Rain, SA disappoint Dhoni-led India

India made three changes to their playing eleven – Virender Sehwag, Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul (Shar)made way for Robin Uthappa and the Pathan brothers.

South Africa made seven changes to their playing (Mork)eleven – Morne van Wyk, Hashim Amla, A B de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Robin Peterson and Makhaya Ntini made way for Richard Levi, Jacques Kallis, a couple of Twenty20 International debutants (Farhaan Behardien and Dane Vilas), Justin Ontong, Albie and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

On winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s skipper, inserted the hosts.

Levi, whose innings included four boundaries, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he scored 19. Ten balls into the (Shar)match, he was caught by Rohit. Irfan Pathan broke the 22-run stand.

South Africa scored 50 off 5.2 overs (32 balls). India had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

The second-wicket pair put on 50 off 36 balls. While the contributions of both Kallis and Colin Ingram, the player of the match, to the partnership were 24 apiece, extras’ contribution to the partnership was a couple.

South Africa scored 100 off 11.2 overs (68 balls). India had conceded three extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

While Ingram’s half-century – which included half-a-dozen boundaries and a six – came off 38 balls, Kallis’ half-century – which included three boundaries and a couple of sixes – came off 36 balls.

The second-wicket pair put on 100 off 71 balls. While Kallis’ contribution to the partnership was 48, Ingram’s contribution to it was 50. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a couple.

Kallis, whose 42-ball innings included five boundaries and a couple of sixes, eventually scored 61. Eighty balls after Levi’s dismissal, he was caught by Sharma. Ravichandran Ashwin broke the 119-run partnership.

South Africa scored 150 off 16.2 overs (98 balls).

Ingram, whose 50-ball innings included eight boundaries and three sixes, eventually scored 78. Thirteen balls later, he was caught by Sharma. Suresh Raina broke the 27-run stand.

Behardien, whose 11-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 20. He was unbeaten.

South Africa scored 200 off 19.2 overs (116 balls). India had conceded three extras at that point.

Ontong, whose seven-ball innings included a couple of boundaries and as many sixes, scored 22. Fourteen balls after Ingram’s dismissal, Raina broke the 35-run stand.

Morkel, whose three-ball innings included a boundary and a couple of sixes, scored 16. He was unbeaten.

South Africa scored 219 for the loss of four wickets off 20 overs. Virat Kohli, Rohit and Yusuf Pathan bowled a wicketless over apiece. They conceded 15, 14, and nine, respectively. Praveen Kumar, who bowled a couple of wicketless overs, conceded 22. Vinay Kumar, who bowled three wicketless overs, conceded 32.

Irfan and Ashwin bowled four overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 44, the latter conceded 33. Raina, who bowled four overs, conceded 49. He picked up a couple of scalps.

Owing to rain, India’s target was revised to 83 off 7.5 overs.

India’s openers put on 50 off 5.5 overs (35 balls). South Africa had conceded four extras at that point (which was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded). While Uthappa’s contribution to the partnership was 11, Gautam Gambhir’s contribution to it was 35.

Uthappa, whose 19-ball innings included a boundary, eventually conceded 18. He was unbeaten, as was Gambhir, who eventually scored 49. His 28-ball innings included seven boundaries and a six.

India, who scored 71 without the loss of a wicket off 7.5 overs, lost by 11 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Morkel, Juan ‘Rusty’ Theron and Johan Botha, South Africa’s skipper, bowled an over apiece. They conceded 16, 13, and 10, respectively. Wayne Parnell, who bowled 1.5 overs, conceded 14. Tsotsobe, who bowled three overs, conceded 15.

South Africa won the one-off match.