Tsotsobe puts South Africa in control

50 overs India 190 (Yuvraj 53, Dhoni 38, Tsotsobe 4-22) v South Africa

In pic: India collapsed after the fall of Yuvraj Singh © Associated Press

A disciplined bowling performance from South Africa choked India at Wanderers, keeping them to a below-par score on a track that is expected to last out the day. Unlike in Durban, it wasn't the bounce that India's batsmen struggled against but nagging lines and lengths from the seamers, particularly Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and variations in pace from Johan Botha. India tried hard, promising to set the stage for a fighting score through two fighting partnerships but such was South Africa's determination to limit the visitors that a wicket never seemed too far away.

India approached their innings cautiously under overcast skies after opting to bat, and the openers were averse to chasing deliveries bowled outside off due to the movement off the pitch. Dale Steyn and Tsotsobe consistently bowled in the corridor outside off and were only targeted when they delivered full and straight. M Vijay flicked Steyn over square leg, while Tendulkar drove him past midwicket for a boundary but they were rare moments of relief for the batsmen.

At a venue that has traditionally been favourable for batting, South Africa capitalised on what little assistance was on offer and India's consequent circumspection. Tendulkar had taken 10 balls to score, while Vijay had been lucky to edge a slog over the slips. A similar attempt in the eighth over off Tsotsobe didn't pay off, however, and he skied a catch to mid-on. Tsotsobe benefited from angling the ball across the batsmen, getting the ball to cut away and beating attempts to open the face and press on. Not gifted with pace as his Steyn or Morne Morkel, Tsotsobe's role has been a largely containing one but his accuracy amid the India's pressure to get up to speed as the pitch eased out was to earn him some more rewards later in the innings.

Tsotsobe's possible competition for the spot of a third seamer in the World Cup is Wayne Parnell, and his introduction into the attack along with Virat Kohli's arrival at the crease infused some urgency to India's innings. Parnell bowled a length and line different to that of his team-mates, and was driven handsomely by Kohli down the ground and Tendulkar past midwicket. Made less potent by his lack of movement, Parnell was taken for runs mostly through the leg side.

Though the flow of runs increased, what remained consistent was the uncertainty in the running between the wickets. Tendulkar survived two run-out attempts and when he refused a single, it was Kohli who paid the price, dislodged by a direct hit from David Miller. Tendulkar didn't last long after that, inside-edging a slowish delivery that kept low from Botha onto the stumps.

The end of that hard-fought partnership meant MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh had to build from scratch, and they set about leading India's recovery as the field spread out. Displaying little signs of getting bogged down, neither batsman felt compelled to take any undue risks and instead ensured a steady scoring rate through working the field. Both used the sweep and the paddle, while Yuvraj often drove straight to pinch twos thanks to a wider-than-normal long-on. Bad balls were a rarity but Yuvraj was prompt to punish them when on offer; he slashed Morkel over point and flicked Tsotsobe to the fine-leg boundary to raise his half-century. The stand was worth 83 and with 13 more overs to go, a score of 240 was on.

But Tsotsobe struck next ball as Yuvraj drove straight into mid-off's hands, and he returned when India took the batting Powerplay to trap Suresh Raina plumb in front. If that wasn't enough, he backed up his wicket-maiden in the Powerplay but yorking Dhoni to finish with his best figures in the 50-over format and potentially, a second consecutive Man-of-the-Match award.

The rest of the line-up folded in little time, with the tail succumbing to ill-executed attempts to clear the field and Rohit Sharma being trapped in front when walking across to a Morkel delivery to mark another dispiriting performance with the bat for the visitors. -ESPNcricinfo