South Africa aim to carry their good form into the final Test against top-ranked India starting tomorrow after taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
South Africa won the first Test by an innings and six runs, firing India out in under four days in Nagpur for a winning start to the high-profile series between the world’s top ranked teams.
“This is the one thing that we really want to tick off as a team you know, to win here in India,” South Africa captain Graeme Smith said after handing India their first Test defeat at home in almost two years.
Left-handed opener Smith sustained a knock on his little finger at training yesterday but an X-ray taken at the ground cleared him of tendon damage.
“At this stage it’s being treated as a sprained ligament. We anticipate him being fit to play his normal place in the side,” a team spokesman said.
South Africa almost achieved a rare series victory in India on their previous visit two years ago when they won the second Test before India squared the series in Kanpur.
“It’s hard work to win here. You need to be really clinical in terms of the game plan,” Smith said.
South Africa will take back the No. 1 ranking if they win the series. Their only Test series victory in India came in 2000.
Dale Steyn took a match haul of 10-108 to rout India in Nagpur after Hashim Alma made 253 not out and Jacques Kallis hit 173 to guide the tourists to an imposing first innings total of 558-6 declared.
India’s batting suffered in the absence of the experienced Rahul Dravid, Vangipurappu Laxman and Yuvraj Singh due to injuries, despite Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar scoring centuries.
Dravid and Yuvraj were ruled out of the entire series. Laxman was declared fit on Thursday and his return is expected to bolster the middle-order as India hope to square the series to hold on to the No. 1 ranking.
“We were outplayed by South Africa in all departments of the game,” captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said after India’s 14-match undefeated streak was snapped at Nagpur.
The tourists expect the pitch at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to assist spin, India’s traditional strength.
South Africa were beaten in three days in Kanpur in the deciding Test in 2008 on a pitch that subsequently came up for an official inquiry by the International Cricket Council.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
RSS