Date-stamped : 04 Dec93 - 19:49 Ind v RSA, ODI6, Report Kingsmead (Durban), 17 Dec 92 Conditions: It was a hot day, with a 20% chance of showers during the course of the afternoon and evening. With rain having fallen during the previous night and during the morning, the outfield was a bit on the slowish side. There was not much grass on the pitch which was rolled very heavily. The bounce was even, but the pace was a bit on the slow side of fast. Substitutions: Ind: Fielding Srinath for Jadeja, Banerjee for Jadeja. RSA: Crookes for Callaghan. Attendance: 26000, Capacity: 26000 Comments: With South Africa sent in to bat (I later found out that South Africa would have batted first even if they had won the toss, be- cause they need practice at setting a total with the triangular series scheduled for Februrary 1993). South Africa did not get off to a very good start losing Hudson early on and resulting in Wessels and Kirsten having to build an innings together. This they did admirably and with Kirsten in full cry after hitting for two sixes in two overs, he was out to Shastri after playing early and skying a ball to Manjrekar. This then brought Rhodes to the crease and with Wessels also blazed away, this time Raju being the unfortunate victim, when Rhodes got maximum from him. However with Rhodes and Wessels, trying to force the pace they did not last enough. With their demise inside two overs, run flow stopped. With 5 overs to go, the flow started, but this time runs were coming and wickets were falling, for in the space of 6 overs RSA lost 4 wickets for the addition of only 47 runs. Definitely not what is supposed to happen in the last couple of overs. When the Indians came out to bat, the total it seemed was 20-30 runs short of a target suitable to defend. The RSA bowlers howev- er had other things in mind and in what was one of the most hos- tile spells from Donald, it seemed as if the Indians were going to have to work to win this match. A big worry for the South Africans came in the 5th over, when the Indians took a quick sin- gle and Rhodes coming in to collect and take a shy at the wicket- keepers end, slipped and fell face first into the ground and took out all three stumps with his shoulders. Immediately after this a hush fell upon the ground and it seemed as if the King of Kingsmead will have to leave the ground prematurely. But Rhodes after some treatment got up and took his place, although it did take him a couple of overs to regain his composure and become the person that we all know him to be once again. After Prabhakar and Jadeja saw of the opening bowlers, they came up against Prin- gle and Matthews (McMillan was rested for this match), who con- tinued the strangle hold on the match and got the initial break- throughs. Once the Indian opening pair, were sent back to the dressing rooms, wickets fell regularly with no one staying long enough to anchor the innings and allow the batsman at the other end to chase the target for the required run rate was creeping up and up and up. The only person to show some degree of being able to fathom the RSA attack was the Indian captain and once he had departed in the 41st over, it was going to prove an uphill battle for the Indians, to put the RSA bowlers away who once again were bowling line and length and also more importantly to their field. With bowlers doing so well, the fielders shone chasing every ball around the field as if victory or defeat was dependent on whether the Indians got the 4 runs or whether South Africa saved the 4 and gave the Indians only 2 or 3. As in the series, the RSA fielding was brilliant. In the end, the South African's had dismissed India in under 50 overs for the third time and gave an indication of what they can do if they have a reasonable target to defend. The one cloud hanging over the match, must be that the umpires were not in total control of the match and were continually pres- surised from the players to give them the decision that they wanted, e.g the Indians got no balls and wides, and the South African's Manjrekars wicket after Callaghan had overstepped, and Manjrekar and Tendulkar took a quick single only for Hudson to hit the stumps at the non strikers end with a direct hit. The um- pire did not call for a television replay, only asking for it after appeals from the South African players. SCORING CHART: South Africa: 11 * 11 10 * * ** 10 R 9 * * * ** * 9 8 * * * * *** ** 8 U 7 * ** * * *** * *** 7 6 * * ** * * * *** * ***** 6 N 5 * * * *** * ** *** *** * ***** 5 4 * * * **** ****** *** *** * ******* 4 S 3 * * * * ** ***** ****** ******* *** ******* 3 2 * * * ** ********* **************** *********** 2 1 *** **** ********* **************************** 1 1 2 3 4 5 12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890 O V E R S India: 11 * 11 10 * * 10 R 9 * ** 9 8 * * ** 8 U 7 * **** 7 6 * * * ******* 6 N 5 * *** * * * ******* 5 4 * **** * ** * * ** ******* 4 S 3 * * ******* *** *** * * *** ********* 3 2 * * ** *********** *** **** **** *********** 2 1 *** * ** ********************** **** *********** 1 1 2 3 4 . 123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345675 O V E R S HISTORICAL EVENTS: 1. Yadav became the first Indian wicketkeeper to take a wicket in this series. Thanks to Feroz Khan on r.s.c. Contributed by probal (probal@*rutgers.edu)