Anand Krishna’s musings

At this point, I’d have to say that India and South Africa have evenly shared the honours. When Smith and Amla were at the crease, South Africa was cruising at 152/1 and it would have been a very brave Indian fan who could claim that a sinking feeling had not set in. When I heard the score during lunch at work, my immediate reaction was on the lines of “Oh God- another 500+ total to chase on a potentially dangerous pitch”.

But to have been able to take 9 wickets for 113 runs would have been most satisfying for India. But the battle has only begun. Through this tour, the Indian batting has appeared more brittle than their rivals’. And if we were thrilled at the purchase Ishant got today from the pitch, well, think about what Steyn, Ntini- or perhaps more so, Morkel with his reverse swinging deliveries can do- especially in the morning session, when the South Africans are fresh, and so is the wicket. In my mind, how the Indian openers negotiate the first session will be crucial to the outcome of the match (and series, I might add). Through this tour, Smith and Mckenzie have given the Proteas a solid start- something India has sorely missed (Sehwag’s triple ton being the solitary exception so far).

India’s goal must be first not to concede a lead and then if that is achieved, to maximize its own lead. Batting 4th (which India will need to do) will be a nightmare, if today is anything to go by. And if we are trying to level the series or keep the margin of defeat to 0-1, batting 4th will be even less fun (unless you are a South African cricket supporter).