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December 30, South Africa won India on the fifth and final day of the second Test at Kingsmead. south Africa won by 174 runs after India were bowled out of 179. Captain Rahul Dravid blamed his team’s top order for the defeat in the second Test.

India were demolished for 179 and humiliated by 174 runs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni made 47 and he was caught behind in the last over, after adding 59 for the eighth wicket with Zaheer Khan. India lost Tendulkar to the fifth delivery of the day. Jaffer made 28. Zaheer and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth added 19 runs. Zaheer was caught at third slip off Nel and Sreesanth was given out behing off Hall two balls later.

Ntini produced a unplayable ball that cut back sharply and kept low to trap India’s star batsman leg before for nought. Sourav Ganguly made 26. Three of his four boundaries were scored off edges before he was out tamely, steering a lifting ball from Ntini to Herschelle Gibbs at gully.

Dhoni and Anil Kumble resisted for 41 minutes. Andrew Hall, made a breakthrough with his first ball when Kumble fended a lifting ball to Hashim Amla at short leg.

Indian Captain Rahul Dravid said that they had been competitive over five days, but it was exciting to go to Cape town with the series on the line. Man of the match Makhaya Nitini, had figured 8/89, complemented the support from the other seamers.

The Russian pair of Nadia Petrova and Dmitry Tursunov were odds-on to win the event with local bookmakers, but lost 1-2 to the Australian pairing of Alicia Molic and Mork Philippoussis. The Australians, won in the mixed team event with Molik beating World No.6, Nadia Petrova in three sets and Philippoussis seeing off Dmitry Tursunov in two.

Tursunov and Petrova restored some Russian pride with a 7-6, 6-1 triumph in the dead doubles rubber to make the final match score 2-1. Molik rose to a carrier-high World No.8 in early 2005 before a debilitating ear infection saw her slip to a 2006 year-end ranking of 163, gave the hosts the perfect launch pad with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 win over Petrova.

Molik has an impresive singles record in the Hopman Cup and claimed another top scalp, despite a second set lapse. She served strongly, with 13 aces and broke the Petrova serve six times from 10 break points. She surged to a 3-0 lead in the first set before the Russian levelled the breaks at 3-2. But another break, Courtesy of a line call referred to Hawkeye, helped Molik seal the set 6-2. She then went 2-0 up in the second before Petrova reeled off six games in a row to level the match.

Philippoussis, the world 114, hopes a good run of form will earn him a wildcard for Melbourne Park and he made light of the 92 places between himself and Tursunov in the rankings with a polished 6-4, 7-6 victory to render the doubles contest dead. Philippoussis broke in game three of the opening set before holding on to take the advantage against the World No.22.

December 27, Sachin Tendulkar was unbeaten on 46 when India finished on 103 for 3 at the end of the second day of the second Test against south Africa at Kingsmead. Only 58 overs were possible on the day before bad light sent the player off the field.

India lost their first three wickets for 61. It could have been worse if South African captain Graeme Smith had caught Tendulkar. Tendulkar had a lucky escape on 21 when Graeme Smith dropped a sitter off andrew Hall with the total reading 70 for 3. Tendular and V.V.S.Laxman batted carefully and add an unbeaten 42 for the fourth wicket. They looked determined their team would earn atleast a draw.

South Africa started to strike hard after the loss of two wickets. A.B.de Villiers held two good catches at second slip as Indian made a poor start to their innings after South Africa.

Indian captain Rahul Dravid was given leg before by umpire Mark Benson to Nel for 11 when he was through the ball seemed to be heading over the stumps. Finally, Jaffer appeared to have found his groove, but when he was on 26, he was caught by De Villers. Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Kumble finished with 4/109 and 3/62 respectively.