Ind vs SA, 1st Test as it happened: Honours even as SA chase ends 8 short

That is it from us. Thanks for following along and we hope to see you for the second Test in Durban that starts 26 Decemeber. 21.45 IST: Time for the post match presentation: Virat Kohli is the Man of the Match. Kohli: You take three tours for a subcontinental team - tour of England, tour of Australia and tour of South Africa to really prove yourself. The way we played, we can take a lot of heart out of it. I was happy with 96. Hundred in both innings would have been perfect. To play Test matches it is all about visualising a lot things. being prepared as far as practice sessions are concerned. Time to get those net sessions in. The guys got used ot the conditions in about 10 days. That really helped the practice sessions. Guys felt comfortable about their games and the conditions an that was the key.Dhoni: I am very happy with the performance. The good thing was we played the ODI series so we had a basic idea of the conditions. Outside India we play with four bowlers and overseas sometimes the spinner doesn’t come into it. Lot of pressure on the fast bowlers to do well in both innings. overall, a fantastic effort. In the middle we attacked more than we should have but I was confident our bowlers cold defend 5 or 5.5 runs an over. there was a moment when we could have lost the game quite easily. Next time they will know when to attack and how to attack in this situation. Zack can be the leader of the pack. Talk to the others. Tell them what length to bowl. Plan out how to bowl to the batsmen. Most important was his fitness. Looks very different. He can improve still further with us. Very short series. Durban we get plenty of support. The wicket is always good. Testing wicket for the batsmen. Very good exposure for us. I think plenty to gain from that Test match in terms of experience. Important to rest well. Graeme Smith: Credit to India. They played extremely well over the first four days. We showed mental strength not to fade away and give India the win. Think Faf and AB’s knocks will go down in history as some of the best to play the game. I think we did brilliantly until Faf’s run-out. Dale and Vern made the decision in the best interest of the team and you have to support them. We played high quality Test cricket and we go to Durban even-stevens now. Those who play the game will appreciate how good those knocks were from Faf and AB. It in the end, it was a very good Test cricket. Took it down to the last hour, which was amazing for everyone and good for Test cricket. Faf unnecessarily had a lot of pressure on him going into this game and he answered his critics extremely well. Also, Morne Morkel has a 20 percent chance of playing the next match.

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21.25 IST: That was an exhausting last hour. South Africa were the favorites with 15 overs to go but AB’s wicket slowed them down but it was Faf’s suicidal single that forced South Africa to shut shop and hold on for the draw. Should they have gone for it anyway? I think so. At least throw the bat around at the start of the penultimate over. If you get lucky, you make history. The worst that could happen is you lose a Test match. Those don’t balance on any scales I own.

21.17 IST: Shami bowls the final over. Dhoni has two slips in place now. Steyn has a slog at one but missed and they scamper a single. Philander has a wild slog off the next one and misses too. Takes a single from the penultimate ball. Steyn ends the match with flat, straight six off a low full toss. SA end 8 runs short of what would have been a history-making chase.

21.11 IST: Philander pushes Zaheer to long-off but turns down the single. People in the crowd shake their head in confusion. Dhoni has nobody saving one. Everyone is on the boundary. Maiden from Zaheer. This is looking more and more like a draw. The crowd is very disappointed.21.07 IST: Shami starts with a couple of short ball. Steyn shows no interest in either one. Shami keeps bowling them short. Steyn keeps leaving them. Maiden from Shami. 21.02 IST: Faf has a sighter at Zaheer, then stands tall and clubs the third delivery past mid-wicket for four. That was a clear statement of intent. WICKET! du Plessis run out 134 (309b 15x4 0x6) Faf calls for a crazy single but Rahane makes no mistake for the second time in the innings and Faf is short despite putting in the full dive. Brilliant knock that but it was a suicidal single. There was simply no reason for it after hitting the boundary two balls earlier. South Africa 442/7 now.

20.57 IST: Shami comes on from the other end. Just one slip in place now. Get the feeling that the result depends on what South Africa do as opposed to what India do. Philander thumps the second ball to the midwicket boundary. Dhoni immediately has a word with Shami. Not worried about hand-holding here. Eight from the over. An excellent one for South Africa. 20.52 IST: And Zack is back. Dhoni banking on experience here. Three from the over, all in singles. This is nail-biting stuff, as many in the crowd are showing.20.48 IST: After three dot balls, Philander plays a stunning backfoot punch that runs away from the fielder to the cover boundary. That was superb timing. Seven from Ishant’s over. 31 to get from 36 balls now. 20.43 IST: Getting harder and harder for SA now to push for victory. Shami gives away just two runs as Faf continues to leave outside off. 38 needed from 7. Will South Africa have a dart at the end> 20.39 IST: Ishant gives away just a single. 40 needed from 8 overs with 4 wickets in hand. 20.33 IST: Philander crashes a short, wide one from Shami between third man and extra-cover for four. Six from the over. 41 to get from 9 now. Still all four results in play. Fletcher looking concerned on the Indian balcony. 20.29 IST: Dhoni has two slips for Ishant with Philander on strike. Keeps them around for Faf, though he pushes men back on both sides of the wicket. Three from that over. 47 to get from the last 10 overs now. 20.22 IST: JP smashes Shami down the ground for a boundary first ball. That will make him feel a lot better after Ishant had him hopping around in the previous over. WICKET! Duminy b Mohammed Shami 5 (9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 55.55 Full outside off and JP goes for the drive. Gets the inside edge and the ball clangs into pad and then into his stumps. India fighting back at the death here. In the dressing room, AB looks distraught. Vernon Philander is the new batsman with 51 runs still to get.

20.13 IST: WICKET! AB de Villiers b I Sharma 103 (168b 12x4 0x6) Ishant gets the breakthrough. AB tries to run a back-of-a-length delivery down to third man but it was too close to him for the shot. Gets the inside edge and crashes into the stumps. AB hangs his head in disappointment. He wanted to be there at the end. Still, a brilliant innings that has given his side a genuine chance of victory. 20.12 IST: At long last, we have a Shami sighting. His first ball takes off at Faf, who does well to fend it away despite ending up with just one hand on the bat. Just two from that over. 56 to get from 13 overs now and this is looking more and more like an SA victory. How this Test has turned on its head. 20.08 IST: Ishant continues. There will be 15 overs in this final session, which means SA gets an extra over. Even the commentators wondering why Dhoni has not given Shami the ball. Meanwhile Faf advances a couple of steps and heaves Ishant to the deep midwicket boundary to bring up the 200-run partnership. Eight from the over. SA need 58 now as the 400 comes up. 19.59 IST: Zaheer still bowling. Shami still not bowling. AB brings up a majestic hundred with a dab to third man. Come from 162 balls and contains 12 fours. The crowd chants “AB, AB”. What a performance by these two South African batsmen. India looking completely out of ideas. 66 to get from 14 (or 15) overs and it is drinks before we start the final hour of play. Which side will hold their never better?19.55 IST: A change in the bowling but it is not Shami. That would be too predictable for Dhoni. It is Ishant who gets the ball now. He starts with two that are short and wide and AB helps himself to a couple of twos through and over the covers. Meanwhile Faf tries to gift India a wicket by taking off for a suicidal run but Pujara pumps his arm too many times before throwing. He knocks the stump down but Faf is back. 69 to get. 15 (or maybe 16 overs) to get them in before 15 overs have to be bowled in the last over.

19.49 IST: Zaheer still bowling. No sign of Shami, which is a little bit odd since he has looked the most likely of all the Indian bowlers to take a wicket. AB punches off the backfoot but there is a man out there on the boundary now. Faf gets a leading edge but it scoots over the man at point and SA pick up two more runs. 74 to get from 16 overs. Reaching code red territory for India. 19.45 IST: The slip is gone for Ashwin. No, wait. Dhoni brings it back after one delivery. Then AB waltzes down the track and straight drives Ashwin for a couple of runs. This is now the highest 5th-wicket partnership in the fourth innings in Test history. Five from the over. The hosts need 78 from 17. 19.41 IST: Zaheer persisting from around the wicket but Shami loosening up in the deep. A two-wicket burst would be very handy for India right about now. Just two from Zack;s over this time. 83 to get from 18.19.37 IST: Things not going India’s way at all. Ashwin produces a shocking delivery down legside that hits a crack and goes wider still. 5 wides for South Africa. Dhoni still attacking though with three men round the bat for Ashwin. Zaheer had just the one slip. SA need 85 from 19 overs now. 19.34 IST: Zaheer too straight and Faf tucks him to fine leg for yet another boundary. Every single is being cheered by the crowd now. 92 more to win from 20 overs. Doesn’t seem like much, does it? 19.30 IST: Ashwin runs through his over and gives away just a single. India need to dry the runs up now. 19.27 IST: Fabulous hundred for Faf. Flicks Zack through midwicket and picks up three runs to get to three figures. Celebrates by taking off his helmet and punching the air with his bat. Taken him 252 balls and 299 minutes (one minute shy of 5 hours). The target is now under 100 as well. psychologically a big difference.19.23 IST Ashwin bowling with Zack. Both batsmen looking for the singles now to keep the strike rotating. They are clearly going for the win now. AB makes that even clearer by charging Ashwin. Gets as single to midwicket for his troubles. Four runs from the over.19.20 IST: A couple from Zack kept low. Something to watch out for, perhaps. Faf doesn’t let it bother him though, crashing Zack through the covers off the backfoot. Dhoni goes ahead and puts a man on the square boundary. SA need 108 to win from 24 overs. 19.15 IST: Zaheer persisting with bowling around the wicket. AB moves into the 80s by crashing him through the covers a couple of times. South Africa need to score at 4.5 runs an over at this point. More pertinently, if they can get the equation down to about 80 from 15 overs with 6 wickets in hand, that would be worth a dash and then some. Fyi, 418/7 is the most any team has scored in the fourth innings to win a Test. West Indies to beat Australia in 2003. 19.00 IST: Dhoni starts the final session with … Virat Kohli. The frontline bowlers must be pretty drained for this move to take place.18.55 IST: Ram Guha says what many are probably thinking:18.40 IST: That is tea with South Africa 331/4. All four of India’s bowlers looking a bit haggard now. Fatigue is much more noticeable when wickets are not falling. There is no adrenaline to lift flagging spirits. AB and Faf have been magnificent in their resolve, having added 134 together. Dhoni will have to think of a new trick or two if India still plan on winning this Test. South Africa need 127 runs from 30 overs with 6 wickets in hand. All to play for in the last two hours. Meanwhile Indian Express tweeted out that there are chants of ‘Sorry India, sorry’ ‘Go home India, Go home’ at the Wanderers. A fallout from the BCCI vs CSA spat, no doubt.18.20 IST: This is now the second-highest score batting last at the Wanderers. India’s bowlers are tiring too. South Africa now need 144 to win, with a minimum of 35 overs to go. That’s just about four an over, which is not out of the realms of possibility. The more likely end is a draw if things continue the way they are going.18.00 IST: A couple of streaky edges - wide of third slip and to fine leg - give South Africa a couple of boundaries. They also bring up the 100-partnership between Faf and AB. These two have played very, very well under the circumstances. They have also played in accordance with their natural temperaments, in contrast to the 33 from over 200 deliveries that AB faced when they saved the game against Australia. AB has 63 from 99 balls so far today. Faf has 65 from 188. A nasty snorter from Zack takes the shoulder of Faf’s bat but it loops over the slips and lands safely. Brings up South Africa’s 300. Sums up the current state of the game. 17.50 IST: Faf and AB looking pretty happy to be out there at the moment. Dhoni rotating his bowlers but with little effect. The same Indian attack that looked so threatening in the first innings now looks ordinary without much assistance from the pitch. Ashwin has bowled well, but without penetration.17.30 IST: AB gets to his 50 with a flurry of boundaries. South Africa proving they have the guts to fight it out today. India looking increasingly bereft of wicket-taking ideas.17.20 IST: The new ball has been a dud for India so far. One Shami delivery struck a crack and zipped past the shoulder of AB’s bat, but otherwise Faf and AB have been able to deal with it without too much bother. One wicket could change things, though. It is crucial for South Africa that these two stick around for aw while.17.05 IST: Faf brings up an excellent half-century with a confident pull shot off Shami. Taken him 142 balls. More importantly, the new ball has been racing to the boundary pretty quickly. 12 have come from the first two overs with it, all from boundaries. South Africa now need less than 200 to win this game. Still unlikely, but you never know. 16.57 IST: The new ball has been taken and given to Zaheer Khan. Just before that, AB brought up the 50-partnership between him and Faf with a single. 16.54 IST: Kohli and Ashwin rushing through the half-dozen overs before the new ball is due. Faf closing in on a gritty fifty. India clearly hoping the new ball will do the trick for them. 16.45 IST: Spin to start with after lunch. Dhoni has the same field for Ashwin - slip, leg slip, short leg and short midwicket - who is bowling from around the wicket. I haven ever fully agreed with Dhoni’s preference for bowling Ashwin around the wicket, but he is India’s captain and I sit in an office and watch him on TV.16.00 IST: Lunch is taken with India still keeping its nose in front. 98 runs were scored while South Africa lost two more wickets in that session - Petersen and Kallis, with the latter unlucky to be given lbw despite a fairly big inside edge on to pad. Aside from the first 20 minutes of play though, batting on this pitch has not been particularly difficult. Kallis and Faf were going along at over 5 an over, Kallis’ 34 coming from just 37 balls. AB did survive a close lbw shout in the last over before lunch - ball tracker showing it might have clipped the top of the bails - but otherwise he was untroubled, while Faf was solid in making 42. They have added 39 from 13.2 overs to this point. India will want to make the best use of the new ball, which is due in 6 overs, to make early inroads after the break. Join us again in about 35 minutes then for the penultimate session.15.30 IST: Ashwin ws brought on half an hour before lunch. Dhoni gave him a slip. short leg and a backward short leg in place. India were lucky to cut Kallis’ innings short when he was in such imperious form. But teams need that sort of good fortune to win close games. The umpires have been excellent in this test and there must be allowance for the odd error (And no, I am not saying this because I work for an Indian publication). Scoring has slowed a touch as AB and Faf target the break without further damage. SA still have an outside shot at a win but will require a special innings from one of these two, or Duminy. India will want at least one more wicket before lunch, of course. Meanwhile Dhoni pops in a short midwicket for Ashwin for good measure. 15.15 IST: WICKET! Kallis lbw b Khan 34 (54m 37b 6x4 0x6) Zack’s 300th wicket is the big one. Delivered with the angle from round the wicket, it seams back into Kallis, who replays show got a BIG inside edge. Unlucky for him but he has to go and India have taken a significant step towards victory. South Africa 197/4; AB de Villiers is the new man. 15.00 IST: A good length delivery from Zack spits at Kallis after hitting a crack. Takes the shoulder of the bat and luckily for the South Africans, flies over the slip cordon. That has been the only uncomfortable moment for Kallis though, who is batting like man at the height of his powers. He and Faf have now added 51 runs from 9.4 overs, giving them a run-rate of 5.27. If I was a betting man, I would bet it won’t be long before Dhoni decides to focus on defense. 14.50 IST: Kallis suggesting reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated with some exquisite driving through the offside. At the other end, Zack almost undoes Faf with a yorker that took the bottom edge and just missed bouncing on to legstump as Faf watched with his heart in his mouth. These two motoring along at over 4 an over. Dhoni won’t mind for the moment, but if they continue in this vein for a few more overs, we might see a more defensive approach. South Africa currently need 286 more runs to win from 79 overs. 14.35 IST: Kallis creams Shami through the covers to get off the mark and avoid the dreaded pair. It was full and up there to be hit and Kallis obliged. Dropped! Sharp chance at short leg. Kallis pushes at a length ball and it goes quickly to Pujara’s left and he sticks a hand out but the ball is moving too quickly and glances off his fingers. It was one of those that either stick or don’t because of the short reaction time. 14.20 IST: WICKET! Petersen b Mohammed Shami 76 (162b 9x4 0x6) Shami strikes. A fuller length and holds it line. Petersen is a little late on the defensive shot and chops it on to his stumps. India get the early breakthrough they wanted. South Africa 143/3 and out works a struggling Jacques Kallis. 14.10 IST: It seems not too many people have turned up at the Wanderers to watch today, which is sadly indicative of spectator interest in Test cricket these days. Makes no sense to me. CanSpending a leisurely Sunday at a cricket ground with a gripping Test heading to its final conclusion sounds ideal to me.14.04 IST: Shami has the ball first up and produced a beautiful outswinger that moves late and beats Petersen’s attempted drive. A maiden to start. 13.45 IST: What has been an absorbing Test match is headed to its denouement with all three results in play. South Africa need 320 runs to win; India need eight wickets. In this scenario, India have the edge but the way South Africa batted yesterday evening showed they believe in the possibility of a home victory. The pitch looked a lot easier to bat on yesterday as well, with the two wickets to fall in the final session coming because of a run-out and a horrible misjudgement from Hashim Amla. India will need all four of their bowlers to play their part today as they hunt for what would be a famous and unexpected victory. Ashwin was essentially a spectator in the first innings as India’s three seamers were more than the No 1 Test side could handle, but that is already not the case in the fourth innings as he has already bowled roughly twice as many overs as anyone else. And Zaheer’s Khan experience and nous will be crucial in ensuring the seamers bowl the right lengths and lines. [caption id=“attachment_1301269” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  India will need Zaheer Khan to be at his best today. AFP[/caption] For South Africa, Faf du Plessis has shown he has the stomach for a fight and this would be the perfect time for him to climb out of his lean trough. He need look no further than his batting partner, Alviro Petersen, who has the South African response with a smooth half-century. The hosts also have AB de Villiers and JP Duminy to come, both of whom can score quickly. Should one of them get going, it would put the pressure back on the Indian bowling attack. Whatever the final result, it has been a fantastic Test match and shown that this greenhorn Indian side is can scrap with the best of them. Meanwhile Ashish Nehra is being doing this at Roshanara in the Ranji Trophy:Recap It was a strange kind of day – India failed to force their advantage and South Arica hung in bravely in the face of a difficult situation. Make no mistake, India should win this but the manner and the ease with which South Africa batted means that they will believe they have a chance of batting out three sessions and saving the match. SA have done it before and they will hope they can do it again. India, meanwhile, will want a few quick wickets to start day 5. At stumps, SA were 138-2 after 45 overs, needing a further 320 runs with 8 wickets remaining. Read the full recap here .