SA nearly gatecrash India’s party with a 65-run ninth-wkt stand before the hosts pull off a miraculous one-run win in the Pink City to go 1-0 up in first of the three ODIs.
It was a Super Sunday thriller! Ten runs were required in six balls. Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave the ball to Praveen Kumar. The medium pacer bowled his heart out in the last over and guided India to an exciting one-run victory over South Africa in Jaipur on Sunday.
The 27,000-odd crowd erupted in joy and the security officials surrounded the players even before Dhoni’s appeal for a run-out off a Sreesanth throw from fine-leg was answered by the third umpire SS Hazare. Even before Wayne Parnell was given out, the Indians started celebrating. But going by the reactions, Parnell probably knew that it was curtains for him and his team. Off the second ball of the last over Kumar clean bowled the dangerous Dale Steyn, who threatened to take away the match away by scoring a 19-ball 35.
The visitors had lost hope when their captain Jacques Kallis (89) was bowled by S Sreesanth. At that point the South Africans needed another 73 to win. But Steyn and Parnell kept their hopes alive with a 65-run partnership.
It all started in the 46th over when Suresh Raina was hit for two sixes by Steyn. Sreesanth’s 47th over cost 14 runs and Nehra conceded 16 in the 48th. What looked like a dead match suddenly came back to life. It took a full-stretch save from Sachin Tendulkar to save a boundary after Charl Langeveldt got rid of a slower ball from Praveen Kumar in the penultimate ball of the match. Only after over five minutes of replays could the third umpire conclude that it wasn’t a boundary.
Chasing 298, it looked like South Africa would romp home easily as Loots Bosman and Herschelle Gibbs put on 58 as the Indians struggled with the new ball. Man of the Match Ravindra Jadeja put the brakes on the South African batting with some disciplined bowling. He got rid of Gibbs and AB de Villiers.
Earlier, after being put into bat, some fine batting from southpaw Suresh Raina and decent cameos from Virender Sehwag (46) and Dinesh Karthik guided India to a challenging 298 in 50 overs. India didn’t start off well as Sachin Tendulkar, who looked good in the middle, was run out by Gibbs’s brilliant throw at the non striker’s end. But that did not deter Sehwag’s confidence. He batted in the usual manner sending the fielders on a leather hunt.
Sehwag, who looked for a big score, was unfortunately dismissed when Karthik’s straight drive brushed Langeveldt’s fingers and hit the stumps only to find the opener out of the crease.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried to consolidate the innings but an easy catch to mid-off fielder Morkel off Kallis sent him back. Karthik hit offie Johan Botha over the mid-wicket with his favourite slog sweep. However, he failed to read a surprise short ball from Langeveldt.
Raina and Virat Kohli took up the responsibility on their young shoulders when the chips were down. When things were heading in the right direction, Kohli played a flick of Morkel but found Gibbs at mid-wicket. They added 66 runs for the fifth wicket.
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