Pratik Dogra
The stage is set. Two teams…both claiming to be the rightful heir to the Australian supremacy. While one has just displaced the mighty Australians as the numero uno ODI side in the world, other is fresh from vanquishing the Aussies in their own den. For a sport so long bereft of ‘a battle of equals’, the India-South Africa series promises to be just that. A riveting contest is promised.
While India, riding on a wave of confidence, bolstered by the return of senior stalwarts may look favourites to put it across the Proteas, on paper atleast, the Africans too have come loaded with enough firepower and are more than capable to upset their host’s applecart.
Both the team’s selection offer an insight into the team’s strategy for the crucial series.
India, typically, is batsmen heavy, with the likes of Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman gracing its line-up. With the South Africans traditional weak players of spin, the hosts have also gone in with 3 spinners. Besides skipper Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, left arm tweaker Murali Kartik makes an umpteenth comeback to the Indian side. RP Singh, who ably led the Indian pace attack in Tests in Australia, will again don the mantle of the senior pace bowler. Sreesanth, who single-handedly demolishes the South African Batting at Wanderers two seasons ago, along with all-rounder Irfan Pathan, complete India’s pace trio.
South Africa, on the other hand, have been an epitome of consistency. The have notched up back to back series victories against New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh. Having recorded victories in Pakistan and Bangladesh, Proteas are no longer any stranger to the sub-continent conditions. Graeme Smith is in the form of his life and the likes of De Villers, Amla, Mckenzie and Prince coming of age, Indian bowlers will have their hands full. On the bowling front, Paul Harries has blossomed brilliantly as a left arm spinner, while Dale Styen, with his express speed can prove to be Indian batsmen’s undoing. With veteran bowler Ntini leading the African charge and the ever-consistent Langeveldt to back him up, a mouth-watering contest is on cards.
The core of the Indian team is still the same that had fithered away a golden chance to record an elusive series win on foreign soil, the last time two sides crossed swords on South African shores.
On a pitch that South African skipper Greame Smith wished that he'd never see again in the southern cape, India dominated for three days before freezing in sight of the finish line. The batting on the fourth afternoon will forever be a black mark in the annals of the Indian game, and the shabby display in the field on the final day obliterated pleasant memories of four golden days at the Wanderers.
Since then…. a lot has changed. Since then India has suffered a debacle in the World Cup, survived Greg Chappell, recovered, to record a Test series victory in England, rode on the young shoulders to lift the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup and busted the myth of Australian invincibility in their own den. With the youngsters breathing down their neck, the seniors won’t be any short of motivation…and for those of them who still fathom thoughts of staging a return to the ODI set up, every opportunity counts!
While the debate bout Australia’s decline may rant on for some more time, the victor of the series would emerge as their successor.
