Another Test series starts, though of course to call a two-Test program as a series is a bit ambitious, but that’s how modern schedules are, and unless the ICC has a real hard look at the scheduling, the cricket world is going to get programs like this. A two or four-Test program, as was the case with the Australians, can lead to draws if both sides share the Tests and that’s why in the none too distant past, there used to be five Test matches played between two teams. With the advent of more countries in the Test club, naturally schedules had to be made to accommodate them and this has led to the current scenario where teams are coming to play two or four Tests. It’s not a satisfactory position but that’s the way it is.
India are smarting not just from the series loss to Australia but also from the defeat against Pakistan in the one-day game to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of the BCCI. The latter loss will rankle because India had put up a good total and were still not able to defend it. The dew was no doubt a factor, but the ease with which the Pakistanis paced the chase is what will have hurt the Indians.
This two-game program against South Africa thus gives the Indian team to recover lost ground and dented reputations, especially the batsmen. The two spinners Kumble and Harbhajan did exceedingly well against the Aussies but were not able to win the series simply because the batsmen did not put enough runs on board. It’s a situation the Indian batsmen look ready to change. For starters, there is not the same hoopla about this series as was the case with the Aussies’ program, so clearly there’s less pressure, though expectations as always will be high from the batsmen. Apart from Sehwag, nobody got a century and nobody got even close to it and that’s what the Indians need to make up for. Mind you, if anybody underestimates an attack of Pollock and Ntini, they will only continue to struggle for runs but with due respect, the South Africans don’t have the back-up bowling that Australia had, so once the early spell from Pollock and Ntini is safely negotiated, then there should not be too much trouble in tackling the rest of what South Africa has to throw at the Indian line-up.
The South African batting line-up looks better than their bowling and in Smith, Kallis and Rudolph, they have a trio capable of hundreds. The captain is a big-hundred player and that’s what separates the men from the boys. How he and the others tackle the challenge from Harbhajan and Kumble will decide how the two Tests will go. The pitch here at Green Park, Kanpur looks one of those low, slow wickets, but with the early winter dew possible in the morning, there could be some help for the new ball. The South Africans bat deep as they have all-rounders rather than specialists apart from Ntini, who is a fast bowler.
India’s dilemma is whether to go in with three spinners like in Mumbai where all three played a prominent role in helping India to salvage something from the series. This pitch looks different from the dry pitch that was offered in Mumbai, so Kartik may have to miss out, but it’s always a good policy to go horses for courses than take an emotional decision.
The South Africans didn’t do well in Sri Lanka as the Australians had earlier in the year, and so if one goes by that, then India should not have too much to worry about, but cricket is a dangerous sport to underestimate any team, especially one which is as determined as the South African team is.
