By Pranav Soneji

Third Test, day two, Kanpur
South Africa 265 all out v India 288-9 (close)
Match scorecard

Ganguly hit nine boundaries and a six in his 119-ball innings

Sourav Ganguly helped India establish a 23-run lead to ensure the third Test against South Africa is fascinatingly poised after the second day in Kanpur.

Ganguly's 87 added to VVS Laxman's 50 as India finished on 288-9, with contributions from Yuvraj Singh (32) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (32).

Morne Morkel (3-57) and Dale Steyn (3-64) were the pick of the bowlers on an increasingly deteriorating pitch.

Paul Harris finished with two wickets, while Makhaya Ntini took the other.

Ganguly's two-hour vigil came to an end shortly before stumps, ending yet another absorbing day's play, with neither side able to establish a significant advantage.

The maligned surface at Green Park had made batting a ponderous task on day one - and the Indian top order faced the same demons on the vicious pitch on day two.

Virender Sehwag - his triple century from the first Test a dim and distant memory - was the first to fall on the final ball of the fifth over, trapped lbw for eight after failing to move his feet to Steyn.

Wasim Jaffer suffered the same fate as his opening partner, providing Morkel with his first wicket of the day, playing across the line to a straight ball, leaving India reeling at 35-2.

Morne Morkel was the pick of the South African attack

The rearguard responsibility was left to Rahul Dravid and Laxman, who took the steam out of the tourists' attack in the searing Uttar Pradesh heat.

The pair had registered a 78-run partnership before Morkel produced two magnificent deliveries to remove both men in quick succession.

Former captain Dravid was the first to fall, gloving a simple catch to gully from a vicious short of a length delivery to end his 106-minute innings of 29.

No sooner had Laxman - who had caressed three successive fours off Morkel in the 15th over - brought up his half century when he was comprehensively bowled by a beauty from Morkel which pitched on middle but clipped off.

With India teetering at 123-4, Ganguly set up the counter-attack alongside Yuvraj with a series of aggressive drives and flicks.

The duo had put on 65 when Yuvraj top-edged a sweep off Harris to AB de Villiers, who took a fine low catch at deep mid-wicket, ending his promising innings of 32.

But the dismissal had little effect on Ganguly, who cut, drive and pulled with increasing authority, as well as smashing Harris for a huge six over mid-wicket.

The former India captain had been given a reprieve when he was on dropped 40 by Neil McKenzie, although it would have been the catch of the century had the opener clung on to his full-stretch, one-handed diving effort at cover.

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Dhoni continued his predecessor's good work, hitting five boundaries, before he succumbed to a moment of madness against left-arm spinner Harris.

The India wicket-keeper had hit 32 promising runs when he skipped down the wicket to smear Harris over mid-off, but completely missed the ball, leaving Mark Boucher with the simplest of stumpings.

India were within sniffing distance of South Africa's first innings total, so Graeme Smith opted to take the new ball - and Steyn immediately rewarded his captain's decision when he trapped Harbhajan Singh lbw for six.

But India's tail could not provide adequate support for their former captain. Piyush Chawla mis-hit pull shot found the safe hands of Smith at mid-on, providing Ntini with his first wicket of the innings.

And Ganguly's excellent innings ended minutes later when he attempted to smash Steyn over cover, but only succeeded in finding Hashim Amla at cover.

Fast bowlers Sree Santh and Ishant Sharma remained unbeaten at stumps, but both men will have a significant role to play with the ball in yet another enthralling day's play on Sunday.