Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo
Venue- Kingsmead, Durban [December 2013]
In the previous post we have discussed about the first test between India and South Africa. This post deals with the second test of the same series which was played in Durban. Since first match ended in a draw, this test was a must win test for both the sides if they wanted to win the series. Indian Captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first.
On a batting friendly wicket Indians started off very well. Dhawan and Vijay had an opening stand of 41 runs. But it was the partnership between Vijay and Pujara which kept India in the game. Murali Vijay missed his hundred by just 3 runs, whereas Pujara and Rahane scored wonderful half-centuries. After 111.3 overs the visitors were bowled out for 334 runs. Dale Steyn was the leading wicket taker for the hosts as he picked up 6 wickets in the first innings.
In response the Proteas put the Indian bowling attack to sword. Skipper Smith and Alviro Petersen gave a strong start to the hosts. The shared an opening stand of 103 runs. However, 3 quick wickets reduced the South African total to 113/3. The game could have gone anywhere from this stage.
This is when ABD joined Kallis on the pitch. However, what happened next was something truly incredible. Jacques Kallis who was playing the final test of his career took the charge and started scoring runs in all parts of the ground. It seemed that he was determined to win this test for his team. Kallis made a solid 115 of 316 deliveries and helped Proteas take crucial lead. Yes, he played a slow knock, but a sensible knock. Alongside Kallis, AB de Villiers and Robin Petersen made crucial fifties. In addition to this even Dale Steyn scored a very important 44 which took Proteas to a massive score of 500.
It was never going to be an easy task for Indians to bat in the second innings. The South African bowlers kept on chipping wickets in regular intervals and bowled India out for just 223 runs. Except Rahane [96] every Indian batsman struggled in front of the great South African bowling line-up. The Proteas needed just 58 runs to win the game which they chased down without losing any wicket.
Dale Steyn was awarded the man of the match award for his all-round performance with both bat and ball. AB de Villiers was awarded the man of the series award for his excellent contributions in both the tests. With the conclusion of this series, Jacques Kallis bid farewell to International Cricket in grand style.
[The author failed to find a video recording of this test. As a result, no clip has been posted this time.]
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