South Africa make steady start in third India test

Friday April 11, 12:35 PM

testing dirtying

By N.Ananthanarayanan

KANPUR, India (Reuters) - South Africa made a steady start to reach 80 for one at lunch on the opening day of the third and final test against India on Friday.

Skipper Graeme Smith was 31 not out with Hashim Amla on 11 after the tourists elected to bat on a dry, cracked Green Park pitch already affording turn and bounce for India's spinners.

Opener Neil McKenzie (36) put on 61 runs with Smith until he was stumped attempting a needless heave to give teenaged leg spinner Piyush Chawla a wicket off his fifth delivery.

India suffered a blow before play started after skipper Anil Kumble was ruled out because of a groin injury, denting their hopes to win and square the series.

Chawla, 19, was included in his place for only his second test, one of three changes to the side who lost the second test by an innings and 90 runs.

The openers faced no major problems against the pace duo of Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, who is back in the side after recovering from foot and finger injuries.

McKenzie, who hit 155 not out in the drawn first test, hit Sreesanth past mid-off for the first four before hitting Sharma for three more, with the tall bowler frustrated by the lack of bounce on the pitch.

Smith whipped Sharma past midwicket and square leg for two fours but curbed his natural aggression to cash in after winning the toss.

The 37-year-old Kumble, India's most potent bowler since the early 1990s, trained in the morning in a last-ditch effort to play before walking dejectedly away minutes before the toss.

Wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni took over as captain for the first time in a test.

Dhoni introduced off spinner Harbhajan Singh after just eight overs and his deliveries immediately spun and jumped out of the bowlers' footmarks.

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