It was the last time that the South African Test dressing room was graced by Jacques Kallis. And his team ensured he had happy memories of this day. With a 10-wicket win in Durban the Proteas sealed the Test series 1-0 and gave a fitting farewell to arguably their greatest cricketer.
Captain Graeme Smith was a satisfied man. "We wanted the win as a fitting tribute to Jacques but the weather and the pitch made life a little more difficult," said Smith. "We had to work hard after we lost so much time in the game. India played so well on day one, so to have the ability to turn it around like we did was a huge achievement. It was an incredible win."
The innings that set the platform for the win came from Kallis himself. His 115 in the first innings enabled South Africa to gain a significant lead and hence put India under pressure.
"We needed to make sure we got a lead in the first innings. It wasn't easy with the ball spinning and a bit of reverse swing. We needed to grind out a score and set up the game. Jacques's hundred allowed us to do that," the captain acknowledged.
Dale Steyn, who was adjudged the Man of the Match for picking nine wickets, including a 6-for in the first innings, credited the team’s performance to Kallis’s inspiring talk.
"After day one he sat us down and said he didn't want this match to fizzle out in a draw. He asked the bowlers to step up and I think everyone did," he said.
