Attitude is everything

Former South African bowling spearhead Allan Donald believes the key to a successful tour for India hinges around how well Greg Chappell can prepare the batsmen to overcome their shyness on the faster South African wickets

On the South African bowling line-up

They need one bowler with the genuine pace of say a Nantie Hayward in the line-up now. Someone like a Brett Lee or a Shoaib Akhtar or even a Lasith Malinga to really let it rip against the opposition and that will make a difference. Dale Steyn is fast, but probably getting someone equally fast or faster to partner him will really work. At the moment there is too much dependence on Makhaya Ntini, who bowls at about 138 kmph. Someone like Steyn must start taking more responsibility.

On Shaun Pollock

There is no doubt that he is not the bowler he used to be. He is just five wickets away from 400 in Test cricket and that mark could be a great motivation for him and may also mark the beginning of his swansong. He has been a legend for South Africa. However, it has been three years since he took a five wicket haul and his strike rate is also rising. There is also talk that he may not undertake Test tours abroad and may reconsider his Test career after the India series. His bowling form is a worry for South Africa.

On the wickets

The strips that have been produced are increasingly becoming batsman friendly and there is not as much grass on them as there used to be in earlier days. The wicket at Durban used to be the fastest I have ever played on. The strip at the Wanderers, on which the final game of the Australia-South Africa series that saw scores in excess of 430 by either side, was the flattest I have seen in South Africa. A few of the wickets have been re-laid and there should be a bit of bounce and help for the fast bowlers.

On the Indian batsman

Whenever the Indians have come to South Africa, we have realised that they are a bit cautious about the bounce. They have always struggled on wickets in Australia and South Africa where there is more pronounced bounce. Even during my playing days, we knew that great batsmen like Mohammad Azharuddin were uncomfortable against genuine pace and the bounce also troubled him. Our strategy was to target the skipper (Sachin Tendulkar) and top-batsmen like Sourav Ganguly and Azharuddin. Once we got them, it was easier to knock off the others. Overall, the Indians never fancied playing in South Africa.

Favourites

It’s a different time now and a different set of players. But, at home, South Africa should be the favourite to win the one-day as well as the Test series.

India’s trump card

One man who can make all the difference will be coach Greg Chappell. He has a lot of experience. He knows what it takes to handle the bounce and pace that the wickets in South Africa throw up. How he manages to get the Indians to shrug off their shyness against the bounce and pace will be key.

It is very important that the top-five Indian batsmen adapt and adjust quickly to the conditions; otherwise the South African bowlers will get after them early on. But while the pace and the bounce of the wickets will remain factors, the most important will be the kind of attitude with which the Indian batsmen walk to the wicket.

Their mental attitude must be strong and Chappell has a big role to play in that aspect. How India does will mainly revolve around how Chappell prepares his batsmen.