da heads bet： A superb unbeaten 31 from Dinesh Karthik led India to a thrillingpenultimate-ball victory in their first-ever Pro20 outing at theWanderers.
The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran at Johannesburg01-Dec-2006
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
India’s inaugural Pro20 match had plenty of drama: Bollywood-style antics before the game started, Robin Peterson getting out the only way possible in a free hit, and then Dinesh Mongia breaking his bat…. © Getty Images
A superb unbeaten 31 from Dinesh Karthik led India to a thrillingpenultimate-ball victory in their first-ever Pro20 outing at theWanderers. Chasing South Africa’s 126 for 9, they were also indebted to aquickfire 34 from Virender Sehwag and a steady 38 from Dinesh Mongia. Thebowlers had done a sterling job earlier in the evening, with Zaheer Khanand Ajit Agarkar especially impressive in restricting a powerful battingline-up.With nine needed from the final over, Karthik eased Indian nerves byclouting Robin Peterson for a big six over midwicket. Four balls later, hecut one through point to round off a memorable evening, with India sealingtheir first win of the tour nearly three weeks after they arrived in theSouthern Cape.The Indian innings had started eventfully. After Sehwag had driven Van derWath through the covers for four, Charl Langeveldt had Sachin Tendulkaredging behind off a free hit. In his next over, Tendulkar creamed onethrough the covers before lofting another over point for four more. Butjust as the Indian flags began waving ever more animatedly, Langeveldt hadhis say, with Tendulkar dragging a full delivery back on to the stumps.Sehwag and Mongia then consolidated matters, and when Graeme Smith calledon Tyron Henderson, Sehwag weighed in immediately, slashing a six over therope at third man before deflecting wide of the keeper for four more.Another clever deflection to third man followed off Roger Telemachus, andwhen a short-pitched delivery flew off his helmet for four leg byes, Indianudged ahead of the asking rate.Henderson’s medium-pace offerings were to Sehwag’s liking, and a widedelivery outside off stump was sent soaring over point, but thecombination of Ashwell Prince, the substitute fielder, and Langeveldt witha full-length Jonty Rhodes-style dive cut short his scintillating 29-ballinnings.Mahendra Singh Dhoni lasted just two balls before being cleaned up by theimpressive Langeveldt, but Mongia, who returns home after the one-dayseries, kept up the momentum with some sweetly-timed strokes throughmidwicket. When Albie Morkel came on, he struck one beautifully over coverfor six, and with Karthik playing a gorgeous straight drive offTelemachus, John Denver’s Country Roads provided apt background music asIndia eased towards victory. Mongia fell to a slog to provide one finalhiccup, but Karthik and Suresh Raina saw that there would be no costlystutter at the finish.It was no less than India deserved after a disciplined bowling displaythat saw South Africa slump to 41 for 4, before Justin Kemp and thesix-hitting Morkel led something of a recovery. Morkel smashed 27 from 18balls, including one massive six off Harbhajan Singh that cleared thestands over midwicket. Having taken sixes off Sreesanth and Irfan Pathanearlier, he fell trying for another, caught at long-off off Sreesanth.Tendulkar had accounted for Kemp earlier, trapping him in front, even as asteady drizzle started to fall.Van der Wath’s 21 held the lower order together, but there weren’t thewickets in hand to launch any sort of onslaught. Robin Peterson wasrun-out off a free hit, after Harbhajan bowled a no-ball, and when Van derWath slogged the next ball into Raina’s hands at long on, India hadreestablished their stranglehold on proceedings.After quasi-Bollywood-style entertainment had set the stage, there weremassive cheers when Smith, with one run in the one-day series, got theinnings off the mark with a single to fine leg off Zaheer, and they becameeven more raucous when Sreesanth was cut for four and then drivenbeautifully down the ground. But it was too good to last, and in Zaheer’snext over, Loots Bosman edged one to Tendulkar at first slip.
Zaheer Khan’s 2 for 15 off four overs equalled Shane Bond for the most economical figures in Pro20 © Getty Images
Smith tried to up the ante by charging Sreesanth and lofting one down tothe long-off fence, and Herschelle Gibbs followed suit with a punishingpull for four off Zaheer. But when Agarkar replaced Sreesanth, India got areward right away, with Gibbs thumping one straight to short cover. Thatturned out to be a maiden over, and South Africa’s plight worsened whenZaheer crowned a quite magnificent spell with the wicket of his bunny,Smith once again trapped in front.AB de Villiers came in and slashed a six over point, but Agarkar exactedinstant retribution, inducing an edge behind. With the Indians buzzing, itwas left to Kemp to right the balance a little by smashing Pathan’s firstball to the cover fence, following it up with a top edge to fine leg forfour more.India were dealt a blow when Agarkar left the field midway through histhird over with a torn groin muscle. Tendulkar came on to replace him, andKemp latched on straight away, tucking one behind square for four. Butdespite his and Morkel’s efforts, there was no denying an Indian sidepiloted home by one of its future stars.