very happy if they can bring the target under 300 with 9 wickets remaining by the end of the day. Another 9 overs remaining. They are 118-1.

Hashim Amla is gone, bowled by Mohammed Shami, he didn't pick it all, he left the ball thinking it would go over him, but to his horrer found his stumps all over the place!.

Well that's a freak dismissal!

India can breathe once more..for now.

the Smith dismissal was a body blow. we were racing along, and were looking like we'd end the day needing sub-300 on day five. But an absolute shocker of a call took us even closer to the precipice. We've basically gone into our shells for the day, and hope for the best tomorrow. Words can't even describe my feelings toward the dismissal. Amla was a tad unlucky, but it's funny how often a pitch's demons begins manifest when a team goes into their shell.

The light is becoming an issue, Ravichandran Ashwin's back on.

Dhoni doesn't have too many parttime spin options, so he has turned to Murali Vijay. Think its the first time I am seeing Vijay bowl. Perhaps he could have given Rohit Sharma a go?

Think Dhoni should bring more fielders closing in on the batsman, these singles have to be stopped.

Dhoni is getting really desperate here. He has given the gloves and pads to Kohli, and has taken over from Murali Vijay!.

MSD is bowling, that's boss!

South Africa end the day at 138-2. They need 320 on the final day or bat out the day, India need 8 wickets.
That Amla wicket was so massive, just as important as not letting Smith score a 4th innings ton. Gives a different feel to the upcoming day. There is AB de Villiers and JP Duminy who can smash if needed, and Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis can block the bowling and keep them out for hours. But with Amla and Smith back in the hut, the Indians would want to believe.......

Intresting move to put Faf up to 4, but one i think could work...we all remeber his heroics in OZ..

South Africa has already moved to back foot sending FDP ahead. Every one know the talent of this lad. He can keep things under control if everything goes out of order. With many of SAF fighters to come it is still a 55-45 scenario for SA. The first hour will be crucial. Two or three wickets and game will be in the bag of Indians.

Yeah the morning session is key, you feel. Day two saw 6 wickets fall in the morning, day 3 saw 5, today saw 4. If we can make it through that for the loss of one wicket - I think a draw is the smart result. That said, if we play naturally, and play for 90 overs - it could get VERY close.

If India can get a couple of wickets in the first hour, think South Africa will really play for a draw rather than playing their normal game. That might be India's chance as well.
Getting R Ashwin to bowl as many overs as he did was an achievement for India, he bowled better than he did in the first innings and that let Dhoni rotate his seamers effectively from the other end.
Any news on the weather front?

kingraf wrote:Yeah the morning session is key, you feel. Day two saw 6 wickets fall in the morning, day 3 saw 5, today saw 4. If we can make it through that for the loss of one wicket - I think a draw is the smart result. That said, if we play naturally, and play for 90 overs - it could get VERY close.  

If the same trend continues then 3 wickets tomorrow morning, and in that situation India will be way ahead.

Ishant's really come back well in this game, has looked threatning, and looks to be getting his act together..

CF wrote:Ishant's really come back well in this game, has looked threatning, and looks to be getting his act together..

Yeah Ishant has had a good game so far. But I'd take it a spell at a time, not even a game really. Has had a few such moments that ended up as nothing. So I'll certainly hold any judgment off for now.

yeah i agree, but there is some encouraging signs from him...would do him some good to stay from limited overs cricket at national level for a while though...just stick to tests.

Seems there were some reports, since clarified to be baseless by the CSA, that Graeme Smith had threatened to quit the captaincy if wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile was selected in the playing side. Seemingly, there were discussions whether South Africa should consider Tsolekile as the specialist wicketkeeper as the additional batsman, Faf du Plessis was struggling a bit. But the CSA has now stated that there is no basis to such reports.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-india-2013-14/content/story/702833.html

well SA look not so badly placed and in theory all options are possible...SA win 20%, India win 50%; Draw 30%

In reality.....there are intangibles like pressure......and pitch mis behaviour.....SA were lucky not to lose more wickets today to genuine good bowling....and then India got lucky with Run outs and Amla.

It will be a thriller tommorow whichever way it goes

That's quite a generous split, KP_f.

I'd say it's more like India win 80%, draw 15%, SA win 5%

as Kallis hits a tidy 4......

Kallis gone.......4 down SA and Zaheer gets to 300 wickets.

Kallis played his strokes....got runs...but every over ball is kicking off a length.

SA going for their strokes...right approach......how long can they go on until the one that will misbehave off the pitch get them

KP_fan wrote:...... and Zaheer gets to 300 wickets.

Well done Zak!  

If there was DRS Kallis could have reviewed, and no, the fact that it's an on-field umpire who made this mistake and not a TV umpire does NOT make the fact that we are now staring down the barrel anymore acceptable.

kingraf wrote:If there was DRS Kallis could have reviewed, and no, the fact that it's an on-field umpire who made this mistake and not a TV umpire does NOT make the fact that we are now staring down the barrel anymore acceptable.

and it evens out in the plumb backfoot lbw of ABDV denied off samy last over.

without DRS if the umpires are competent...the decisions even out

It doesn't even out, because AB wouldn't even be on the pitch if it wasn't for that horror call

So 2 wickets, 98 runs, and 2 wrong calls from the umpires. The match remains even going into the second-last session of the match.
Despite the 2 wickets, I'd call it South Africa's session. The 98 runs mean India cannot attack all that much in the last 2 sessions as they have to keep an eye on the runs. Another 222 runs in 61 overs with 6 wickets remaining and AB de Villiers set. South Africa aren't out of it really!.
India win 45 %, SA win 30 %, draw 25 %.
That's my take at this stage.
The new ball is due in another 6 overs, has to be the decisive point of the game.

Another hundred runs with 1 down at most, SA are in with a serious chance to win this. I feel a draw is least likely of the possibilities at the moment.

msp83 wrote:Another hundred runs with 1 down at most, SA are in with a serious chance to win this. I feel a draw is least likely of the possibilities at the moment.

Well yes...but another hundred runs for no more than one wicket might take a bit of doing , msp !

Tight , but I think India still hold the stronger position. Will want to do something with that new ball though.