Twenty20 Taken a Touch Too Far As India Slump to 76 All Out

Indian cricket's preoccupation with the limited-overs game was taken just a touch too far this morning, as the national side were bowled out for just 76 on the first day of the second Test against South Africa. In a neat foreshadowing of what the world can expect in fifteen days time when the Bangalore Royal Challengers play the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening game of the Indian Premier League, India's Test side were bowled out in exactly 20 overs. South Africa's openers had surpassed that score on their own after just 15.3 overs of their reply.

The preposterously named franchises will hope to have mustered a few more runs than 76. That total was just one-run above their lowest-ever total on home soil, against West Indies in 1987. It was their seventh-lowest Test total overall, and the shortest-ever completed innings played on the subcontinent. That they mustered that many runs at all owed much to their haul of 19 extras.

Otherwise only MS Dhoni and Irfan Pathan made it into double-figures, with 14 and 21 runs respectively. Dale Steyn took 8-2-23-5, while Makhaya Ntini took 3-18 and Morne Morkel 2-20. As excellent as South Africa's pace-trio was, and Steyn is rapidly establishing himself as the most promising young quick bowler in the world, India have few excuses. The collapse was a product of loose batting as much as great bowling.

Having thrashed their way to an opening stand of 213 at Chennai the previous week, India's openers had totted up 16 before Wasim Jaffer's tentative stroke was well-caught by a diving Graeme Smith at slip. Sehwag reached and was bowled off an inside edge. Ntini's next over swung things decisively South Africa's way. VVS Laxman played an injudicious leave and lost his off-stump, while Sourav Ganguly played-on from the second ball he faced.

That left India 30-4. After Steyn did for Rahul Dravid with the best ball of the innings, Morkel got in on the carnage by having Dhoni caught behind and Anil Kumble played on to his stumps in the same over. Steyn then ruined the tail, taking the final three wickets for a further 11 runs.

In return South Africa batted themselves into a lead, their steady progress interrupted only by a superb spell from Harbhajan Singh. Sreesanth removed Graeme Smith lbw for 34, before Harbhajan bustled through the top-order, removing Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince. By that point though, Harbhajan's efforts were too little, too late, to make amends a shockingly inept Indian batting performance.