Openers' Assault Unsettles SA

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir cracked rollickinghalf centuries as India hit back with a record-breaking opening partnership torestore the balance in the first Test against South Africa today.

The two openers set the Green Park stadium ablaze withtheir fireworks to propel India to 185 for no loss in response to South Africa's510 for nine declared on a fog-hit third day.

The two Delhi batsmen not only recorded thehighest-ever opening partnership against South Africa but also the highestopening partnership at the Green Park on a highly entertaining day which sawplay start late because of dense fog.

Gambhir notched up his maiden Test half century and wasbatting on 85 and Sehwag was giving him company on an equally belligerent 85 atstumps with India trailing by 325 runs.

Play was called off 54 minutes before the revised timeof closure due to bad light.

This was India's highest opening partnership since theMultan Test against Pakistan in March-April this year and the first time theopening stand crossed the 50 mark in the last six Tests since then.

The pair erased the previous opening record againstSouth Africa of Vikram Rathore and Nayan Mongia who put on 90 runs atJohannesburg in 1996-97.

The unfinished partnership also took them to the record books as the highestopening partnership at the Green Park which earlier stood in the names of DevangGandhi and Sadagopan Ramesh who had scored 162 against New Zealand in 1999-2000.

The start of the third day's proceedings was delayed bytwo hours because of thick fog but Sehwag and Gambhir enthralled the noisy homecrowd with some entertaining cricket in the two extended sessions.

Both the Indian openers seemed to be in no discomfortat all on a lifeless track as they blunted the South African pacemen ShaunPollock and Makhaya Ntini and then plundered runs at will against spinner RobinPeterson who hardly could make an impression.

Sehwag was in fine nick exhibiting his trademark coverdrive and was severe on the loose balls while his Gambhir was more circumspectin the initial stages before outpacing his senior partner.

Sehwag opened his account with a boundary off Ntini ashe went on the back foot and opened the face of his bat to send the ball to thethird man fence.

A classy cover drive off Ntini and a delectable squaredriven boundary off Pollock stood out as the vociferous home crowd finally gotto see some Indian batting after more than two days.

The two openers brought 50 runs on the board in 14.5 overs and then broughtabout the century partnership in 25.4 overs, maintaning a run rate of more thanfour runs an over.

South Africa's lone specialist spinner Peterson wasintroduced into the attack in the 16th over in place of Ntini and very nearlygot the prized scalp of Sehwag who stepped out and played all over an innocuousdelivery. But young wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile completely missed the ball andthe stumping chance went abegging.

But that was the only anxious moment for the hosts asboth Sehwag and Gambhir virtually tore the bowling attack to shreds.

Earlier, Resuming at the overnight score of 459 forseven, South Africa were on the lookout for quick runs when play started after adelay.

The hosts removed overnight batsman Tsolekile (9) inthe very second over of the day with vetern leg spinner Anil Kumble trapping himleg before wicket to claim his 430th Test scalp.

Kumble emerged the pick of the Indian bowlers withfigures of 6 for 131, claiming his 28th five-wicket haul in Tests.

The Karnataka bowler is now one wicket away from equalling the Test tally of NewZealand's Sir Richard Hadlee and needs just five more wickets to eclipse KapilDev's record of 434 wickets and become India's highest wickettaker.

Peterson, who joined the action after Tsolekile'sdismissal, was particularly severe on the Indian spinners to unleash a flurry ofstrokes to take South Africa's total beyond the 500 mark.

The left-handed Peterson singled out Harbhajan Singhfor special treatment as he lifted the off-spinner for a mighty six over longoff and then clobbered him for a boundary in the same over.

Pollock also hit some delightful strokes as thevisitors made a determined bid to accelerate the pace of scoring.

Peterson played a cameo of 34, which came off just 24balls, before Harbhajan got rid of him by knocking down his middle stump. Hisbreezy knock contained three boundaries and six.

The total was South Africa's highest ever on Indiansoil, erasing the previous record of 479 recorded in Bangalore during the2000-01 series.

PTI