Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel addled India's batsmen on the aperture day of the aboriginal Test, bowling with clip and acuteness on a SuperSport Park bend that was their ally, as South Africa bedeviled the contest.
India was ashamed afterwards actuality asked to bat by Graeme Smith on a wicket that had pace, bounce, and movement, but wasn't unplayable by any means.
Only Sachin Tendulkar (36), Harbhajan Singh (27), and M.S. Dhoni (33 batting) beyond 15 in India's account of 136 for nine in 38.1 overs.
Steyn (three for 34) and Morkel (four for 20) complemented anniversary other, as they accept so generally done, to contentment a home army that had appear to watch the world's two best abandon (although alone one played to reputation).
That there was any comedy at all was hasty because that Thursday morning was addled and blah and rainy. So relentlessly did it rain that the teams didn't bother abrogation their impossibly chic Johannesburg auberge till a little afterwards noon.
Dream start
Play started at 3 p.m. (local time), which was a accolade to the ground's arising and the ground-staff's diligence. And what a aeon of comedy it was! At atomic for those who adopt their candid aback the bowlers aren't aged by altitude that advantage batting.
Steyn vs. Sehwag lasted three assurance — two accurate ‘leave-alones' and a agrarian bang alfresco the off-stump that travelled off the bend to third-man, placed there for that actual purpose. South Africa couldn't accept amorphous better; nor could India accept amorphous worse.
Morkel bowled a arid spell to Gautam Gambhir, appropriation the awkward opener off his anxiety with awful bouncers from about the wicket.
Where Gambhir was award activity difficult — Morkel acceptable him not a run for 20 after assurance — Dravid showed some of the calm ability of old. Morkel switched ends to acquire the rewards that had till again eluded him.
Gambhir, affianced to the bulge by Morkel's breadth and pace, fell to a full, hardly advanced brawl that confused hardly abroad to accretion the bend to aboriginal slip. As is accepted in such accoutrement jobs, the batsman couldn't alteration his weight advanced in time. The easily pushed out in compensation.
Morkel again trapped Dravid in advanced with one that came back. It additionally didn't acceleration as Dravid expected, and although he burst like an accordion, he couldn't get his bat about in time. It was Morkel's 100th Test wicket.
Further collapse
Sachin Tendulkar, who attacked Lonwabo Tsotsobe with two blood-tingling pulls, a cover-drive, and an accomplished steer, and V.V.S. Laxman, who appeared to accept all the time in the apple adjoin Steyn and Morkel's pace, ensured India absent no added wickets afore tea.
But any hopes India ability accept had of a accretion apace receded. Steyn took Laxman out with a accomplished bit of bowling. The bend of the delivery, into the right-hander, fabricated Laxman accomplish to his acclaimed whip through leg; but it swung clumsily backward at clip to bang the middle-stump.
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