SA camp not worried about 300 plus run-chase

Despite Laxman and Pujara heralding a recovery, South African camp not worried about 300 plus run-chase

Despite Laxman and Pujara heralding a recovery, South African camp not worried about 300 plus run-chase

Cheteshwar Pujara tackles a rising ball in Durban yesterday. PIC/AFP

The scorecard would indicate India are in line to level the three-Test series against South Africa here in Kingsmead. However, the fall of 18 wickets and fluctuating weather conditions in Durban have made it increasingly difficult to predict the outcome of this Test.

India go into Day Three today at 92-4 with an overall lead of 166 runs. Veteran batsman VVS Laxman (23) and Cheteshwar Pujara (10) put forward a rearguard action after South Africa had India reeling at 56-4 inside 15 overs. If a batsman ever had to prove his class, temperament, and propensity for the big occasion, this was the greatest possible stage.u00a0

u00a0Flamboyant South African batsman AB de Villiers was shimmering with confidence about his team chasing a total in excess of 250 on this surface: "Losing 18 wickets on the day is not a true reflection of the wicket. We can come out here tomorrow (Tuesday) and have a positive day. We are confident of chasing a total of 250-260. Even if India bat well, we can bounce back strongly. Even if we have to chase 300 plus, we'll give it a go," said De Villiers. Those strong words pointed towards the mood in the hosts' camp.u00a0

De Villiers said his team expected India to bounce back after their Centurion debacle. "We expected them to bounce back. They are the No 1 Test team for a reason. A lot of credit goes to our bowlers for fighting back. This Test is nicely poised. We are highly confident of coming back strongly," he added.

Zak, the best
Earlier in the day, India shot out South Africa for just 131, courtesy senior bowlers Zaheer Khan (3-36) and Harbhajan Singh (4-10). "All our bowlers did a fantastic job. But, there's a lot of cricket left in this game. We don't want to be complacent. Hopefully, we can get a lot of runs in the second innings. We need to get at least 300 runs ahead," Harbhajan told reporters after bad light stopped play for the second day in a row.u00a0 Harbhajan stressedu00a0 Zaheer's return makes India a more potent force: "I stand by my words of calling the rest of the fast bowlers 'the other guys'. Zaheer is truly an outstanding bowler, and the conditions were tailor-made for him to fire," the offie said.