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NEWS India-South Africa Series 2006>Jaffer's ton puts India in control in Cape Town 02nd Jan 2007 22.00 IST By Manish Kumar On a pitch that looked more Indian than South African, the Indian openers finally clicked and Wasim Jaffer hit his third Test century to put India in control on the first day of the third Test at Newlands in Cape Town on January 2. Virender Shewag retained his place in the Indian XI but was dropped down the order as Jaffer paired with makeshift opener Dinesh Kaarthick to put the best opening partnership for India in South Africa ever in Test cricket – of 153 runs.
Kaarthick, who replaced Mahendra Dhoni in the team, looked not like a makeshift opener but a proper one, scored his second Test fifty. Kaarthick, who is capable of big shots, played with a composed frame of mind to score 63 runs with the help of seven fours before an error by Pakistani umpire resulted in his dismissal after Tea. Kaarthick was caught at silly point by Hamish Amla off debutant Paul Harris and was given out bat/pad by umpire Rauf even though the ball hit only the pad. Indian captain Rahul Dravid hit five splendid fours in his knock of 29 before the veteran Shaun Maclean Pollock had him caught behind by Mark Verdon Boucher to reduce India to 202/2. But the knock of the day was played by Jaffer, who lived up to the expectations and faith of the selectors and hit his third Test ton. When he reached 50, the opener from Mumbai also completed a thousand Test runs. Jaffer hit fifteen fours in his knock of 116 before he was caught at second slip by Jacques Henry Kallis off Dale Steyn towards the fag end of the day. With Jaffer’s catch Kallis became the first South African player to take 100 Test catches. Both Sachin and Laxman are looking good at the crease and with the ball turning on the first day itself, Anil Kumble will be a dangerous proposition here for this is a surface that will help the slow bowlers far more than those at the Wanderers and Kingsmead. India have a golden chance at their hands to win their maiden Test series on South African soil. They mustn’t let it go and pile up a huge first innings score on the board. Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-South Africa Series 2006 Team Page: India Team Page: South Africa | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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