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Ahmedabad: India succumbed to an innings defeat at home for the first time in eight years when they were humiliated by South Africa in the second cricket Test which lasted barely three days.
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After being blown away for a mere 76 on the first morning of the match, the Indians were never in the game and were bundled out for 328 in their second innings to give the
visitors victory by an innings and 90 runs and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Weighed down by South Africa's first innings lead of 418 runs, the hosts had to play out of their skin to save the match but that did not materialise as the Proteas pacers rattled them for the second time in the lop-sided match.
Only Sourav Ganguly (87) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (52) were the bright spots in the Indian second innings as they added 110 for the fifth wicket.
For the South Africans, Makhaya Ntini (3-44) Dale Steyn (3-91) and Morne Morkel (2-87) shared the spoils on a sporting track, on which the Indian bowlers hardly got any assistance.
Comment: Akhtar had it coming
| Special: South Africa in India 2008
Earlier, Graeme Smith declared at his team’s overnight score of 494 for seven and even though a damp outfield after overnight rain resulted in a 30-minute delay, the Indians were in trouble soon enough.
Virender Sehwag started by hitting Steyn for two sixes in the first over, but the party did not last long. Ntini started the slide by getting the triple centurion lbw for 17. Wasim Jaffer (19) and Rahul Dravid (17) took the total to 64 before both were out in quick succession to slip catches by A B de Villiers.
Dravid was the first to go, courtesy Morkel before Kallis claimed Jaffer to leave India at 70 for three.
The hosts recovered through a half-century stand between Ganguly and V V S Laxman (35), before the Hyderabadi stylist was caught with a lazy waft off Morkel. Though that was the only wicket to fall in the second session, it was only a matter of time before South Africa made a breakthrough which came when Ganguly was consumed by Steyn - till that time wicketless.
The visitors then packed off the remaining five wickets for 103 runs in the last session, which was extended by half an hour to finish the match.
Like in the first innings, Irfan Pathan was stranded on 43 as he ran out of partners while the rest of the batting left much to be desired. In the final analysis, the massive 418-run lead taken by South Africa sealed India's fate.
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The innings defeat was India’s first anywhere since 2001-02 against Sri Lanka in Colombo and their last home Test loss was in March 2006 against England in Mumbai. Their last defeat inside three days was in 2001 against Australia, also in Mumbai.
The two teams will now travel to Kanpur for the third and final Test beginning April 11 and the pressure will squarely be on the home team which has no option but to win to level the series.
The two teams will now travel to Kanpur for the third and final Test beginning April 11 and the pressure will squarely be on the home team which has no option but to win to level the series.
The last time India lost at home by an innings was against the same opposition in 1999-2000 by an innings and 71 runs in Bangalore.
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