A stop-start day dominated by drizzle, murky light, and a Table Mountain shrouded in cloud perked up during an action-filled period between the second rain interruption and the tea break, with Hashim Amla playing the protagonist. He laid into the Indian attack with an array of drives and pulls, reviving an innings that had stood still after South Africa lost their openers, before falling for 59. His dismissal lifted an Indian attack that had created chances but leaked runs and left the fight for the series in the balance.
MS Dhoni had terrible luck with the toss in recent months - he won only one out of the previous 14 - but he called correctly today, winning his first toss of the New Year in conditions that were unusual for Newlands. Gary Kirsten, the India coach, said that normally one wouldn't think twice about batting here, but the overcast conditions and a grassy pitch could suit the bowlers. Graeme Smith expected the first session on his home ground to provide his batsmen a stern test. He didn't survive it.
In the seventh over, Zaheer Khan angled the first ball into the left-hander after pitching pretty straight, and Smith defended confidently. The second ball landed wider outside off and seamed away, allowing Smith to leave comfortably. The third ball also pitched outside off, but moved into Smith instead of leaving him. He played outside the line, leaving a gap between bat and front pad, and Zaheer found it, striking the back leg plumb in front. South Africa were 17 for 1, and after nine overs it began to rain, like it had in Centurion and Durban.
The umpires took an early lunch but play only resumed at 1.20 pm, and even then the conditions were passable for only 12 overs, during which South Africa lost Petersen. Ishant Sharma had operated on a tight line just outside off stump, seaming balls both away and into the right-handers. Petersen drove at one that moved away after pitching around off and was caught behind, leaving South Africa 34 for 2.
Amla took on the testing conditions with discipline, leaving majority of the deliveries outside off stump, especially when Zaheer seamed them across him from over the wicket. Zaheer then went around the stumps and caused problems, beating Amla with a blockhole delivery outside off, inducing an inside edge past the stumps and a leading edge that lobbed dangerously towards cover - all in one over.
The pitch at Newlands wasn't as quick and bouncy as the one in Kingsmead, where batsmen could leave the ball on length. India's bowlers had not attempted a single bouncer by the time bad light and rain stopped play for a second time, with South Africa 61 for 2 after the 21st over. It was not that sort of pitch. It was a pitch on which the bowlers needed to pitch fuller, and the Indians did. It was a pitch on which the batsmen needed to be made to drive, and the South Africans did. Jacques Kallis had driven Sreesanth with power through cover just before the rain break, but Amla took charge after the resumption.
He drove the first ball from Zaheer after the break through point, the next wide of mid-on, where Sachin Tendulkar dived over the ball, and the another between midwicket and mid-on - all for boundaries. Sreesanth also urged Amla to drive by delivering half-volleys outside off, two of which disappeared across the moist turf towards the cover boundary. In 4.1 overs after the second rain break, South Africa had scored 30.
Sreesanth then tried a different line of attack, placing men at long leg and deep square and bouncing Amla, who hooked the first for six to reach 50 off 69 balls. Amla continued to attack, but not all his forcing shots came off and he edged Sreesanth twice, first over gully and then wide of second slip. Zaheer also produced two crackers that pitched straight and seamed across the outside edge of Amla's forward pushes. On 59, Amla pulled Sreesanth again, but this time he spliced the short ball to Cheteshwar Pujara on the deep square boundary.
It was the only wicket that India took during the second session and AB de Villiers, who joined Kallis, had begun his innings confidently, playing one arrow-straight drive against an inswinger from Zaheer.
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