da bet esporte： India seem to be hurtling towards yet another defeat at St
da dobrowin： Krishnamachari Srikkanth19-Nov-2001India seem to be hurtling towards yet another defeat at St. George’sPark in Port Elizabeth. A pathetic batting display in our firstinnings has meant that we will require a herculean effort from ourbatsmen in the final innings to save this Test. But knowing the team,I doubt if that will happen.The game slipped from India’s hands on the second day. With SouthAfrica 237 for five, we needed to clean up the South African inningsas early as possible. And it was not that we didn’t have our chance.After Srinath dismissed Shaun Pollock, Harbhajan foxed Mark Boucherinto hitting a ball up in the air. It was a dolly but Rahul Dravid infirst slip made a hash of the chance. Boucher went on to make 68 andguided South Africa to 362, a very good total considering the pitch.
©AFPBefore I move on, a few words about Herschelle Gibbs’ innings. Afteran explosive start, the young South African opener put his head downand played very responsibly. Gibbs’ knock showed that he, a dasher byinstinct both on and off the field, has finally put his callow daysbehind him. His precious 196 which though was not without its luckymoments, also marks him out as one of the potentially great players.The Indians did not help their cause by starting off on the wrongfoot. On a seamer-friendly track they decided to go in with just twoquicks. I simply could not comprehend the rationale behind leaving outVenkatesh Prasad in conditions that would have been very favourable tohim.
©AFPAs I said in my previous column, Prasad knows all about bowling onSouth African pitches. He is, to quote the record, the only Indianbowler to claim ten wickets in a Test against the Proteas, a feat heachieved during the last tour. It cannot also be his current form thatis keeping him away from the side as he was our most successful bowlerin the previous Test series against Sri Lanka. Add to all this thefact that Prasad and Srinath have always done well when they havebowled in tandem. Why in heaven’s name then was Prasad left out?Srinath, for his part, bowled brilliantly maintaining an almostimpeccable line and length. I must confess that it was probably thefinest display of controlled bowling that I have seen from him. But helacked support from the other end. It is here that Prasad’s presencewould have made a crucial difference. I have but the highest regardfor Anil Kumble. This was though one Test where, I felt, he shouldhave been asked to make way for his statemate because of the pitch andthe overhead conditions.As for the Indian batting, the less said the better. With theexception of VVS Laxman, none of the others applied themselves. Therash strokes that many of them played left me squirming in my seat.Their lack of application becomes all the more glaring on consideringthe nature of the pitch and the class of the opposing bowling attack.All the Indians had to do was to negotiate Pollock successfully andthere were runs for the taking. But three top-order batsmen, includingSachin Tendulkar, succumbed to the masterful bowler in his openingspell and that meant India were fighting to save their collective hidefrom thereon.
©AFPPollock, to reiterate, was outstanding. He kept the ball in the`corridor of uncertainty’ and reaped handsome rewards. The SouthAfrican captain, who has claimed fifteen wickets in this series untilnow, has almost single-handedly bowled his side to a series victoryand that underlines his greatness as a bowler.The gritty stand between Laxman and Kumble, meanwhile, showed the toporder up for their lack of effort. Laxman, who came down the order inthis match, at last converted a promising start into a significantinnings. It saved India the blushes and ensured that South Africa willhave to set a target for the Indians in the final innings.Now is the time for the Indians to show spunk. Only a fighting sidecan conjure a miracle and, if you were to ask me, barring a miracle,or rain, we are doomed.
