The Hindu : Sport : Kallis is a class act in grand theatre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 29, 2004

Sport

Sport

Kallis is a class act in grand theatre

By Vijay Lokapally

Photo: V.V. Krishnan

STARTING RIGHT: South African captain Graeme Smith is gone in the first over of the second Test at Kolkata, caught by Dinesh Kaarthick off the impressive Irfan Pathan. With Jacques Kallis scoring a patient unbeaten 103, the visiting team recovered to finish at 227 for five at close.

KOLKATA, NOV. 28. The poor spectator response, by Kolkata standards, caused greater debate than the Indian bowling, which excelled only in patches at the Eden Gardens here. The strategy, clearly, was to exploit the inexperience of the South African middle order.

But, then, the Indian bowlers had not accounted for a man named Jacques Kallis and they came a cropper when challenged by his experience, technical excellence and class.

On a brown pitch, where the batsmen were not put in any undue trouble either because of the bounce or the swing and seam, Kallis marked his authority with a fine century, which was a compelling statement on the man's temperament.

He paced his innings in a purposeful manner and produced some regal shots off the backfoot to lay the foundation for the South African first innings.

Kallis all the way

It was Kallis's day at the 35,000-strong Eden Gardens after Graeme Smith elected to bat but made a grossly rash choice when picking the second ball of the match to hit.

South Africa suffered from the cheap dismissals of the captain, and his fellow opener Andrew Hall. But Kallis guided the innings in the company of Jacques Rudolph to help South Africa finish the day at 227 for five.

To put things in perspective, the Indians failed to capitalise on the two early breakthroughs while the South Africans enhanced their reputation as gritty performers with the bat.

— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

MAJESTIC SHOT: Jacques Kallis plays an exquisite cover drive off Anil Kumble on the first day of the second Test.

Smith, who underwent a fitness test this morning, was caught in an uncertain state of mind. Having dealt with a crisis situation regarding his participation in the match, Smith fell to an indiscreet stroke, a compulsive slash at an innocuous delivery. The only thing good about the dismissal was Dinesh Kaarthick snapping the ball in front of first slip.

Andrew Hall, the man of the match at Kanpur with a methodical century, perished when playing away from the body, a shot which did not jell with his compact innings in Kanpur.

The fall of the two early wickets buoyed the Indians, especially since neither ball deserved a wicket. But Kallis and the left-handed Rudolph arrested the slide with a sensible partnership, which drew its strength from a desire to grind the attack. The pitch was a challenge in terms of planning the innings because the levels of concentration required were high.

Relying on his impeccable shot selection and flawless footwork, Kallis motivated the young Rudolph to tackle the attack with a flair that only in-form batsmen can command. Kallis was in splendid nick right through his blemishless innings and his presence meant there was solidity in the middle, just what the doctor ordered for a team that had embarked on this tour with plenty to learn and gain.

In compiling his 17th century in 82nd Test, Kallis demonstrated his potential to read the situation and dominate it with elan. He did not accumulate runs laboriously but creamed them with some silken and robust strokes off an attack that was compelled to adopt a defensive line once it became clear that Kallis and Rudolph were on top.

With Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh failing to derive any substantial purchase from the pitch, it was left to the two seamers, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan, to chip in. Pathan's reverse swing in the afternoon did not create any sensation while Zaheer impressed with his accuracy that saw him beat the bat a few times. But, he certainly did not beat Kallis's willow, which only grew broader as the day progressed.

Rudolph plays able foil

Kallis's confidence rubbed off on Rudolph, who made up for his failures in the Kanpur Test where he got just 0 and 2.

Rudolph made no attempt to match Kallis. The left-hander played percentage cricket and prospered from scoring opportunities square of the wicket. Though not the best way of gathering runs, for Rudolph it was a quite productive way of proving his mettle. The 109-run third-wicket stand left the attack in a state of frustration until a lazy shot by Rudolph once again provided life to the Indian bowlers.

Rudolph paid the penalty for failing to pick the line but he earned a pat from his partner for a job well done. A cameo from debutant Hashim Amla, who replaced Martin van Jaarsveld, tested the Indian attack, which now toiled. Late swing accounted for Amla who was squared up by Pathan. The left-arm seamer struck again with an angled delivery to dismiss Boeta Dippenaar.

Kallis and Zander de Bruyn countered the new-ball threat and a probing spell by Pathan, who, however, looked better with the old ball. Kallis reached his century with a scintillating square-drive and his emotional reaction only highlighted the significance of this innings. A pity, the fielding sides these days do not appreciate batting feats by the opposition, for Kallis deserved universal accolades in Indian cricket's grand theatre.

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA — 1st innings:

G. Smith c Kaarthick
b Pathan
0

(2m, 2b)

A. Hall c Kaarthick
b Zaheer
7

(13m, 13b, 1x4)

J. Rudolph b Zaheer 61

(210m, 161b, 7x4)

J. Kallis (batting) 103

(323m, 211b, 11x4)

H. Amla b Pathan 24

(70m, 49b, 4x4)

B. Dippenaar c Kaarthick
b Pathan
1

(16m, 12b)

Z. de Bruyn (batting) 15

(72m, 59b, 1x4)

Extras (lb-9, nb-7) 16

— —

Total (for five wkts.) 227

— —

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Smith), 2-21 (Hall), 3-130 (Rudolph), 4-176 (Amla), 5-182 (Dippenaar).