Upbeat Indians chase history
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Jan. 20: Judging by their mauling in the first one-dayer at the hands of Graeme Smith’s men in Johannesburg, not many would have bet on India being 2-1 up in the five-match series by the time they came to the sleepiest of all South African cities.
Nothing more than a collection of houses lining up the waterfront on the east coast of the country, Port Elizabeth easily has more palm streets than people. In that respect it is an odd setting for the fourth one-dayer here on Friday which for India could possibly be one of the most defining ones in recent times.
The wins from two tense thrillers in Durban and Cape Town, irrespective of how they’ve been achieved, have placed Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men at heights that haven’t been even attempted by previous Indian teams in the last 20 years.
Before the series, India’s loss record against South Africa in South Africa read an abominable three wins from 21 matches. Wins have been so few and far between that going back home with an ODI series triumph was inconceivable. The last time Indians toured here four years ago — under Rahul Dravid — they lost the series 0-4.
History beckons the current lot and its significance has not been lost on the skipper who says he’ll field his best XI for the match. The World Cup can wait. “We’ll play the best XI. We have the World Cup close, but we are in a good position to do something special. There might be changes, but we’ll have the best men on the field tomorrow,” said Dhoni.
India showed composure in the last two games, having recovered from tricky situations, but they might need a little bit more than just that to pull off a hat-trick. Murali Vijay at the top has been a disappointment, with a total of 18 runs in the series so far. It’s not just the number of runs, he has failed to apply himself against the pace attack — the pre-requisite from someone in his position. Given his performance, there is a very good chance he might be replaced with a more in-form opener — Parthiv Patel — who has been flown in as a replacement to injured Sachin Tendulkar.
It’s ironical that including Rohit Sharma all three opening options with the side right now will not be part of the World Cup. Another concern, and a long-term one for India, is the inconsistency of the third medium pacer who has been like a wrench thrown in an otherwise reasonably well-oiled machinery. Ashish Nehra has been Dhoni’s go-to guy in recent times, but his bullet-straight balls on pitches here have been easy fodder for the hosts.
The South Africans, in contrast, have been lucky in that they have Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, all in incredible touch. But momentum can be a wonderful thing. Despite a superior pace attack and an almost first-choice batting line-up at their disposal unlike India, South Africa are looking for ways to get back into the series being played on their own turf.
But Dhoni’s men will love the fact that pitch has been so prepared that bounce is likely to be slow and consistent, much like the ones back in the sub-continent.
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