Day 2: How India crumbled under Steyn fire

Day 2 in the second Test between South Africa and India was all about the Dale Steyn, even as Murali Vijay missed out on a hundred.

The Proteas had by far their best day in the Test series against India at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead on Friday when they turned tables on their opponents and took the momentum out of the second day’s play.

- Steyn destroys India, SA in control after good start on Day 2

They finished the day on 82 without loss off only 20 overs in their first innings, after taking nine wickets for 153 runs on a rain-shortened day to dismiss India for 334.

India started the day well on top at 181-1 but Dale Steyn changed the course of the game when he took three wickets in 10 balls without conceding a run. The scoreboard changed total from 198-1 to 199-4.

It was a day-changing moment as the pacer ended the stand of 157 for the second wicket between Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara. And although there was resistance by the in-form Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane who added 66 for the fifth wicket, and Rahane and MS Dhoni who put on 55 for the sixth, South Africa remained in control.

The last four wickets fell for just 14 runs as India were dismissed for 334, Steyn finishing with figures of 6 for 100 from 30 overs.

His figures for the day’s play were 14-3-51-6.

He has now taken 347 career Test wickets and, if he can pick three in the second innings, he will match Sir Richard Hadlee in reaching 350 wickets in his 69th match. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (68 matches) has done better.

Morne Morkel was also impressive in taking 3-50. The two fast bowlers deserve the highest praise for the way they kept going in testing conditions for the best part of two sessions, both of which lasted for two-and-a-half hours.

They launched a short-pitched attack aimed at middle-and-leg to unsettle the Indian middle-order and the plan worked well. They were assisted by some brilliant catching behind the wicket, notably by AB de Villiers, who was seen at his athletic best to pull off five catches.

Only one batsman was bowled in the Indian innings, the other nine all falling to catches by the keeper or the slips, one of which gave Jacques Kallis his 200th Test catch, only the second player to achieve this.

It was a sad day for Vijay, who battled the South African pace attack for more than five hours before falling three runs short of what would have been his first Test century outside India.

Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen got the Proteas away to a runaway start as India's bowlers also failed to gain any movement either through the air or off the pitch. They hit 12 boundaries between them although they were given one or two anxious moments by the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja who gained appreciable turn and bounce.

He looks like posing the biggest threat to the Proteas until reverse swing comes into the picture.