Ganguly helps India gain slender lead

India 288 for 9 (Ganguly 87, Laxman 50, Morkel 3-57, Steyn 3-60) lead South Africa 265 by 23 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Sourav Ganguly's 87 was the outstanding innings of the day, as India took a 23-run lead with a wicket in hand © Getty Images

In one of the most gripping Tests in recent memory, little could separate India and South Africa as the crumbling pitch at Kanpur produced another enthralling day. Punch followed counter-punch in a match that had all the makings of a classic, and it took a masterful innings from Sourav Ganguly to give India a slender 23-run advantage.

A fizzer of a pitch made way for a gripping encounter, one where nobody could afford to miss even a ball. Just when the bowling side appeared to have sized up the situation, a partnership would thwart them; just when the batsmen appeared to be well set, a snorter of a delivery would upset plans. South Africa's lethal fast bowlers jousted with India's tenacious batting line-up but none could get past Ganguly, who chose the right moment to produce an unforgettable innings.

He walked in a few moments after Morne Morkel had unleashed a most venomous jaffa, one that injured Rahul Dravid before dismissing him. A couple of overs later he watched Morkel nip out Laxman with one that swung in and straightened. This was an uphill task against a potent bowling attack on a spiteful pitch. So composed was Ganguly's response, so assured his shot selection, that it was difficult to believe that he was batting on the same surface.

He cover-drove with assurance and handled - or manhandled - Paul Harris, the left-arm spinner, with a bit of contempt. Harris tried to keep the runs down in between bowling grenades but Ganguly's 39 deliveries against him saw a scoring rate of a run-a-ball. Makhaya Ntini's reverse-swing briefly troubled him but the rapacious pull that he uncorked, towards the end of the day, had the bowler looking on in disbelief.

The nine fours and a six, a meaty loft over long-off when he danced down the track to Harris, drew the gasps but it was his scampered singles that frustrated the fielders more. There were cheeky moments too - a glide that bisected the slips and a shovel that soared over midwicket - which left Graeme Smith huffing and puffing. He seemed to have won a mini battle too: a constant look out for the single led to South Africa muffing simple stops in the field.

He shared two vital partnerships. Yuvraj Singh's in-your-face approach put off the bowlers for a while - Dale Steyn was riled up enough to enter into a verbal duel - before Mahendra Singh Dhoni filled the breach. Both sized up the match situation early, hurrying singles and putting away the boundary-balls, but both were responsible for their dismissals - Yuvraj sweeping in the air and Dhoni rushing down the track as if in a last over of an ODI.

	Morne Morkel took three top-order wickets with superb deliveries to peg India back © Getty Images

The nature of the surface and the quality of attack made life difficult for the batsmen. Not only did they need to draw on their technical expertise but also show the temperament to forget about what happened before. Virender Sehwag was rooted to the crease to one that came in but it won't be out of place to say that the jaffa that beat him two balls earlier - after hitting a big crack - played on his mind.

Dravid's ability to play late came in handy - a couple of full deliveries were squirted to the third man region for four - and he often took his bottom hand off the bat-handle to prevent a meaty edge. But his 106-ball resistance ended with a lethal ball - one that took off from a good length, clattered the glove and ballooned to gully.

Laxman was more fluent. He struck the fast bowlers crisply - the highlight being the three consecutive fours off Morne Morkel in the 15th over. He had a life on 43, when an edge off Harris eluded Jacques Kallis' grasp at first slip, but he fell after bringing up his half-century when a ripper from Morkel swung in and straightened, knocking back off stump.

India needed a few more lucky breaks - Yuvraj looked plumb when part-time offspinner Hashim Amla trapped him in front, and Ganguly saw Neil McKenzie put down a hard chance when on 40 - but that is exactly the kind of openings a team would look for in such conditions. It's been a game of fractions, and it may well come down to which team blinks first.

One of my best knocks: Ganguly

Kanpur: It was the grittiness of Sourav Ganguly that saved the day for India. Standing tall at one end, the charismatic southpaw steered India to a 288-9 against South Africa on the second day of the third Test and thus overtaking the visitors’ first innings total.

Ganguly believes his determined 87 is one of the best innings of his career. He also said that on the crumbling pitch and against a quality attack, India did well to secure a 23-run lead with one wicket in hand.

“I think this is one of my best knocks. In terms of the quality of the knock and the surface on which it was made, it will be in my best top ten. The key was to play positively. There is no point in hanging in there and not scoring. I took my chances. If there was something that I could hit, I went for it,” said Ganguly.

So is he happy with the lead that India has attained?

“We are 20 runs ahead now. And if we get a few with the new ball and our spinners can bowl well we can definitely get them out under-150,” said Ganguly.

“From 152-1, we got them out for 265 on the first day, so that gives us hope,” he added.

When asked about what kind of target will India be happy to chase, Ganguly said: “I don’t know about the target. The lead is not big for the moment. But as I said if we bowl well we can bowl them out for under-150, anything can happen now. So we have to bowl well tomorrow otherwise batting fourth we might be chasing a big total”

However, when asked how would the former India captain rate MS Dhoni’s captaincy in this Test so far, all Ganguly said was: “I just hope we win this Test.”

Ganguly leaves promise of tantalising third day

Kanpur: The story of Day Two has to be the best-written script of the three-Test series so far. India and South Africa, jousting with all possible intensity, refused to give an inch as the tide shifted to and fro through out the day. However India, led by a defiant 87 by Sourav Ganguly, managed to overhaul South Africa’s 265 to lead by 23 runs at the end of the second day’s play at the Green Park Stadium here on Saturday.

India, who have to win to draw level in the three-Test series, finished at 288-9 at stumps with S Sreesanth (nine) and Ishant Sharma (zero) in the middle.

India were on the back-foot early in the day, losing both their openers within the first hour but the middle-order breathed life back in the innings, stringing crucial partnerships on a crumbling pitch. Ganguly led the Indian charge, scoring his second half-century of the series while VVS Laxman (50), MS Dhoni (32) Yuvraj Singh (32) and Rahul Dravid (29) played handy knocks.

Ganguly, who was India’s ninth wicket to fall, tackled the pitch and negotiated the fiery South Africa bowling in an exemplary fashion to pound his 30th Test fifty. It was the perfect blend of compact defence and controlled aggression from him. The southpaw, who fell 13 short of a deserving century, hit nine boundaries and one six.

Ganguly, confident after his gritty 87 in Ahmedabad, negated the turn and variable bounce in the pitch and conjured two vital partnerships; first with Yuvraj Singh and then with MS Dhoni.

After Ganguly and Yuvraj added 65 runs, the former skipper and the stand-in skipper put together 60 to take India closer to the South African total.

Paul Harris took two wickets in the last session as ambitious shots by Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni led to their undoing. An uncalled for wild heave landed the ball straight in the hands of AB de Villiers at deep mid-wicket and Yuvraj’s stay ended. Dhoni, after being patient through his knock, stepped out to Harris but failed to connect and Mark Boucher dislodged the bail and the Indian tail was exposed.

Ganguly started opening his arms and a pull off Dale Steyn saw India managed to overtake the South African total. But soon after, Steyn trapped Harbhajan leg-before for six and then Graeme Smith caught Piyush Chawla for four to give Makhaya Ntini his first wicket.

Ganguly batsman was left stranded after Yuvraj and Dhoni departed and in an attempt to accelerate miscued one off Steyn to give Amla a regulation catch.

Two quick wickets after lunch and India looked in trouble but Ganguly and Yuvraj plundered a flurry of boundaries, not allowing the visitors to seize the initiative. Yuvraj, who was jettisoned after the Sydney Test, produced shots of yore and was at his aggressive best. He smashed Steyn for two boundaries in an over and then gave an earful to the pacer.

Earlier, it was all-going India’s way after India were reduced to 35-2 as Dravid and Laxman took the home team out of the precarious situation. The duo had rebuilt the innings brilliantly with a steady stand and just when they were on their way into the driver’s seat, Morne Morkel rocked India by sending both set batsmen in a jiffy.

Laxman it seemed was batting on a completely different pitch. As the rest struggled on the sluggish wicket, Laxman played with trademark ease, dominating off the front-foot. And suddenly the breaking pitch seemed to have healed as both Dravid and Laxman looked assured in the middle, the scoreboard ticking steadily.

The duo looked well set to produce another sumptuous partnership but then a lethal spell from Morne Morkel after a drink’s break swung the pendulum. Morkel first sent back Dravid with a scorching delivery to end the 78-run stand and then cleaned up Laxman.

A snorter from Morkel rose from a good length, rapped Dravid on his gloved knuckles and spooned up. AB de Villiers accepted the catch gleefully. Dravid after toiling hard for his 29 was both in shock and pain on his way back.

Laxman who was at his fluent best, dominated the bowling both brilliantly off the front-foot and no sooner than he notched up his 33rd Test half-century, Morkel ended his stay. Laxman misread one that held its line and the ball clipped the bails.

In the morning session, unlike India who pretty much squandered the new ball by frequent longhops, the Proteas bowled with flare, signaling their intent right from the onset of the day’s play. Steyn and Makhaya Ntini bent their back on the slow pitch giving India plenty to worry about.

Sehwag started on an aggressive mode, which is synonymous with his batting. A back-foot punch through the covers off his fourth ball, followed by fierce square-cut and India were off to a bright start but it was short-lived.

Steyn’s perseverance to beat the batsman with his sheer pace paid off. A searing in-swinger and Sehwag was trapped leg-before for eight.