Durban, Dec. 26: How Mahendra Singh Dhoni would love to win the toss for a change! In a overcast conditions and on green pitch facing arguably the world's most menacing new-ball attack, the Indian batsmen – forced to take first strike again -- made the same mistakes they had in the first Test at Centurion a week ago.

The only differences this time were that they’re 183/6 before bad light cut short Day One proceedings of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa here on Sunday, a tad less crushing than the 136 in the first innings at Centurion, and that instead of Morne Morkel it was the seaming Dale Steyn (4/36) who scythed through India’s batting line-up.

The plan set for every batsman was the same: Get the Indians to drive on the green Kingsmead track that had been peppered with rain overnight and let the ball work its magic. And if that didn’t work, bounce them out.

The only batsman to survive the hazardous conditions for close to a hundred minutes was V.V.S. Laxman, who top-scored with 38 and added 34 runs for the fourth wicket with Rahul Dravid (25) in a short period between lunch and tea. At close, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (20 not out) was hanging on for dear life with Harbhajan Singh (15 not out), the two having added 27 runs for the sixth wicket.

In conditions where every third ball from Steyn was near unplayable, the Dravid-Laxman vigil was an achievement of sorts. The ball began to jag furiously from the time he released it, before the north-easterly kicked in and added additional swerve just as it approached the batsmen.

To make it worse, a crack on the good-length area under the grass ensured that bounce was never easy to predict.

The demons in the pitch were visible from the very first ball when Steyn got the ball to rear up from the crack and hit Virender Sehwag on the knuckes.

Coming in at the fall of Sachin Tendulkar, Laxman didn’t look entirely convincing – there were few edges interspersed with a pulled six off Steyn and couple of fours — but he used his wrists well to keep the climbing ball down.
He carried on from the 20th over to the 40th one, and as a hint of frustration was setting for the South Africans, Lonwabo Tsotsobe stuck out out his right hand at mid-on to snare a pull from the Hyderabadi just centimetres from the turf.

Tsotsobe, who had struggled with two overs for 15 runs till then, returned to take 2/15 in seven overs. He picked up Cheteshwar Pujara (19), selected in place of Suresh Raina at six, the latter going for an ill-judged pull that only went up in the air to gift glovman Mark Boucher a third catch.

From lunch at 74/2, India went to tea at 168/6. But, considering the conditions, India were behind the eight ball from the start when Dhoni lost the toss and was asked to bat. Both openers fell in the space of five runs — Sehwag (25) the first to go when an ambitious drive, despite a lack of footwork, saw him edge Steyn straight to Jacques Kallis at second slip.

Murali Vijay, drafted into the team to take the place of the injured Gautam Gambhir, fell in the same bowler's next over.

The right-hander had already been dropped twice off Steyn before it proved a case of third time lucky; Boucher pouching a thin nick to send Vijay on his way for 19.

India’s performance with the bat on the day has again put it in a situation that will be be hard to bounce back from over the next four days. For the time being though, every run gathered in this essay will be worth its wait in gold.

Scoreboard
india 1st innings
V. Sehwag c Kallis b Steyn 25, M. Vijay c Boucher b Steyn 19, R. Dravid c Boucher b Steyn 25, S. Tendulkar c Kallis b Tsotsobe 13, V.V.S. Laxman c Tsotsobe b Steyn 38, C. Pujara c Boucher b Tsotsobe 19, M.S. Dhoni n.o. 20, Harbhajan Singh n.o. 15.
Extras (b-1, lb-2, nb-2, w-4) 9
Total (in 56 overs) 183/6
FoW: 1-43, 2-48, 3-79, 4-117, 5-130, 6-156.
Bowling: Steyn 14-3-36-4, Morkel 15-2-60-0, Tsotsobe 11-3-40-2, Kallis 8-2-18-0, Harris 8-1-26-0.

Stats speak
* Dale Steyn became the third South African bowler to take 40 or more wickets against India. The right arm fast bowler from Phalaborwa achieved this feat by dismissing Virender Sehwag, caught by Jacques Kallis in only the ninth Test match.
* Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal on 13th was his sixth time in 287 innings of 176 Test matches. He became the 10th player to be dismissed on 13 for sixth or more times in Tests. Australian Steve Waugh and England’s Mike Atherton shared the record with seven dismissals .
* Jacques Kallis became the second South African fielder after Brian McMillan to take 20 or more catches against India. Jacques Kallis achieved this feat by holding Sachin Tendulkar off Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
* Mark Boucher became the first South African and fifth wicket-keeper overall to dismiss 50 or more Indian batsmen behind the wickets. Mark Boucher achieved this feat by holding Rahul Dravid off Dale Steyn.

Pic Caption:
A dejected Rahul Dravid walks back to the pavilion after being dismissed for 25.