India finish off South Africa to level series

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth

DURBAN, South Africa, (Reuters) – India staged a  great comeback from their innings defeat at Centurion to beat  South Africa by 87 runs on the fourth day of the second test at  Kingsmead today.
Chasing 303 for a series-clinching victory, South Africa  resumed the fourth day on 111-3 but four early wickets left the  hosts in desperate trouble at 155-7.
South Africa put up some resistance, Ashwell Prince  finishing 39 not out and Morne Morkel scoring 20 but India were  not to be denied a victory that levels the series 1-1.

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth (3-45) and Zaheer Khan (3-57) were the pick of the  bowlers and the win was sealed when Cheteshwar Pujara ran out  Lonwabo Tsotsobe with a fine bit of reflex fielding to dismiss  the hosts for 215 after lunch.
India’s Vangipurappu Laxman was named player of the  bowler-dominated match for his aggregate 134 runs in both  innings including 96 in his team’s second innings 228.
Sreesanth claimed the key wicket of Jacques Kallis for 17 in  the eighth over of the day with an inspired delivery that reared  up off a good length, as South Africa’s leading run-scorer could  only fend the ball off his gloves into the gully region.
Five overs later AB de Villiers, who had resumed on day four  with Kallis, was fell lbw to Harbhajan for 33 in a close call  despite a long stride forward.
There was more doubt over Mark Boucher’s wicket, the  wicketkeeper given out leg-before for one, though replays  suggested the ball would not have hit the stumps.
The series decider will be played in Cape Town starting on  Jan. 2.