Virender Sehwag gave a ruthless display of hisstroke-making abilities as India's top-order batsmen today hit form after aprolonged lean trot in the first Test against South Africa which was headed fora tame draw.
The hard-hitting Sehwag (164) not only notched up hiseighth Test century but also achieved a number of individual milestones to steerIndia to a formidable 401 for four in their first innings at close on a fog-hitpenultimate day.
The home team's middle order batsmen, most of whom havebeen woefully short of runs before the current series got underway, took theopportunity to regain their touch on a lifeless track at the Green Park.
Vice-captain Rahul Dravid was batting on 52 and V.V.S.Laxman was giving him company on four at stumps with India trailing by 109 runs.
Newcomer Gautam Gambhir (96), Dravid and skipper SauravGanguly (57) got into the run-scoring groove on a day which saw just fourwickets fall. Only 13 wickets have fallen in four days of play reflecting theplacid nature of the track.
With the possibility of fog delaying the start of thelast day's play tomorrow, the match is heading towards a tame draw with the onlypoint of interest being whether the home team can gain the first innings lead.
Play began one hour late from the scheduled start at 9am today because of fog but despite the heavy conditions, the South African pacebowlers could obtain no movement from the pitch which showed no signs of wearingdown.
Resuming at the overnight score of 185 for no loss in reply to 510 for ninedeclared, the day clearly belonged to Sehwag who was first involved in a record218-run opening partnership with Gambhir and then emerged as the highestindividual scorer against South Africa at home. The dashing Sehwag turned on theheat from the very second over producing a pleasing cover drive to the fence offMakhaya Ntini and then spanking Shaun Pollock to the boundary.
But he was at his belligerent best in the post-lunchsession clobbering 54 runs off just 35 balls.
The two Delhi batsmen recorded the second highestopening partnership in Indian Test history when they crossed 213, the previousrecord by Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan against England at the Oval in 1979.It was the sixth 200 plus partnership by an Indian opening pair so far.
But Gambhir fell just four runs short of what couldhave been his maiden Test century.
The left hander, playing in his second Test sincemaking his debut against Australia in Mumbai earlier this month, edged an awaygoing delivery off Pollock to wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile. He occupied thecrease for 246 minutes and faced 151 balls during his knock of 96 which included11 boundaries and a six.
Sehwag launched a blistering assault on a cluelessbowling attack which also helped him complete 1000 runs in a calendar year. Hehas hit three centuries in nine Tests played so far this year.
Sehwag broke loose immediately after the lunch break spanking the first ball byAndrew Hall to the boundary and and kept up the tempo with a flurry of strokesin the extended post-lunch session much to the delight of the vociferous homecrowd. He rattled up 54 runs in just 35 balls after the lunch interval beforefalling leg before to Hall who also scalped the prized wicket of SachinTendulkar (3) in the span of four overs.
The Delhi opener was particularly severe on Hallsmashing him for 18 runs in an over and then hammered medium pacer Zander deBruyn and spinner Robin Peterson for 14 runs each in an over to dramaticallyaccelerate the pace of scoring.
Sehwag occupied the crease for 326 minutes and faced228 balls during his rollicking knock of 164 which contained 20 boundaries andtwo sixes.
His magnificent effort eclipsed Mohammad Azharuddin'srecord individual score of 163 not out at this venue in 1996-97. Tendulkar holdsthe record of the highest score by an Indian against South Africa with 169 inthe Johannesburg Test in 1996-97.
Tendulkar never really looked comfortable during his 21-minute stay at thecrease and returned to the pavilion when Hall knocked off his middle stump witha superb in-swinger. The pace of scoring dropped considerably after Sehwag'sdismissal with Dravid and Ganguly playing cautiously.
Ganguly got a reprieve when on 12 with Martin VanJaarsveld dropping a difficult chance in the mid-off region, Peterson being theunlucky bowler.
The Indian captain was in a more attacking mood afterthe tea break unleashing some glorious shots on both sides of the wicket,picking up Ntini for special treatment by hammering him for two boundaries inthe same over.
South African captain Graeme Smith claimed the secondnew ball after 96 overs but there were no immediate results as Ganguly andDravid had got used to the slowness of the track by then.
Ganguly notched up his 23rd half century but perishedsoon after with his short-arm pull landing straight into the hands of Petersonat fine leg, part-timer De Bruyn providing the breakthrough.
PTI
