South Africa sent packing by wiles of Sehwag

India 261-9 South Africa 251-6 India win by 10 runs

Whatever Virender Sehwag is proposing for his next trick, ladeez and gennelmun, roll up, roll up. After blasting England somewhere into the stratosphere with an uncommonly blistering exhibition of improvised strokeplay last Sunday, he was invited last night to deliver some of his much more placid off-spin in the Champions Trophy semi-final.

The effect at the Premadasa Stadium was pretty similar; he turned the match decisively in India's favour. Sourav Ganguly's team won a match against South Africa that they looked like losing for most of its duration.

They were given a chink, but no more, when Herschelle Gibbs was forced to retire hurt on 116 as his team eased gently to victory. It was enough for Sehwag to get his foot in the door. He is in one of those patches where he can do no wrong. Against England, he was dropped early but went on to make a stunning 126 from 104 balls.

He settled for a mere 59 from 58 yesterday before being summoned to bowl with 10 overs to go. South Africa had let slip a dominant position but were still favourites. Sehwag bounded in from the boundary to be handed the ball by Ganguly and immediately found that South Africa presumed he was a mystery spinner. He finished with 3 for 25, including two wickets in the final over and his second consecutive man of the match award.

Asked later, in Hindi, what he had eaten to make him so marvellous he replied that his repast had been the same as on Sunday. And what was that? "I'll tell you after the final.''

For most of the match, South Africa seemed to be turning out a typically pragmatic display which would result in victory with an over to spare.

India made 216 for 9, which was far short of the total they seemed likely to muster after their usually rapid start. But they kept losing wickets and even India eventually ran out of stroke-makers.

After the loss of Graeme Smith, Gibbs and Jacques Kallis assembled a partnership of 178 from 204 balls. It was classic, unspectacular almost tedious one-day play. Keep two things: the board ticking over and wickets in hand. Then thou shalt win. But Gibbs began to suffer from severe cramp. First he had the services of a runner, but then his hands were affected as well. He struggled from the field.

Kallis lost partners regularly thereafter. Sehwag did not quite start their collapse. Yuvraj Singh can take credit for that with an exemplary catch, his second, and the run-rate slipped inexorably. India are in the final and England might not feel so bad. Another team has suffered the Virender surrender.

India won toss

INDIA
V Sehwag c Klusener b Kallis 59
S C Ganguly c Dippenaar b Ntini 13
V V S Laxman c Boucher b Donald 22
S R Tendulkar run out 16
R Dravid lbw b Klusener 49
Yuvraj Singh c Gibbs b Pollock 62
M Kaif c Rhodes b Pollock 19
Harbhajan Singh b Donald 4
Z Khan c Smith b Pollock 0
A Kumble not out 2
A Nehra not out 1
Extras (b2 lb1 w8 nb3 pens 0) 14
Total (for 9, 50 overs) 261

Fall: 1-42 2-102 3-108 4-135 5-207 6-254 7-254 8-255 9-260.

Bowling: Pollock 9 0 43 3; Ntini 5 0 37 1; Donald 8 0 41 2; Kallis 8 1 50 1; Klusener 10 0 40 1; Peterson 10 0 47 0

SOUTH AFRICA
H H Gibbs ret hurt 116
G C Smith c Yuvraj Singh b Khan 4
J H Kallis c Dravid b Sehwag 97
J N Rhodes c Yuvraj Singh b Harbhajan 1
H H Dippenaar c Kumble b Harbhajan 0
M V Boucher c Yuvraj Singh b Sehwag 10
L Klusener c Kaif b Sehwag 14
S M Pollock not out 0
Extras (b1 lb3 w5 pens 0) 9
Total (for 6, 50 overs) 251

Fall: 1-14 2-194 3-194 4-213 5-247 6-251.

Did Not Bat: R J Peterson, A A Donald, M Ntini.

Bowling: Khan 9 2 27 1; Nehra 7.3 0 41 0; Kumble 10 0 53 0; Harbhajan Singh 10 0 37 2; Yuvraj Singh 3 0 17 0; Ganguly 1.3 0 15 0; Tendulkar 4 0 32 0; Sehwag 5 0 25 3

Umpires: D R Shepherd (Eng) and R B Tiffin (Zim).