South Africa v India - Second Test

Kingsmead, Durban

SAF: BA Richards, *TL Goddard, EAB Rowan, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, JN Rhodes, +JHB Waite, MJ Procter, PM Pollock, AEE Vogler, NBF Mann.
IND: *SM Gavaskar, NS Sidhu, PR Umrigar, GR Viswanath, M Azharuddin, CG Borde, +FM Engineer, Kapil Dev, M Prabhakar, BS Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: CJ Mitchley & DL Orchard
Toss: India

A win in Durban for South Africa would both clinch the series and secure the number one spot in the world rankings, but the quality (or lack of) of the Kingsmead wicket was of great debate in the lead up to the match and would surely prove something of a leveller over the course of the Test.

India had been forced to add Srinath (hand) and Venkat (knee) to their injury list since Port Elizabeth, but Gavaskar won a hugely important toss and gave the tourists a critical advantage before a ball had even been bowled. He and Sidhu added a sprightly 88 for the first wicket, with Sidhu spanking the recalled Vogler's first three balls to the boundary, and although there were failures once again for both Umrigar (4) and Azharuddin (a first ball duck), Gavaskar's 83 and a compliant lower order took India to 275-7 at the end of day one, a score that was extended to 335 all out by the second afternoon.

Engineer, Kapil Dev and Prabhakar all made significant contributions down the order, and on a wicket that was already starting to go through the top, India now found themselves in a very strong position. Richards and Goddard both fell early as South Africa replied, and from a score of 10-2 the innings never recovered. Graeme Pollock's 40 was the top score as Bedi and Chandrasekhar revelled in conditions more akin to Delhi than Durban, and before the second day was out, South Africa had been skittled for 135, with India's spinners sharing eight of the wickets.

With a lead of exactly 200 Gavaskar could have enforced the follow-on, but he elected to bat again, only to become the day's 14th victim when Procter castled him with what proved to be the final ball of the day. More mayhem followed on day three as Tufty Mann picked up his first ATG five wicket haul on the way to routing the Indians for 126 in an innings that lasted just 52 overs. Had Goddard trusted Vogler to bowl then maybe the carnage would have been greater still, but after returning figures of 1-85 off 15 overs on the first day, Vogler was not thrown the ball again in the match.

As it was, South Africa now needed the little matter of 327 to win on a wicket that was making batting a lottery, and India stood on the brink of a wholly unexpected victory. Richards and Goddard both failed again, victims of the highly effective Manoj Prabhakar, and Rowan soon followed, but Pollock and Nourse were able to get going and for a while there was hope for the Springboks. However, 99-3 became 105-6 as Chandrasekhar picked up three wickets in the blink of an eye, including Pollock's for an admirable 56, and it now seemed to be just a matter of time. Procter hit out for a defiant 45, adding 73 for the seventh wicket with the obdurate Nourse, but when both eventually fell to Bedi in the space of nine balls the game was up.

South Africa were finally all out for 184 midway through the fourth afternoon, and India had completed a shock victory by the sizeable margin of 142 runs. The game had been won on the first day, with India's first innings of 335 proving decisive, and Sunil Gavaskar picked up his second man of the match award of the series for his match-high innings of 83. The Kingsmead pitch had proved the real decisive factor in this match though, and the South African camp were understandably livid at the surface which had been prepared here. The teams now travel to Centurion all-square, and an unexpectedly competitive finish to the series is now on the cards.

Scores
IND 1st Inns 335 (Gavaskar 83, Kapil Dev 55, Prabhakar 43*, Sidhu 40, Engineer 40; Goddard 4-48)
SAF 1st Inns 135 (RG Pollock 40; Bedi 4-48, Chandrasekhar 4-48)
IND 2nd Inns 126 (Mann 5-56)
SAF 2nd Inns 184 (RG Pollock 56, Nourse 49, Procter 45; Bedi 4-57)

INDIA WON BY 142 RUNS


Man of the Match: SM Gavaskar