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Four for stirring Steyn

Durban - Dale Steyn has taken his fourth wicket of the day leaving India reeling on 130 for five on the first day of the second Test.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe pulled off a sensational catch to dismiss VVS Laxman.

41st over: WICKET - What a catch from Lonwabo Tsotsobe at mid-on. Laxman positively drills a short ball from Steyn but Tsotsobe, who moved very late, dives to his right, sticks out his hand and catches the ball after it had gone past him.

Laxman looks stunned but he is out for 38 while Steyn has four wickets.

40th over: Laxman has looked increasingly comfortable at the crease and as if to prove the point he pulls a short ball from spinner Paul Harris to the deep midwicket fence for four.

37th over: WICKET - Rahul Dravid has become a touch becalmed and his stubborn innings is ended as he receives a sharp delivery from Steyn. Steyn sends down a good length delivery that bounces a touch more than Dravid expected. The ball catches Dravid’s gloves as the batsman pushes at the ball and Boucher takes a good catch tumbling in front of first slip.

That is Boucher’s 50th dismissal against India and Dravid is out for 25 off 68 balls.

31st over: Good shot from Laxman as he straight drives a Steyn delivery for four. Laxman and Dravid have not looked completely at ease but they have dug in well to defy the bowlers on a pitch that is still providing assistance for the pacemen.

Laxman then completes a remarkable shot as he pulls a short ball for a flat six over square leg.

27th over: Laxman has a rush of blood to the head as he top-edges a pull shot off Morkel. Hashim Amla runs from short leg towards the square leg boundary but his full length dive is not enough to prevent the ball falling just outside his reach.

24th over: Corking shot from Laxman as he pulls a short ball from Tsotsobe to the midwicket fence for four. Laxman is looking confident as he punishes another short ball by cutting it in front of point for the second four of the over.

23rd over: Four runs for Dravid but they come in rather streaky fashion as the batsman pushes at a delivery to send a thick outside edge running off behind point for four.

20th over: Lonwabo Tsotsobe will bowl the first over after lunch and Rahul Dravid makes a super start as he eases the first ball after the break past mid-off for four.

WICKET - That’s a huge wicket for the hosts as Lopsy angles a delivery across Tendulkar. The batsman drives rather loosely at the ball and the thick outside edge results in a chest high catch to Kallis at second slip. Tendulkar is out for 13.

First session

Dale Steyn turned in a superb new ball spell to leave India on 74 for two at lunch.

Paceman Steyn took full advantage of an overcast sky and humid conditions as he dished up a high-class exhibition of fast swing bowling to reach the break with figures of two for 19 off eight overs.

Despite Steyn’s performance, the Proteas would have been a touch disappointed with their morning in the field as Steyn received scant support from Morne Morkel (6-1-34-0) and Lonwabo Tsotsobe (2-0-15-0) with both men guilty of failing to find a good length on a well-grassed pitch.

Rain during the morning meant that play started an hour late and when he finally won the toss Proteas’ skipper Graeme Smith had no hesitation in asking India to bat.

Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay, playing because of a hand injury suffered by Gautam Gambhir, made a solid start thanks to an opening stand of 43.

Sehwag played in his usual positive fashion as he raced to 25 off 32 balls but when he eventually fell it was down to a terrible shot as he flashed at an away-swinging delivery from Steyn to send an outside edge to Jacques Kallis at second slip.

Vijay rode his luck and he was dropped twice in the slip cordon off the bowling of Steyn, with his score on three and 15.

But the right-handed batsman eventually departed for 19 when he was drawn into a forward defensive prod to another Steyn away-swinger and could only succeed in sending an outside edge through to keeper Boucher.

Sachin Tendulkar (13 not out) and Rahul Dravid (14 not out) then played positively as their unbroken third-wicket stand produced 26 runs to steer their team to lunch.

Teams

South Africa - Graeme Smith (capt), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wk), Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Dale Steyn, Paul Harris, Morne Morkel.

India - Murali Vijay, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.
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