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Kallis ton sets Proteas back on track
09:45, Feb 6 2010
Jacques Kallis hit back with a splendid century to revive South Africa on the day one of the first Test against India in Nagpur.
Zaheer Khan had given India the edge with early breakthroughs in the morning, but Kallis, with Hashim Amla lending solidity at the other end, helped lift the visitors to a position of strength.
Kallis was unbeaten on 120 and Amla was batting on 60, the pair having added 187 in an unbroken stand for the second wicket as South Africa reached 193 for two at tea.
The Test between the two top-ranked teams began in the worst way possible for the home side with VVS Laxman being ruled out and Rohit Sharma - picked as cover for the injured Laxman - also suffering an injury during the morning practice session.
However, Zaheer got India off to a bright start with the ball, snaring Ashwell Prince with a bouncer in his third over and extracting captain Graeme Smith in his next. Televisions replays showed the ball had come off the arm-guard as Prince attempted evasive action, but umpire Ian Gould had already upheld the appeal.
There was no doubt with Smith's dismissal for six, Zaheer rattling the stumps with a delivery that nipped back off the seam. That left the Proteas on to six for two, but India's success ended there as Kallis joined Amla at the crease.
The duo were cautious at the start and India's specialist spinners Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra both had numerous shouts for leg before turned down.
Runs came at a trickle in the first hour - the first boundary was struck in the 10th over when Amla lashed Ishant Sharma past point - but Kallis accelerated smoothly, hammering Mishra for boundaries in successive overs and clubbing Harbhajan for a four and a six early in his innings.
Both batsmen were hardly troubled in the afternoon session and Kallis steadily encroached on a century, eventually raising his 34th 100 in Test cricket with a single off Harbhajan to fine leg. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting have more centuries.
Amla then swept Harbhajan for a single to raise his 17th Test half-century, the Proteas all the while growing in strength.
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