With the Champions Trophy a distant memory, and the 0-4 drubbing in the ODI series an old itch, India take on South Africa in approximately eight hours’ time for the first test match of a 3-match series. Does anyone care? Monty Panesar just took a five-for to run through Australia in the mighty Ashes Battle, and Kumar Sangakarra is going about resurrecting the Sri Lankan innings against the Kiwis. Pakistan dominated against West Indies, with a certain Mohammad Yousuf breaking all sorts of records. Where does the India-South Africa test series register on the radar? I will tell you, in fact, why this series promises to be very gripping.  

First, consider the return of the prodigal son, Sourav Ganguly. After a dismal performance in the ODI series, and for that matter, previous few months, India managed to restore some pride by winning the Pro20 match (their first ever match in such format!) and playing positive cricket in the warm-up to the test series. But importantly, in that warm up match, Sourav Ganguly fired with a first-innings 83. Interestingly, so did his protégés – Harbhajan Singh among the wickets, Irfan Pathan’s incredible 111 no. and 40 no., and Zaheer Khan’s accurate spells first-up. Now, if only Virender Sehwag could fire his engines, normal service would resume. Whether Ganguly had anything to do with these abrupt turns in fortune or not, what is more pleasing to see is that the Indian think-tank has decided to opt for experience in the face of hostile conditions. Taking a leaf out of Australia’s manual is always a good idea, and consider Michael Hussey who only made his test debut under the baggy green cap at the ripe age of 30! The man averages over 70, with a whopping 109 in the ongoing Ashes series. That tells me that there is no case to be made against old age, rather the opposite. Experience matters, especially of the gritty variety Ganguly will bring to an otherwise weak and spineless middle order. 

Not that the middle order is to blame, except perhaps for Mohammad Kaif who’s been around long enough to show more fight. Both Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell did a good job in ringing in the changes that were necessary when Ganguly’s India had begun to wane and wander aimlessly after the 2003 World Cup finals. It was a pinnacle: Sachin Tendulkar had smashed over 600 runs in a single tournament of such stature, and India had thumped all teams save eventual champions Australia. Prior to that, India had done the unthinkable, and twice. Beating Australia at home in the most bizarre comeback seen in years in test cricket in the famous 2001 series, and then backed it up with a quality 1-1 draw on tour to Australia two years later. But the chief architect of success in both those series was India’s top-middle order, read: Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Just as well that Laxman has returned to the fore, especially when to all intents and purposes, Dravid is looking increasingly stranded as the only batsman worth any runs these days. But truth be told, that was as sweet as it was going to get. Thereafter, the Ganguly-John Wright combination began to stagnate, and India’s fortunes followed suit with Ganguly’s weakness against the shorter ball only adding salt to the wound. Just as the selectors were correct in giving that combination up to a year to iron out the creases, so they have been justified in allowing Dravid and Chappell to experiment with the youngsters. And it paid off initially – let’s not forget the incredible run of wins India compiled batting second, something incredulous to even think for a batting lineup tagged as “chokers.”

But Suresh Raina at 18 years of age is not Tendulkar at 16, and while an outstanding talent especially in the field, the time is now ripe to return to the veterans who still have more to offer. Speaking of Tendulkar, the second reason this series promises to be gripping is because it will provide the Little Master an opportunity to answer Ricky Ponting’s war-cry. Punter, who to me is the most dominant batsman of the new century (see http://www.maadhukari.com/khela/ricky.html on this website), has compiled an astonishing 7 centuries this calendar year and followed up his 1500-odd runs of 2005 with another calendar year of +1,000 runs. In fact, such is his dominance that he has even eclipsed Mohammad Yousuf’s average of 99.33 for 2006, with a staggering 104.90! With more Ashes tests left to play before the end of the year, Punter’s tally of 33 test centuries, just two short of Tendulkar’s record, is likely to surge ahead with immediate effect. And with Mohammad Yousuf also demonstrating a silken year with a record-breaking 9 test centuries and 1788 runs, Tendulkar is likely to feel the time ripe for him to stamp his authority as a fellow elder-statesman before the year is out.

Finally, the series promises tense rivalries. Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini will be targeting Ganguly’s ribs, and it will be good to gauge how much Ganguly has worked on this weakness in the time he has had away from the circuit. Zaheer Khan will reprise his glory days of opening the bowling, potentially with Irfan Pathan, as both left-handers have enjoyed much success in the past when bowling in tandem. Laxman will look to do the same with Dravid, as the two have a habit of building partnerships and stabilizing innings. But chiefly, the combination of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will hold the key to India’s fortunes, I think. To bat strongly is one thing, but a test can only be won by taking 20 wickets, and in those two spinners, especially when in tandem, India stand their best chance of toppling a tough South African lineup. For their part, Herschelle Gibbs and Graham Smith often excel in the longer version of the game, and with Jacques Kallis fortifying the middle order and Shaun Pollock prolonging the tail, India will certainly be up against it. My final word of wisdom is for India to keep faith with Sehwag at the top, but to complement him with fellow-Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir. While it is true that Gambhir has a habit of squandering solid starts, I feel he must be persisted with especially because of the left-right-hand combination he brings up-front. And with Ganguly back in the fold, and Irfan Pathan providing the foil for Shaun Pollock, India have a healthy dose of south-paws to ruffle the Proteas bowlers.

You can forget about the 0-4 drubbing in the ODI series. This is test cricket and there is nothing to suggest that India’s form in the longer format is as dismal as their ODI form. If anything, with so much hanging on the imminent World Cup, the tests will give the players plenty of opportunity to spend time in the middle and polish out the rust. Can India do the unthinkable and turn the tables on South Africa in their own backyard? I think they can, and will. Stay tuned, for this series should now be on your radar!