PORT ELIZABETH
Never a batsman prone to wild abandon, Jacques Kallis slowly, steadily butever so surely dragged the second Castle Lager/MTN Test match away from India onthe third day at St George's Park on Sunday.
When an offer of bad light was offered to the South African batsmen with 14overs still to be bowled (and with the floodlights on), Kallis's contribution tothe South African second innings score of 211 for five was 84 not out.
Leaving aside for the moment the puzzle of why the home batsmen, well on topat that stage, should have taken the light, the significance of the SouthAfrican total is that it gives the home team a lead of 372 with two daysremaining.
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The significance of Kallis's effort, meanwhile, is that he has now scored 585runs in four Test matches this summer at an average of 290.25. This is a quiteremarkable statistic, but it does go some way to underlining the strengths ofKallis as a batsman. He seldom, if ever, gives his wicket away, no matter thecircumstances and his powers of concentration rival those currently in the game.
He has been criticised at times for being one-paced, but there are momentsand occasions when his value to his side lies mainly in him simply being at thecrease. This was one of those occasions after South Africa had tumbled to 26 forthree in their second innings after bowling India out for 201.
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At this point Javagal Srinath was bowling quite beautifully once again. Hehad nipped out Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie in an opening burst of 8-6-4-2 andwith Ajit Agarkar bowling Herschelle Gibbs, South Africa were creakingominously. The first innings lead was 161, but another wicket or two at thatstage would have brought India right back into the match.
Kallis, though, put down roots. He shared a fourth wicket partnership withBoeta Dippenaar which brought South Africa 65, a stand of 48 with Lance Klusenerfor the fifth wicket and the sixth wicket has so far produced 72 for SouthAfrica, with Shaun Pollock's share 38.
Just as South Africa batted around Gibbs in their first innings, so theybatted around Kallis on Sunday. He was not without fortune. On 21 he hooked atAgarkar, but the ball sailed between the hands of Srinath at fine leg to go forsix. On 51 VVS Laxman snatched at, but could not hold, an edge off, again,Agarkar. But good players ride their luck and Kallis has placed South Africa, asPollock put it, "into a good position at this stage".
It should be a position from which only one of two results are possible – aSouth African win, which seems the most likely, or a draw. Both of theseoptions, of course, could be dependent on the Port Elizabeth weather over thenext two days.
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South Africa, then, have done much to get themselves into a position wherethey can almost smell a series win. They were also helped on Sunday, though, bysome bewildering captaincy from Sourav Ganguly.
As always seems to be the case, an Indian captain away from home findshimself under enormous pressure. This is the time when rumours and whispersstart to surface and it is no different this time around.
The word at St George's Park was that Ganguly changed his team-sheet momentsbefore the toss, scribbling in Anil Kumble and scratching out Ashish Nehra.Whether this is true or not is anyone's guess. What is more certain, however, isthat Ganguly let the South Africans off the hook after lunch when he startedwith himself and Sachin Tendulkar.
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South Africa were 47 for three at the interval and another wicket just afterthe break, if nothing else, would have made the Indians believe they were stillin the game. Srinath, admittedly, already had eight overs under his belt, butIndia needed to strike and they needed to strike quickly.
Instead, Kallis and Dippenaar were allowed to play themselves in again and itwas 40 minutes before Srinath was brought back for his second spell. Kumble,too, was ignored until the 51st over when he bowled the last over before tea.
For all that India have been handicapped by having to field unbalanced teamsin both Test matches, they have also allowed South Africa off the hook severaltimes. If the positions had been reversed, it is a safe bet that Pollock wouldhave started the new session with himself and Nantie Hayward.
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If the guiding principle is always to do what your opponents like least, thenIndia have missed more than a few tricks during this series.
