CAPE TOWN - Sachin Tendulkar stood between South Africa and a healthy first innings lead as he took India to 237 for four at lunch on the third day of the third and deciding test at Newlands on Tuesday.
Tendulkar was on 94 not out as India scored 95 runs and lost two wickets in the session, closing the deficit to 125 runs.
But it was a session in which the South Africans would have been dismayed at their misfortune, until shortly before lunch when they were given their second wicket of the innings via a run out off a dropped catch.
Tendulkar's fierce drive off left-arm spinner Paul Harris was airborne and to the bowler's right, slamming into his fingers. It deflected into the stumps and non-striker Vangipurappu Laxman was run out for 15.
Laxman, the man of the match in India's series-levelling victory in last week's second test in Durban, had looked threatening as he blasted three fours.
Rahul Dravid had been run out for five on the second day after trying to steal a run when Gautam Gambhir was dropped behind the wicket off Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Opening batsman Gambhir led a charmed life, playing and missing numerous times without edging the ball, as he went from his overnight score of 65 to 93. But Harris then made a telling breakthrough when he turned a ball out of the rough back into the left-hander, whose hesitant poke edaed a low catch which was well taken by wicketkeepe? Mark Boucher.
Tendulkar, who scored seven test centuries last year, stands on the brink of his 51st hundred in 177 games, but even he played and missed an inordinate number of times.
Tendulkar was on 94 not out as India scored 95 runs and lost two wickets in the session, closing the deficit to 125 runs.
But it was a session in which the South Africans would have been dismayed at their misfortune, until shortly before lunch when they were given their second wicket of the innings via a run out off a dropped catch.
Tendulkar's fierce drive off left-arm spinner Paul Harris was airborne and to the bowler's right, slamming into his fingers. It deflected into the stumps and non-striker Vangipurappu Laxman was run out for 15.
Laxman, the man of the match in India's series-levelling victory in last week's second test in Durban, had looked threatening as he blasted three fours.
Rahul Dravid had been run out for five on the second day after trying to steal a run when Gautam Gambhir was dropped behind the wicket off Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Opening batsman Gambhir led a charmed life, playing and missing numerous times without edging the ball, as he went from his overnight score of 65 to 93. But Harris then made a telling breakthrough when he turned a ball out of the rough back into the left-hander, whose hesitant poke edaed a low catch which was well taken by wicketkeepe? Mark Boucher.
Tendulkar, who scored seven test centuries last year, stands on the brink of his 51st hundred in 177 games, but even he played and missed an inordinate number of times.
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