CAPE TOWN: Jacques Kallis had a simple message for the Indian cricket team on Wednesday: "If you want to conquer the Proteas, you'll have to do it over my dead body." India tried everything to get him but the valiant soldier was just not willing to leave Battleground Newlands. The call of duty required him to forget physical pain and keep fighting as the citadel was in danger of being breached. Kallis fought on till the fort was more or less secured. His 40th Test century took South Africa to 341 and left India with a victory target of 340 on the final day, a most unlikely prospect.
It required an exceptional performance from an exceptional cricketer to dramatically change the contours of the game after the havoc Harbhajan Singh wreaked in the morning. Four gone for 64, Harbhajan making the ball talk and dance and Kallis hurting, South Africa were in troubled waters.
Kallis then stitched together two small partnerships -- with AB de Villiers and Ashwell Prince. But when de Villiers and Prince also left to make it 130 for six, with the lead being only 128, India were right on top with grand images of a first-ever series win here dancing in front of their eyes. The sucker punch was waiting to be unleashed but India failed to bring it on. And with that, possibly, went the golden chance of a historic triumph.
Kallis leaves emotions and sentiments at home when it comes to playing cricket for South Africa. He is like a humanoid on one of those space ships. No situation affects his equilibrium. All he needed was some support from the other end because he knew that a lead of 225-250 could be a winning one in this Test. He got that from the other veteran in the team, Mark Boucher. The two put on 103 priceless runs and batted together for 138 minutes to fundamentally alter the state of the match. As their alliance prospered, they gained in confidence and India lost theirs.
What caught the eye was the way Kallis and Boucher rotated the strike and tackled Harbhajan. Their experience came to the fore and so did their love for a scrap. Soon, one started wondering why MS Dhoni wasn't using a part-timer to try and break the stand? He did, in the 78th over of the innings, and it paid dividends when Sachin Tendulkar trapped Boucher leg before with one which refused to rise.
But there was more trouble waiting for India. With the inspiring presence of Kallis at one and South Africa much better off now, even the tailenders like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel had the confidence to swing their bats to good effect. The two pacemen helped Kallis add 54 and 46 respectively for the 8th and 9th wickets to effectively take it beyond India's reach.
Kallis, who was last out in the first innings, remained unbeaten in the second to complete what must be one of the greatest performances of his glittering career. In all, in this Test, he batted for 839 minutes and faced 531 balls while scoring 270 runs. He struck 38 fours -- 19 in each innings. Most of these runs were scored while he was batting with painkillers!
What hurt India other than Kallis was the placid wicket and an indifferent performance by the pacers. Bhajji, who got a wicket each in his 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th overs, and who had figures of 5-0-10-4 at one time, had to wage a lonely battle for most of the day. He finished with seven for 120 but could have done with more incisive support on the day.
Read more: Kallis' 40th ton puts Test almost beyond India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/Kallis-40th-ton-puts-Test-almost-beyond-India/articleshow/7225482.cms#ixzz1AENb29Zi
It required an exceptional performance from an exceptional cricketer to dramatically change the contours of the game after the havoc Harbhajan Singh wreaked in the morning. Four gone for 64, Harbhajan making the ball talk and dance and Kallis hurting, South Africa were in troubled waters.
Kallis then stitched together two small partnerships -- with AB de Villiers and Ashwell Prince. But when de Villiers and Prince also left to make it 130 for six, with the lead being only 128, India were right on top with grand images of a first-ever series win here dancing in front of their eyes. The sucker punch was waiting to be unleashed but India failed to bring it on. And with that, possibly, went the golden chance of a historic triumph.
Kallis leaves emotions and sentiments at home when it comes to playing cricket for South Africa. He is like a humanoid on one of those space ships. No situation affects his equilibrium. All he needed was some support from the other end because he knew that a lead of 225-250 could be a winning one in this Test. He got that from the other veteran in the team, Mark Boucher. The two put on 103 priceless runs and batted together for 138 minutes to fundamentally alter the state of the match. As their alliance prospered, they gained in confidence and India lost theirs.
What caught the eye was the way Kallis and Boucher rotated the strike and tackled Harbhajan. Their experience came to the fore and so did their love for a scrap. Soon, one started wondering why MS Dhoni wasn't using a part-timer to try and break the stand? He did, in the 78th over of the innings, and it paid dividends when Sachin Tendulkar trapped Boucher leg before with one which refused to rise.
But there was more trouble waiting for India. With the inspiring presence of Kallis at one and South Africa much better off now, even the tailenders like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel had the confidence to swing their bats to good effect. The two pacemen helped Kallis add 54 and 46 respectively for the 8th and 9th wickets to effectively take it beyond India's reach.
Kallis, who was last out in the first innings, remained unbeaten in the second to complete what must be one of the greatest performances of his glittering career. In all, in this Test, he batted for 839 minutes and faced 531 balls while scoring 270 runs. He struck 38 fours -- 19 in each innings. Most of these runs were scored while he was batting with painkillers!
What hurt India other than Kallis was the placid wicket and an indifferent performance by the pacers. Bhajji, who got a wicket each in his 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th overs, and who had figures of 5-0-10-4 at one time, had to wage a lonely battle for most of the day. He finished with seven for 120 but could have done with more incisive support on the day.
Read more: Kallis' 40th ton puts Test almost beyond India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/Kallis-40th-ton-puts-Test-almost-beyond-India/articleshow/7225482.cms#ixzz1AENb29Zi
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