Laxman was the last man out in India’s second innings of 228. He made 96 in close to five hours at the crease and fully deserved a century for taking on the responsibility of putting victory within India’s reach.The Indian No5 is the first batsman to reach 50 in the match, and his was by some distance the best innings over the course of three days on a pitch which, with its consistently high bounce, has challenged all.
"Definitely, you have to get used to the bounce," he said. "Patience is very important and if you can get through the tough periods, you can get value for your shots."
The Proteas had better heed those words if they are to chase down their victory target of 303.
They looked on course for success while Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen made with their opening stand of 63 in which the runs flowed at more than five to the over.
But the Indians responded by taking three wickets in the space of four overs before bad light ended play to leave SA a little rattled on 111/3.
The Proteas need another 192 runs to win the match and the series. But only twice in the 37 previous Tests at Kingsmead has a team met a target in excess of 300 runs.
A 60% chance of rain has been forecast for today and tomorrow.
The morning started well for SA when Morn é Morkel dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara with the sixth ball of the day, a delivery that bounced sharply and dribbled on to the stumps via the splice of an angled bat. Another skew bat accounted for MS Dhoni, who paid the price for sloppy technique to a delivery from Lonwabo Tsotsobe that had him caught behind.
Morkel was on the money again when Harbhajan Singh picked the wrong line to a ball speared in at his pads and steered an edge into the slip cordon. That reduced India to 148/7 — a lead of 222 — and left their hopes in Laxman’s hands.
He has proved himself to be the most at home in SA of all India’s batsmen and did so again yesterday with an innings that was a bulkhead of calm, steady defiance against the rising tide of SA’s aggression.
But things should have been different. Dale Steyn thought he had Zaheer Khan leg-before for 10 with a ball that thudded into the back pad in front of middle stump. Umpire Steve Davis thought Khan had hit the ball; it seems he hit the ground.
Had Steyn been given what was due him, the eighth-wicket stand would have been snuffed out for 34 runs. Instead, it ballooned to 70 before Paul Harris had Khan taken at slip with the 10th ball after lunch.
Laxman went seven overs later when he cut lustily at a ball from Steyn and was caught behind.
Smith showed his hand early when he drove and cut two fours in the first over of the Proteas’ chase. But it couldn’t last, and he skied Shanthakumaran Sreesanth to square leg, where Dhoni took the catch, to go for 37 off 38 balls.
Petersen failed to deal with a turning, bouncing delivery from Singh and was caught at leg slip.
Four balls later, Sreesanth struck a telling blow by inducing Hashim Amla to throw his bat at a wide delivery. Dhoni dived forward to take the catch, and to leave the match poised going into day four
