Laxman, bowlers put India on top in SA Test

DURBAN, South Africa (AFP) – VVS Laxman made a polished 96 before India's bowlers grabbed three wickets to give their side the advantage on the third day of the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead on Tuesday.

When bad light stopped play, South Africa were 111 for three, still 192 runs short of a victory target of 303.

Laxman said India were confident they could square the three- match series but identified Jacques Kallis as the man who could take the match away from his team.

"If we can get Kallis early it will put a lot of pressure on South Africa," he said.

Kallis (12) and AB de Villiers (17) will resume batting for South Africa on Wednesday morning on a pitch which played easier on Tuesday after bowlers dominated the first two days.

"It's a wicket on which you cannot say you are settled," said Laxman. "There is always a chance for the bowlers but if you can get through the tough periods you get value for your shots."

South African spin bowler Paul Harris said the home team were quietly confident.

"The wicket has got a lot better to bat on and Jacques says it has quickened up a bit which is helping stroke play. All we need is one partnership and the game is in the bag."

But he admitted that Kallis and De Villiers were the men most likely to provide the stand that was needed.

"Obviously this partnership between Jacques and AB is crucial. They are two guys who have won us games on multiple occasions," he said.

South Africa lost momentum after captain Graeme Smith gave them a flying start, making a belligerent 37 off 38 balls as he and Alviro Petersen put on 63 in even time for the first wicket.

But Smith was out in the over before tea and two more wickets fell within four balls shortly after the interval.

Sree Sreesanth took two wickets and Harbhajan Singh one to dent South African hopes of clinching the series following their win by an innings and 25 runs in the first Test at Centurion.

Smith went on the attack against left-arm opening bowler Zaheer Khan, hitting two boundaries off the first over and taking 12 runs, including two more fours, off Khan's next over. After conceding another boundary to Smith, Khan was taken out of the attack after three overs which cost 24 runs.

Sreesanth made the breakthrough when Smith top-edged an attempted pull, sending the ball high in the air to enable wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to run to square leg to hold an easy catch.

Petersen was caught at short leg off Harbhajan for 26 and Amla followed for 16 when he flashed at a wide ball from Sreesanth and was caught behind.

Laxman was mainly responsible for South Africa having to chase over 300, holding the innings together until he was last man out, caught behind off Dale Steyn as he tried to keep the strike.

South African hopes of chasing a relatively small target rose when Morne Morkel bowled Cheteshwar Pujara with the sixth ball of the day, but Laxman remained unruffled and shared stands of 48 for the sixth wicket with Dhoni (21) and 70 for the eighth wicket with Zaheer Khan (27).

In a low-scoring match, Laxman's score was more than double the previous highest - his own 38 in the first innings.

The stands with Dhoni and Khan were also the best of the match to that point.

Laxman batted for 280 minutes, faced 171 balls and hit 12 fours.

Boucher's catch off Laxman's edged drive was his ninth of the match, equalling the South African record set by Dave Richardson and equalled twice by Boucher previously.