Kolkata, Feb 17 (Inditop.com) India picked up the prized wicket of Graeme Smith as South African batsmen battled through a rain-truncated opening session to reach 39 for one at lunch of the fourth day of the second cricket Test here Wednesday.
Needing to score 347 to save an innings defeat, the visitors still need 308 runs to make the hosts bat again in the crucial Test which would not only decide the series but also the top slot among Test nations.
India had scored 643 for six declared in reply to the tourists’ first innings total of 296.
Amit Mishra got rid of Smith (20). Alviro Petersen (17) and Hashim Amla (2) were in the middle at the Eden Gardens where heavy overnight rains delayed the start of the day’s play by 93 minutes with 13 fewer overs to be bowled.
The match, slated to have an early start at 8.57 a.m. to accommodate five extra overs that were not bowled on the third day Tuesday, could not take off on time due to the wet outfield.
Under very overcast conditions, the umpires Ian Gould and Steve Davies carried out two inspections at 9.30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and decided on a delayed start at 10.30 a.m.
The pre-lunch session saw the South Africans resume at the overnight score of 6/0. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni employed a pace-spin combination for most of the morning.
Offie Harbhajan Singh got some turn and bowled to a disciplined line as Smith and Petersen played cautiously.
Medium pacer Zaheer Khan stuck to a line on or outside the off stump and induced an edge from Petersen in his third over as the opener slashed at an away-going ball but V.V.S. Laxman failed to reach despite diving full stretch at second slip.
Amit Mishra plotted Smith’s dismissal in the penultimate over before lunch with a top spinner that beat the batsman and hit his frontpad in front of the wicket.
The city was lashed by 15.5 mm of rainfall since Wednesday night and the met office has forecast more rain during the day.
rounak