Ahmedabad: The Ides of March have just been left behind by the people but they seem to have struck late at the star-studded Indian squad with a vengeance.

The star-packed order, missing only Sachin Tendulkar because of a groin injury, was today bowled out for a meagre 76 before lunch on the first day of a Test, by the South African pace trio of Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium at Motera.

No Indian batsman, including Tendulkar's replacement Irfan Pathan who top-scored with an unbeaten 21, looked comfortable against the fiery SA pace attack, which had conceded over 650 runs in the series opener, on a wicket that held hardly any devil despite sporting a tinge of green on it.

The battle seemed to have been lost more in the mind by the over-hyped line up which put up one of the worst-ever batting displays in the 76-year history of Indian cricket to return the seventh-worst total.

As every keen follower of the game in the country knows, 'Summer of 42', when the team folded up for 42 in tough batting conditions with the ball being swung and seamed alarmingly by the English trio of Geoff Arnold, Chris Old and Mike Hendrick at Lord's in June, 1974, is the worst-ever performance by an Indian batting line-up.

With rain interruptions the Indian second innings on that occasion lasted beyond lunch but the overs consumed were three less than what they played out for today, 20, in the second Test against South Africa.

The six other Indian totals worse than what the team achieved today are: 

42 v England at Lord's, June, 1974 
58 v Australia, Brisbane, Nov, 1947 
58 v England, Manchester, July, 1952 
66 v South Africa, Durban, Dec, 1996 
67 v Australia, Melbourne, Feb, 1948 
75 v West Indies, Delhi, Nov, 1987

Source : PTI