NEW DELHI, 27 November 2004 — India have their backs against the wall in tomorrow’s second and final Test against South Africa in Calcutta after failing to win a series at home for two years.
India last won a Test series on home soil when they beat West Indies in 2002. Since then they have been surprisingly held to a drawn series by New Zealand and lost 2-1 by Australia.
Volatile fans, not used to such results, are getting restless. The tame draw against South Africa in the first Test on a docile Kanpur wicket this week has further added to their disquiet.
India will be looking to Anil Kumble, who could leave the 120,000-capacity Eden Gardens as the country’s highest Test wicket-taker, to buck the trend with an inspired performance. The 34-year-old leg-spinner is four scalps short of Kapil Dev’s Indian record 434 going into his 90th Test.
Inexperienced South Africa, which came to India as clear underdogs, played fearlessly in Kanpur to amass 510 for nine and take a first-innings lead. But they were slammed by experts for being too defensive.
Defensive or not, the Kanpur draw has given the Proteas a mental edge against an Indian side struggling for batting form.
But the hosts got a boost yesterday when captain Saurav Ganguly’s appeal against a two-Test ban was upheld by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Ganguly, banned by match referee Clive Lloyd because of his team’s slow over rate in a One-Day International against Pakistan on Nov. 13, played the first Test because the appeal could not be heard in time.
The 32-year-old missed the last two Tests of the four-match series against Australia due to a groin strain.
Opener Virender Sehwag, who struck an explosive 164 in Kanpur, is in top form. Gautam Gambhir cracked 96 in Kanpur in only his second Test but the other batsmen, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Vangipurappu Laxman, are woefully short of runs. South Africa, who in 2000 became the first team to beat India at home 15 series, are in a transition with stalwarts such as paceman Allan Donald and batsman Gary Kirsten having retired.
They suffered a further blow when opener Herschelle Gibbs and left-arm spinner Nicky Boje opted out of the tour for fear of being detained by the Delhi police, still investigating the match-fixing scandal which had rocked cricket four years ago.
