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Memorable day for Hall and de Bruyn
By Vijay Lokapally
HALL STANDS FIRM: South African opener Andrew Hall sends Zaheer Khan to the fence at the Green Park on Sunday.
KANPUR, NOV. 21. The name Zander de Bruyn will haunt the Indian bowlers for some time as he exposed their limitations on an unresponsive pitch, giving the contest a most unexpected course. It is India, the fancied team, which finds itself on the defensive at the Green Park here with the first Test of the series just two days old.
A quality show by the debutant de Bruyn and a big knock by Andrew Hall, who was thrust the opener's job, placed South Africa in a dominant position as India came up with a shockingly poor performance. South Africa, resuming at 230 for four, finished the day at 459 for seven.
It was a throw back to the era when cricket was a battle of attrition on slow and dreary pitches. Hall and de Bruyn enhanced the reputation of a team which was hardly seen as a threat in the sub-continent. With a performance that should go a long way in motivating a young side, South Africa effectively left the Indian camp embarrassed, to say the least.
Erratic bowlers, with the exception of Anil Kumble, and clumsy fielders — without exception — showed India in very poor light. Hall and de Bruyn, in adding 144 runs for the sixth wicket, may have given the home team reason to reassess its bowling strength.
Hall, 78 overnight, carried on with the same intensity and discipline. His knock may have lacked the flair of his previous best — 99 not out off 86 balls against England — but it was highly disciplined. He performed his role to perfection even as South Africa lost the dependable Boeta Dippenaar early this morning.
In a similar zone was de Bruyn, who never looked like a youngster playing his first Test. More than 1000 runs in domestic cricket last season had prepared de Bruyn for the demanding task and there were enough indications this day to project this Eastern Titans youngster as the man to watch.
This team may be short on experience but not the ability to learn and adapt quickly. The Indian attack wore a pedestrian look as South Africa lost just three wickets on a day that finished under floodlights.
Discipline & self-pride
Today's play was about Hall's discipline, de Bruyn's self-pride and Kumble's spirit. The negative tactics that the Indian bowlers adopted in the afternoon made a mockery of the claims that Sourav Ganguly and his men make of their potential to play aggressively. Without support from the pitch, this attack lacks teeth.
"There was no zip in the pitch. We need some carry from the surface. The bat-pad deflections did not carry here. We did not bowl a negative line but changed angles and had close-in fielders right through," said Murali Kartik.
It was not that batting was enjoyable but Hall and de Bruyn displayed an amazing level of determination. On a pitch that is likely to rattle the batsmen in the days to come, credit must go to Hall and de Bruyn for getting their basics right. Patience was an invaluable virtue for these two South Africans.
"My role was to stay and I had the belief and self-motivation in myself. It was difficult in the beginning but the ball was not coming on and the bounce was low," said the opener who also motivated de Bruyn to give his best.
Close mates from schooldays, Hall and de Bruyn played the grinding role to perfection, giving little chance to the bowlers. "We thought they don't want to make a match of it," observed Kartik but Hall noted, "Nobody plays to draw. We have come to win."
Chance to dictate
True, South Africa should dictate now, thanks to the invaluable contributions of Hall and de Bruyn, who showed remarkable maturity in carving a polished knock, which included three daring sixes off Harbhajan, who bowled a very poor line. Kartik, despite his claims, was not able to strike a rhythm and it was left to Kumble again to handle the pressure.
Kumble's 28th five-wicket haul was hard-earned. For a bowler made to earn his place by a demanding team management, Kumble was taking his eighth five-wicket haul in 11 Tests, beginning with the Adelaide Test last year when an injury to Harbhajan paved the way for this genial veteran. He remained unsung in the face of Hall and de Bruyn's batsmanship.
Hall's maiden Test century was a testimony to the man's ability to adapt and learn, even from a newcomer like de Bruyn. "Having him as partner was very special," confessed Hall, who was bowled round the legs from a casual shot. It was a pity that de Bruyn fell short of a century, caught at slip. The South Africans, with Shaun Pollock proving his mettle with the bat, closed the day on an awesomely confident note.
"Credit to them for not giving it away. We are also making an effort," concluded Kartik. With the pitch developing cracks and ominous spots, it will be one great challenge for India to force a draw.
SCOREBOARD
| G. Smith b Kumble | 37 |
| A. Hall b Kumble | 163 |
| M. Jaarsveld lbw
b Kumble | 2 |
| J. Kallis lbw b Kumble | 37 |
| J. Rudolph b Kumble | 0 |
| B. Dippenaar c Kaarthick
| 48 |
| Zander de Bruyn c Dravid
| 83 |
| S. Pollock (batting)
| 31 |
| T. Tsolekile (batting)
| 5 |
| Extras (b-9, lb-22, nb-16, w-1, pen 5) | 53 |
| — — | |
| Total (for seven wkts) | 459 |
| — — | |
India bowling: Zaheer 29-7-59-0 (nb-8, w-1), Ganguly 12-2-45-1, Kumble 50-13-116-5 (nb-1), Harbhajan 45-9-110-1, Kartik 39-12-57-0 (nb-7), Tendulkar 9-0-36-0.
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