Third Test, Cape Town (day five, close): South Africa 362, 341 drew with India 364 & 166-3 Venue: Newlands Dates: 2-6 January Start time: 0830 GMT Coverage: Live on Sky Sports 2; reports and scorecards on BBC Sport website Match scorecard  Gambhir batted for more than four hours on the final day to see India to safety
A half-century from Gautam Gambhir guided India to a draw with South Africa in the third Test in Cape Town as the three-match series ended 1-1. The opener made 64 as India, needing 340 to win, battled to 166-3 before the captains shook hands on a draw. VVS Laxman made 32 not out and Rahul Dravid 31 as some dogged batting thwarted South Africa's hopes of forcing a victory on a wearing pitch. India had lost all four of their previous Test series in South Africa. "It was a terrific series," said South Africa captain Graeme Smith. "It was very competitive. Every day and every session were really good. The teams are very even and that shows in how competitive the cricket is." All three results were still possible at the start of the final day of a high-class series between the highest-ranked Test sides, with the hosts hoping to bowl world number one India out to clinch a 2-1 victory. India's chances of chasing down a ground record 340 to win were largely dependent on the fast-scoring Virender Sehwag getting them off to a flyer, but the opener made a cautious start to his innings on a wicket offering plenty of assistance to the seamers. Having laboured to 11 off 40 balls, Sehwag got a thick edge to a Morne Morkel delivery and was caught by Smith in the slips.  | 606: DEBATE |
Rahul Dravid had a fortunate escape when he survived an lbw appeal off Paul Harris, with replays showing the ball was destined to strike middle stump. But the man nicknamed "The Wall" was toppled shortly before tea when a nick off Lonwabo Tsotsobe flew to the slips. Gambhir showed great judgement and composure to reach 64 before he was caught behind after flicking at a leg-side delivery from Dale Steyn. From then on, the match limped to its conclusion, with Sachin Tendulkar (14 not out) not striking a single boundary from 91 deliveries. South Africa skipper Smith waited until two overs had been bowled with the new ball before calling time on the match eight overs shy of the scheduled close. That brought an end to a series which featured some cricket of the highest calibre, with South Africa batsman Jacques Kallis making a double hundred and two centuries, and Tendulkar striking the 50th and 51st tons of his Test career. Kallis, who batted through a bruised rib and side muscle strain on Wednesday to score 109 not out in hauling the hosts from a perilous position at 130-6 to 341 all out, was named man of the match and man of the series. "It's up there with the best innings I've played," said Kallis.  Kallis was named man of the match after scoring a century in each innings |
"I'm playing as well as I've ever played. I've worked on my game for the last three to four years, tried to up my scoring rate and hopefully there are a lot more runs to come in the years ahead." Meanwhile, paceman Steyn showed why he is ranked the number one Test bowler with 21 wickets in the three Tests. South Africa won the first Test by an innings and 25 runs before India squared the series with an 87-run win in Durban. "It was a very interesting series and it's good to come from behind," said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "The batsmen did their job and the bowlers did really well in Durban. At the end of the day we will be happy with our performance." The sides will play one Twenty20 international on Sunday, followed by a five-match one-day series. Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir was one of two uncapped players named in the 14-man South Africa squad for the one-day series. Tahir, who has played county cricket for Hampshire, Middlesex, Warwickshire and Yorkshire, was selected along with rookie batsman Francois du Plessis, who replaces the injured Kallis.
South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
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