Forget the status, the 'Test' is on

By G. Viswanath

CENTURION, NOV. 23. India made 221 for eight in 90 overs on the first day of the third `Test' that has raked up muck and raised considerable and genuine doubts of whether it is real or not, the ICC, had on Thursday night, regarded the Test as `unofficial'.

The status of the third Castle Lager/MTN Test match between South Africa and India, according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and United Cricket Board (UCB), will be, indeed determined in the Southern hemisphere, but at the antipodes. The cricketing world, especially those directly involved with the third Test which began here on Friday, has been led to believe by the two Boards, that irrespective of the result of the match, the status of the match will be decided at the International Cricket Council's Executive Board meeting in March, 2002.

As a matter of fact the third `Test' match began at the Super Sport Park, Centurion, with an unambiguous message from the ICC to the UCB that since India has refused to play with Mike Denness as the Match Referee, it has forfeited the Test and that South Africa has won the three Test series 2-0. The Indian team manager Mr. M.K. Bhargava said he and the Indian team regarded the Test as an official one. There was no immediate reaction from the UCB, which since browbeaten by the BCCI President Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya that India will not take the field if Mike Denness is the Match Referee, has bowed to the BCCI.

India's captain Sourav Ganguly, fit as a fiddle until Thursday night, introduced an element of mystery, pulling out of the team because of back spasms. It was revealed by Dr. Bhargava that Ganguly woke up on Friday morning with a stiff neck and back, that was subsequently diagnosed as back spasms. Ganguly was treated with intra-muscular cortisone injections. Dr. Bhargava said Ganguly will return home with the team.

It was a day when South Africa's annual mini-cricket project was launched and the national selectors picked a 15- member team for the Test series in Australia, with Allan Donald and Steve Elworthy included in the team, and Rahul Dravid got a chance to lead India for the first time in a `Test' match and Connor Williams opened the innings with Shiv Sundar Das and Jacques Rudolph replaced Boeta Dippenaar in the eleven. But there will be a `D-Day' in March that will confirm whether Dravid led India in an official match and Rudolph and Williams made their debut.

Ganguly's back problems resulted in India taking the field with five specialist bowlers including Anil Kumble, who first got a chance to occupy the centrestage in the sixth wicket stand with Deep Dasgupta after half the Indian side had been dismissed for 107 runs. The third new opening pair in the series remained at single digit scores for almost one hour, before Klusener ended Williams' 68 minute tenure. Dravid did not have luck, adjudged leg before by Dave Orchard, when Makhaya Ntini's delivery was still climbing. Sachin Tendulkar struck five fours - one off Pollock and four off Ntini - before Mark Boucher held a superb leg side catch, when Tendulkar came inside Kallis' delivery and deflected it, but not far enough to elude the hands of the wicketkeeper. Laxman hit a few lovely shots before he steered Kallis to Kirsten at gully. It did not appear that both Tendulkar and Laxman were focused.

Das was one batsman who took the opportunity to dig himself in for nearly three hours and face the likes of Pollock and Hayward with confidence. Javagal Srinath struck on his top hand by Mornantau Hayward. Srinath has been hit on his knuckles, twice, at least.

Scoreboard

INDIA - 1st innings:

S. S. Das c Gibbs b Hayward          46
(164m, 132b, 9x4)
C. Williams lbw b Klusener            5
(68m, 46b)
R. Dravid lbw b Ntini                 5
(50m, 37b, 1x4)
S. Tendulkar c Boucher b Kallis      27
(55m, 38b, 5x4)
V. V. S. Laxman c Kirsten b Kallis   14
(27m, 22b, 2x4)
D. Dasgupta c Rudolph b Hayward      36
(96m, 73b, 6x4
A. Kumble b Hayward                  27
(174m, 129b, 3x4)
Harbhajan Singh run out              29
(Ntini/Boucher)
(40m,32b, 6x4)
J. Srinath retd hurt                  8
(24m, 14b, 2x4)
V. Prasad batting                     6
(25m, 22b, 1x4)
Extras (b1, lb 12, nb 5)             18

--
Total (for 8 wkts in 90 overs)      221
--

Fall of wkts: 1-16 (Williams), 2-49 (Dravid), 
3-90 (Das), 4- 100 (Tendulkar), 5-107 (Laxman), 
6-158 (Dasgupta), 7-197 (Harbhajan), 8-221 (Kumble)

South Africa Bowling: Pollock 20-11-21-0 (nb 3), 
Hayward 25-8-70-3 (nb 1), Ntini 17-3-78-1 (nb 1),  

Klusener 8-5-4-1, Kallis 13-7-15-2, Boje 7-2-20-0 

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