Hall makes his mark

South Africa 230 for 4 (Hall 78*, Dippenaar 46*, Kumble 4-54) v India
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

On the eve of this Test, the South Africans had been billed as huge underdogs who would succumb without a fight against the Indian spin. The first day of the two-Test series ran completely against that script, as Andrew Hall led South Africa's resistance with a resolute unbeaten 78. That effort, supported by the rest of the top order, negated Anil Kumble's four-wicket haul and ensured that South Africa ended the first day at Kanpur on a healthy 230 for 4.

Unlike many of the Australian top-order batsmen, who used their feet and were aggressive against the spinners, the South Africans mostly played from the crease, content to dab the ball into gaps for singles. The lack of pace in the pitch made it difficult for the batsmen to force the pace, and for the bowlers to prize out the wickets. On such a track, patience was the key for both batsmen and bowlers, and the player who was the hero of the day showed that quality in abundance.

In his ten previous Tests, Hall hadn't batted above No. 6. Given the opportunity to open here, he showed all the qualities of a top-order batsman: he exhibited good technique against both pace and spin, and showed excellent temperament and shot-selection. On a pitch lacking in bounce, he pushed his front foot out, played with soft hands in defence but was completely assured when going for his strokes. India had one chance to dismiss him, but Kumble, at wide midwicket, made a mess of a chance when Hall swept one off Harbhajan Singh. Hall was on 55 then, and he made the Indians pay for the lapse.

For long periods today, the South Africans frustrated the opposition with stodgy defence. If India still managed to stay in the hunt, it was because of two bursts of wickets from Kumble just before the lunch and tea intervals.

The first of those two double-blows came after Graeme Smith and Hall had seen off much of the first session, adding 61 for the first wicket. As expected, run-scoring was the easiest early in the day, when the seamers were in operation. Zaheer Khan was incisive, but both batsmen tucked into Sourav Ganguly with ease. Kumble came into the attack in the tenth over, and first the runs dried up, then the wickets fell - Smith seemed to have played a defensive shot competently enough, with soft hands, but could watch in horror as the ball dribbled back onto the stumps. Obviously, those sitting in the South African dressing-room didn't take notice, for Jacques Rudolph was out in exactly the same fashion later in the day.

Anil Kumble got India vital breakthroughs, but the rest of the Indian bowling couldn't do much © AFP

When Martin van Jaarsveld was trapped in front by a quicker one immediately after Smith's dismissal, India sensed a collapse, but Jacques Kallis and Hall scotched those hopes. The side strain which had made Kallis a doubtful starter here hampered his strokeplay somewhat, but it hardly discomfited him in defence, which was the cornerstone of his innings today. He struck just three fours in his 37, but his 85-run stand with Hall ensured that South Africa didn't lose their way after losing a couple in quick succession.

Then, when Kumble did his double-strike act again just before tea, trapping Kallis on the sweep and dismissing Rudolph (154 for 4), Dippenaar joined Hall for another substantial partnership. The one South African batsman willing to use his feet against spin, Dippenaar played a few delightful strokes off the spinners. He got off the mark with a fluent cover-driven four off Kumble, and came down the pitch more than once to Harbhajan, playing with the turn and finding the gaps on the on side.

The Indian bowling was disappointing. Kumble ended up with four wickets, but he strayed down the leg side - much to the discomfort of Dinesh Karthik, who fumbled repeatedly behind the stumps - and was flattered by figures of 4 for 54. Murali Kartik, India's hero in the Mumbai Test a couple of weeks ago, inexplicably bowled an over-the-wicket, outside-leg line, and hardly asked questions of the batsmen. Harbhajan would have had a couple of wickets in the bag with better support from the fielders, but on a slow, first-day pitch, none of the spinners threatened to run through the South African line-up.

In fact, the best bowler on view was Zaheer Khan. He ran in hard, and bowled a couple of testing spells with the old ball, reverse-swinging it and working up a lively pace. Hall, though, countered everything India threw at him, and with fine support from the rest of the top order, South Africa had a more-than-satisfactory day in the office.