India 190 (Yuvraj 53, Dhoni 38, Tsotsobe 4-22) beat South Africa 189 (Smith 77, Munaf 4-29) by one run
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
South Africa made a mess of what should have been a comfortable chase of a below-par total at Wanderers, stumbling in the batting Powerplay and then sinking to a dispiriting defeat in a thrilling finish. In conditions less favourable for batting than what the venue has offered in the past, Graeme Smith had put South Africa on course with a positive innings but his wicket in the 33rd over triggered a collapse that was a product of panic, ill-luck and some needling Indian bowling. Munaf Patel's spell proved decisive as he dislodged Smith and ended the South African innings with two wickets in the 43rd over when the hosts were just a shot away from victory.
More to follow
75 overs South Africa 122 for 4 (Smith 68*, Miller 1*) need 69 more runs to beat India 190 (Yuvraj 53, Tsotsobe 4-22)
Graeme Smith stood firm amid India's attempts to defend a below-par 190 at Wanderers. Smith batted positively to keep South Africa's chase on track, though he lost four partners in conditions less favourable for batsmen than what the venue has offered in the past.
Just as the South African bowlers had done, each of Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra were able to nip the ball off the pitch though their accuracy failed to measure up to what their opponents had managed. While they were able to beat the edge on more than one occasion - Munaf got rid of Hashim Amla early with a delivery that darted back in - they doled out enough bad balls to allow Smith and South Africa to ease any pressure. Munaf was punished for consecutive boundaries through mid-off and point, while Zaheer was pulled through midwicket when he pitched short.
Colin Ingram was a little rusty to begin with but gradually grew in confidence; the highlight of his brief knock being a six over long-on off a length delivery from Nehra. He was dropped by MS Dhoni shortly after, and edged one to the third-man boundary but the Indians didn't have to wait long to see his back. He defended inside the line to Harbhajan Singh, who was able to derive a significant amount of turn from the track, and was trapped in front. AB de Villiers, not long after, nicked an away-going delivery from Nehra to Dhoni to make it 77 for 3.
Smith, though, continued to be positive, using his feet against Harbhajan Singh, while JP Duminy, too, charged out to combat the turn and take the ball off a length. Smith cracked Nehra through midwicket for a second time and punched Zaheer through the covers shortly after reaching his fifty and 6,000 runs in ODIs. Just when it seemed South Africa were coasting, Duminy struck part-timer offspinner Rohit Sharma straight to long-on but Smith's assured presence remains the major obstacle for India.
50 overs India 190 (Yuvraj 53, Dhoni 38, Tsotsobe 4-22) v South Africa
A disciplined bowling performance from South Africa choked India at Wanderers, keeping them to a below-par score on a pitch that is expected to last the day. Unlike in Durban, it wasn't the bounce that India's batsmen struggled against but nagging lines and lengths from the seamers, particularly Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and variations in pace from Johan Botha. India tried hard, and promised a fighting score through two partnerships, but such was South Africa's determination that a wicket never seemed too far away.
India approached their innings cautiously under overcast skies after opting to bat, and the openers were averse to chasing deliveries outside off due to the movement off the pitch. Dale Steyn and Tsotsobe consistently bowled in the corridor outside off and were only targeted when they delivered full and straight. M Vijay flicked Steyn over square leg, while Tendulkar drove him past midwicket for a boundary but they were rare moments of relief for the batsmen.
At a venue that has traditionally been favourable for batting, South Africa capitalised on what little assistance was on offer and India's circumspection. Tendulkar had taken 10 balls to score, while Vijay had been lucky to edge a slog over the slips. A similar attempt in the eighth over off Tsotsobe didn't pay off, however, and he skied a catch to wide mid-on. Tsotsobe benefited from angling the ball across the batsmen, getting it to cut away and beat attempts to open the face. Tsotsobe's role had been a largely containing one but his accuracy amid India's pressure to accelerate as the pitch eased out earned him some more rewards later in the innings.
Tsotsobe's possible competition for the third seamer's spot in the World Cup is Wayne Parnell, and his introduction, along with Virat Kohli's arrival, infused some urgency to India's innings. Parnell bowled a length and line different to that of his team-mates, and was driven handsomely by Kohli down the ground and Tendulkar past midwicket. Made less potent by his lack of movement, Parnell was taken for runs mostly through the leg side.
Though the flow of runs increased, what remained consistent was the uncertainty in the running between the wickets. Tendulkar survived two run-out attempts and when he refused a single, it was Kohli who paid the price, dislodged by a direct hit from David Miller. Tendulkar didn't last long after that, inside-edging a slowish delivery that kept low from Botha onto the stumps.
The end of that hard-fought partnership meant MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh had to build from scratch, and they set about leading India's recovery as the field spread out. Displaying little signs of getting bogged down, neither batsman felt compelled to take undue risks and instead ensured a steady scoring-rate through working the field. Both used the sweep and the paddle, while Yuvraj often drove straight to pinch twos because long-on that was wider than usual. Bad balls were a rarity but Yuvraj was prompt to punish them when on offer: he slashed Morkel over point and flicked Tsotsobe to the fine-leg boundary to raise his half-century. The stand was worth 83 and with 13 more overs to go, a score of 240 was on.
But Tsotsobe struck next ball as Yuvraj drove straight into mid-off's hands, and he returned when India took the batting Powerplay to trap Suresh Raina plumb in front. If that wasn't enough, he backed up his wicket-maiden in the Powerplay by yorking Dhoni to finish with his best figures in the 50-over format and potentially, a second consecutive Man-of-the-Match award.
The rest of the line-up folded in little time. The tail succumbed to ill-executed attempts to clear the field and Rohit Sharma was trapped in front as he walked across to a Morkel delivery, during another dispiriting performance with the bat for the visitors.
