South Africa made to fight

Derek Crookes is clean bowled by Anil Kumble

South Africa 320, India 310
South Africa win by 10 runs

South Africa secured a moral boosting victory against India on Sunday, defeating the home side by 10 runs with seven balls remaining in the final one-day clash at Nagpur.

Defending a total of 320, South Africa - who lost the series 3-2 - got off to a bad start with Henry Williams aggravating a shoulder tendon.

Williams battled on however, and was rewarded with the wicket of captain Sourav Ganguly (6), caught hooking to Steve Elworthy at short fine leg. Williams left the field soon after.

Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid then set about decimating what was left of the South African attack.

Indian wicket-keeper Saba Karim dismisses Herschelle Gibbs

The pair put on 180 - the best second-wicket stand against South Africa - from 151 balls before Tendulkar swept Crookes to Elworthy in the deep in the 28th over.

Two deliveries later, Dravid was run out after a fine throw-in by Pieter Strydom for Crookes to whip off the bails.

With both having scored at more than a run a ball - Tendulkar faced 89 deliveries with seven fours and four sixes and Dravid 70 with 11 fours - South Africa were suddenly back in the match.

Ajay Jadeja (10), Sridharan Sriram (12), Javagal Srinath (20), Robin Singh (29) Saba Karim and Nikhil Chopra (3) threatened to reach the target, but three Lance Klusener wickets and two run-outs - including a direct diving effort by Herschelle Gibbs - left the Indians wanting.

Earlier, Gibbs smashed 74 runs from 53 balls to help amass a confident South African total.

Gibbs, who was dropped twice before being run out with a direct hit from former Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar, hit 13 boundaries and one six.

Mark Boucher (68) and Klusener (75 not out) combined well late on to post a vital seventh-wicket stand.

Klusener, who put on 114 from 105 balls with Boucher, started slowly, needing 42 balls for his first 28 runs.

The left-hander then reproduced his 1999 World Cup form as he smashed the next 47 runs off just 16 deliveries with eight fours and three sixes.

Scoreboard

South Africa

G.Kirsten run out 1
H.Gibbs run out 74
N.McKenzie c Karim b Kumble 13
D.Crookes b Kumble 14
H.Cronje c Dravid b Chopra 38
M.Boucher c Kumble b Prasad 68
D.Benkenstein b Tendulkar 24
L.Klusener not out 75
P.Strydom not out 0

Extras (lb-1 w-2 nb-10) 13
Total (for seven wickets, 50 overs) 320

Fall of wickets: 1-9 2-42 3-66 4-126 5-161 6-205 7-319
Did not bat: S.Elworthy, H.Williams

Bowling: Srinath 6-0-65-0 (w-1 nb-4), Prasad 6-1-46-1, Kumble 10-0-61-2 (w-1 nb-4), Chopra 10-0-57-1, Sriram 6-0-36-0 (nb-1), Singh 1-0-6-0, Tendulkar 10-0-31-1, Ganguly 1-0-17-0 (nb-1)

India

S.Ganguly c Elworthy b Williams 6
S.Tendulkar c Elworthy b Crookes 93
R.Dravid run out 79
A.Jadeja b Elworthy 10
S.Sriram c Boucher b Elworthy 12
R.Singh c Cronje b Klusener 29
J.Srinath c Strydom b Klusener 20
S.Karim c and b Klusener 22
N.Chopra run out 3
A.Kumble run out 5
V.Prasad not out 0

Extras (b-4 lb-8 w-14 nb-5) 31
Total (all out, 48.5 overs) 310

Fall of wickets: 1-13 2-193 3-193 4-214 5-221 6-259 7-290 8-304 9-310 10-310.

Bowling: Williams 1.5-0-11-1 (w-6), Elworthy 8-0-50-2 (w-1 nb-1), Klusener 9-0-59-3 (nb-2), Crookes 10-1-69-1 (w-1 nb-2), Strydom 10-0-47-0 (w-1), Cronje 9.5-0-62-0 (w-5), McKenzie 0.1-0-0-0

Result: South Africa won by 10 runs

First match: Cochin - Inaia won by three wickets
Second match: Jamshedpur - India won by six wickets
Third match: Faridabad - South Africa won by two wickets
Fourth match: Baroda - India won by four wickets
India won five-match series 3-2.