McKenzie hits 155 as SA draw with India

Neil McKenzie cracked an unbeaten 155 as the first cricket Test between India and South Africa ended in a tame draw.

Neil McKenzie cracked an unbeaten 155 as the first cricket Test between India and South Africa ended in a tame draw here today with the last day’s play also proving to be a nightmare for bowlers.

The 32-year-old McKenzie, who made 94 in the first innings, continued his amazing comeback to the South African team by batting out the whole day on a docile M A Chidambaran pitch which showed no signs of any drastic deterioration even on the fifth day.

The Indian bowlers needed to put up an extra-ordinary display to pull off an unlikely victory but the wickets were hard to come by as the Proteas played cautiously to score 331 for five before play was called off.

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Resuming at the overnight score of 131 for one, McKenzie and his overnight partner Hashim Amla (81) batted through most of the morning session to dent India’s chances of forcing a result in the high-scoring contest.

Though the Indian bowlers got rid of the dangerous Jacques Kallis (19), Ashwell Prince (5) and AB de Villiers (11) cheaply, McKenzie held up one end with his 445-minute vigil at the crease.

With the pitch offering absolutely no assistance to the bowlers, the batsmen ruled the roost as a whopping 1498 runs were scored by the two teams over five days of Test action which saw many batting records tumble.

The two teams will now travel to Ahmedabad for the second Test beginning from April 3.