No one gave India a chance when the Test series started, but they were in it till the fifth morning of the second Test. But it was not enough. A combination of superb bowling by the South Africans, poor umpiring decisions and bad shots by Indian batsmen saw to it that the hosts made it a memorable farewell gift for their legend Jacques Kallis.
South Africa romped to a 10-wicket win just after tea and they were truly deserving of victory. They were relentless through the five days even though the conditions weren't exactly in their favour.
It was umpire Rod Tucker who set India back in the very first ball of the final day. Dale Steyn bowled a little short of length, the ball missed Virat Kohli's bat, hit his shoulder and went to the 'keeper. There was a huge shout and Tucker put his finger up to send Kohli home. There was no DRS to save the day for the stunned Indian batsman and as he dragged himself back into the dressing-room.
It was a mental setback from which the Indian team never recovered. It seemed they started believing that luck was not on their side on the most crucial day of the Test series. Steyn (3-47), of course, was in the middle of a brilliant morning spell and it was a magic ball that got Pujara. The ball held its line and took the off-stump bail as Pujara played a little inside the line.
The world knew it had to be Pujara and Kohli who had to play the lead role if India were to avert defeat. They had started the fifth morning 98 short of South Africa's total and the two could have got it down quickly. But now that the mast of the ship was broken, it was down to Rohit Sharma and Rahane to get things in order.
Steyn didn't mind reminding Rohit that he had a poor tour, saying, "I have more runs than you in this series." The pressure might have got to him and he looked a little loose on the defensive shot that he tried off Vernon Philander. The ball came back off a crack and caught Rohit plumb in front.
Rahane, though, was a picture of confidence. He exactly knew where his off-stump was, came to the front foot as much as he could and kept finding the gaps. MS Dhoni at the other end, too, was showing signs of settling down. For a while, the South African contingent was little worried.
But suddenly, all hell broke loose. Peterson bowled a half-tracker and Dhoni went on the backfoot to play it round the corner. It was his bad luck that the ball had hit a crack and jumped a little more than he anticipated. The skipper couldn't roll his wrists and the ball hit the outside edge and nestled into the safe hands of mid-wicket. The celebrations in the South African camp suggested relief. They now knew it was just a matter of time.
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