Sreelata
Domestic Cricketer
Joined: Mar 07, 2007
Posts: 53
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An interesting shape is developing for cricket, judging by the tussles between India and South Africa in the first two matches thus far! Both teams are depleted in obvious strength and yet it feels like a boxing matches where both sides have lost steam but yet trying to show the spark of life!
While India is still trying to work out a seamless policy to put forth a full prong attack, the South African team is finding itself in strange waters as well. Vernon Philander tried with reasonable effect in the first game found himself warming himself alongside the more experienced Justin Kemp as coach Mickey Arthur is determined to leave Belfast and Ireland with a "few questions answered" to put it in his own words. What this basically translates to is the inability of South Africa to field a world class spinner while India is still doing reasonably well with Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar in the deliberate absence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Arthur wanted to circumvent accusations of his team looking flat and on track in attack. Dealing away with the debuatnt from the last match seemed to do the trick as far as he was concerned. But somehow the introduction of Thandi Tshabalala did not quite have the same effect as was Chawla's in the previous game. To Thandi's defense, he could not have snared a more prominent wicket than that of an inform Sachin Tendulkar.
Though India once again managed to make heavy weather of what seemed a straightforward victory, the middle overs certainly rocked India out of slumber for a bit. It certainly gave the otherwise listless South Africans something to keep them interested through the closing end of business.
In the suddenly alive moments as light gave way to dusk, India still needed to scratch around despite having been set a comfortable platform by the reunited opening partnership of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. South Africa seemed all but dusted before four wickets fell in a heap and suddenly South Africa seemed back in business. Certainly the way the Indian openers went about the chase, it showed South Africa's innings in a labourious tone. Apart from Morne van Wyk who showed the gumption to stay and survive to give South Africa a fighting chance with JP Duminy and Mark Boucher, South Africa appeared in a dust storm already at seven for two and Jacques Kallis not really enjoying the captaincy role, failing this time to pull his team from a virtual whirlpool.
It was credit to the partnerships that helped South Africa across the mark and it was the almost typical transfer of initiative by the Indians that in the end made this match too close to comfort for the Indians and rather unnecessarily so!
But it's one all and should make the final contest a nail biting one with both teams fighting to field a convincing line up of some consistency! As one ex-cricketer said, Gautam Gambhir will have to wait for Ganguly and Sachin to retire to find a place in this team. Is that so? |
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