CALCUTTA, India, 30 November 2004 — Opener Virender Sehwag cracked a rapid unbeaten 82 as India rushed to 129 for one in reply to South Africa’s first innings 305 on the day two of the second and final Test yesterday.
Sehwag, who hit a fiery 164 in the first drawn Test in Kanpur, hammered 11 fours and one six in his 107-ball innings.
Rahul Dravid was batting on a steady 33 after paceman Shaun Pollock gave South Africa an early breakthrough by trapping Gautam Gambhir lbw for seven.
Sehwag stamped his authority in his typical maverick fashion, punishing leg spinner Justin Ontong for 23 runs off seven balls at one stage.
Jacques Kallis had earlier scored 121 to help South Africa creep past the 300-run mark.
The all-rounder, resuming on 103 on a track offering early seam movement, could not assert himself against left-arm pacemen Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan, who took three wickets each.
Kallis was finally bowled by India captain Saurav Ganguly, shouldering arms to a ball that nipped back after the previous one had gone away.
“We would have liked something closer to 400. What we got is a pretty average total. We’ll have to make up for it when we go out to bat tomorrow,” Kallis told reporters.
Anil Kumble joined England’s Steve Harmison as the highest wicket-taker this year with 61 scalps when he dismissed Pollock for 18, caught at slip by Dravid. Australian spinner Shane Warne is just one behind on 60.
South Africa, slammed for being too defensive after they took more than two days to score 510 in Kanpur, again scored at only 2.52 runs an over.
The visitors had added three to their overnight 227 for five when Khan got the first breakthrough, having Zander de Bruyn caught behind with an away swinger for 15.
Kallis and Pollock managed to consolidate for the remainder of the first hour but hopes of reaching 400 began to disappear with the loss of two quick wickets.
Pollock was caught by Dravid off Anil Kumble for 18 to fall six runs short of becoming the fifth all-rounder in Test history to take 300 Test wickets and score 3,000 runs.
Only India’s Kapil Dev, England’s Ian Botham, New Zealander Richard Hadlee and Imran Khan of Pakistan have achieved the feat.
Eight down, Justin Ontong (16 not out) and wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile (15) hung on for almost an hour before off-spinner Harbhajan Singh grabbed the last two wickets in quick succession.
“We won’t be under pressure batting second,” South Africa coach Ray Jennings said.
“It will make no difference if the ball is turning six or eight inches. We’ve come prepared. It’s a young side and it has nothing to lose.”
Sehwag made his intentions clear, starting the Indian reply by steering Pollock for a four behind point off the second ball.
The 26-year-old then drove Ntini for two fours but the South African bowlers clawed their way back with an accurate line.
The floodgates opened for Sehwag when he punished four wayward balls in an over from Ontong.
He drove the first through the covers, pulled the next over mid-wicket for a flat six, slogged the third over the on-side and finished with a cheeky reverse sweep to the third man fence.
