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Nagpur, India. South Africa was eyeing victory after Dale Steyn picked a career-best 7-51 to trigger a dramatic India collapse on the third day of the first test on Monday.

The right-arm quick polished off the last six India wickets for 12 runs in 7.4 overs after tea to bundle the host out for 233 and help the visitors enforce the follow-on at Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium.

Following on, India was tottering at 66-2, trailing South Africa by 259 runs with eight wickets in hand. Murali Vijay was batting on 27 with Sachin Tendulkar on 15 when stumps were drawn for the day.

Steyn struck again in India’s second innings, sending back Virender Sehwag for 16, while Morne Morkel pegged back the off-stump of the other opener, Gautam Gambhir (one).

India’s slide began with the dismissal of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (six) in the first over after the tea break.

Subramaniam Badrinath’s resistance in his first test appearance was cut short in the next over when he chipped Steyn straight to short midwicket.

The other debutant, Wriddhiman Saha, was out off the first ball he faced from Steyn. Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra played onto their stumps before Harbhajan Singh was trapped lbw, giving Steyn his 13th five-wicket haul in 37 tests.

The only positive for India was the 109-run knock by Sehwag, who hit 15 fours and also shared 136 runs for the fourth wicket with Badrinath after India was reeling at 56-3.

But Sehwag was dismissed shortly after reaching his 18th test century when he sliced a wide delivery from paceman Wayne Parnell (1-31) to cover, where Jean-Paul Duminy took a well-judged catch.

Replying to South Africa’s first innings of 558-6 declared, India was off to a disastrous start, losing its three top-order wickets inside the first hour. Steyn got rid of Tendulkar (seven) and Vijay (four) after Morkel (1-58) had dismissed Gambhir (12) to reduce the host to 119-3 at lunch.

Coming into the series with eight centuries in his last 11 tests, Gambhir was out off the first ball he faced when he was caught by Mark Boucher after poking at an away-going delivery.

South Africa can snatch back the No. 1 test spot from India if it wins the series, while the host needs just a draw to remain on top of the world ranking.



Agence France-Presse