Steyn-gun is back

Earlier in the day, speedster Dale Steyn produced a fiery spell to rock the Indian batting line-up with a six-wicket haul as the visitors squandered the overnight advantage to be bowled out for 334.

Steyn finished with splendid figures of six for 100 as the Indians lost nine wickets for only 153 runs after play began in the post lunch session after a three-hour delay due to rain. He rocked the Indian top-order taking three quick wickets within a space of 10 balls as South Africa reduced the visitors to 271 for five at tea, on the second day of the second cricket Test, after the proceedings resumed in the post-lunch session.

Steyn removed overnight not out batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara (70), Murali Vijay (97) and Rohit Sharma (0) to reduce India to 199 for four in a space of five overs in which 18 runs were scored. Virat Kohli (46) and Ajinkya Rahane (23 batting) added 66 runs for the fifth wicket before the in-form Kohli was dismissed by Morne Morkel just before the tea. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (0 batting) is giving Rahane the company.

While Steyn (3/87) made up for his poor show in the first Test with a three-wicket burst, Morkel (2/34) gave him good support. Steyn had last taken a wicket in the first innings of the first Test at Johannesburg, when he had dismissed Shikhar Dhawan. Since then he bowled 69.2 overs giving away 217 runs before removing Pujara to end his barren spell.

Vijay (91 batting) and Cheteshwar Pujara (58 batting) wanted to further their 140-run partnership for the second wicket, and they both started off well. Despite the rain, the wicket still had nothing in it for the bowlers. But Steyn bowled a fiery, inspired spell, determined to break his wicketsless spell.

The first chance came in the second over of the day, 63rd overall, as Vijay drove past gully for a streaky boundary, beating Alviro Petersen.

In Steyn's next over, skipper Graeme Smith placed himself at that position and missed an even better chance, this time Pujara playing an uncharacteristic shot wide outside the off-stump. The ball went for four and brought up their long-awaited 150-run partnership.

Their stand was broken in the 67th over, when Steyn had Pujara caught behind driving the ball pitched outside the off-stump. Pujara scored 70 runs off 132 balls, with nine fours, putting up 157 runs with Vijay for the second wicket.

Steyn kept Vijay quiet as the opener was inching towards his first coveted century on foreign soil but he never got there gloving one rising delivery down leg-side to 'keeper AB de Villiers to fall short by three runs. He faced 226 deliveries hitting 18 boundaries.

The very next delivery saw Rohit Sharma (0) losing the middle stump after shouldering arms to a delivery that came in. Steyn was denied his hat-trick by Virat Kohli, who flicked it for four and then went about rebuilding the innings with Ajinkya Rahane. The fast bowler returned with the second new-ball, taken immediately in the 81st over, and had a gruelling contest with the latter. He hit Rahane twice, who replied in kind with an exquisite pull to square leg and then a sumptuous drive down the ground.

The batsmen brought up their 50-partnership in the 87th over, also when India crossed the 250-run mark, and it seemed that they might have braved the storm.

Just then, Morkel tempted Kohli to glance one down the leg side and de Villiers took a stunning one-handed catch, diving to his left. Dhoni then came out to bat with five minutes to go for the tea break, and in Rahane's company took India into the break. The entire morning session's play was lost due to heavy downpour and the umpires want 75 overs of play with an extension in order to make up as many overs as possible for the lost time.