Sunil Gavaskar
India have taken giant strides towards winning their first Test match in South Africa and by lunch time or later should wrap up a game that they have dominated from the first day.
It was at Johannesburg that India were denied in 1996-97 when rain fell only in the one mile radius of the Wanderers ground and Darryl Cullinan’s fighting century stopped them but there’s no Cullinan here and though there were rains overnight, with two days left, India should be able to get the win they so desperately want.
That is the operative word, desperate, for they have shown that desperation in their approach and shown a determination not often seen overseas and it’s an effort that hopefully will turn the fortunes of the Indian team.
The South Africans will no doubt think twice about the pitches they will prepare for the next two Test matches for make no mistake, the Indians and particularly the seamers have shown that they cannot be taken lightly.
India went into the third day with a comfortable lead of 311 but as in any game the more you have the better the options for the captain to set catching and attacking fields and the more the opportunities for the bowlers to try something different, if the regular stuff isn’t working.
The pitch had not deteriorated much and the bounce was more even, if anything so, there was always the possibility that a good couple of partnerships and two batsmen getting big hundreds can turn impending defeat into victory.
South Africa unfortunately don’t have those batsmen in form apart from Kallis and he too was consumed by a terrific delivery from Sreesanth. The young man is showing a good head on his shoulders by planning the demise of his victims and the manner of Kallis dismissal is a case in point. He bowled Kallis plenty of good length deliveries with the ball leaving the bat and then bowled a widish ball, which the experienced Kallis fell for by going for the expansive drive without covering for the swing.
Sreesanth had earlier got the out of form skipper Graeme smith out to a similar delivery with Virender Sehwag taking a stunning catch at cover point.
The South African batsmen simply did not learn from the Indian batsmen just like their bowlers too did not pick up the length to bowl to from Sreesanth and company. The application and patience showed by the Indian batsmen like Ganguly in the first innings and Laxman in the second was lost on the South Africans as they went playing their shots even before they were set and used to the bounce and movement of the ball.
South Africa are paying for taking the Indians lightly though they can’t be blamed entirely because of the results of the one-day series but as this great game teaches us the only certainty about it, is it’s uncertainty. That’s why India should not take the last few wickets lightly and try and finish the game as early as they can because the margin of victory will be a significant psychological boost as they square up for the last two Test matches.
