South Africa spinner Robin Peterson, who scored a vital 61 at No 9, regretted not being on the stairs of the pavilion to pay tribute to Jacques Kallis when the retiring all-rounder returned to the dressing room after being dismissed for 115.
“Everyone got emotional when he got out… those who have played with him for so long…but I couldn’t join them on the stairs to the dressing room because I was padded up,” said left-arm spinner Peterson.
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His knock helped South Africa to reach 500 in their first innings before they were bowled out.u00a0Later in the day, Peterson got rid of the off-colour yet dangerous Shikhar Dhawan, who hit one to mid-wicket where Faf du Plessis plucked a stunning catch.
“He (Faf) does that in the nets, so I am not surprised. It is not my wicket, it’s his,” Peterson admitted.
He is confident that the hosts will win the Test and with it, the series on Day Five today with India trailing by 98 runs. However, the threat of rain cannot be ignored. “We have lost a lot of time in this game, but there’s a result in it for us. At Kingsmead, usually 10 wickets fall on the fifth day and we are hoping to be on the right side of things. The morning session is crucial,” said Peterson.
Earlier in the day, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni delayed taking the new ball, something which former captain Bishan Singh Bedi found hard to comprehend in New Delhi. “Why are they not taking the new ball,” Bedi asked over the phone.u00a0When India fielding coach Trevor Penney was asked about Dhoni’s strategy he said: “The bounce was more variable with the old ball and we were relying on reverse swing.”