Durban, Dec. 21: The forested hills surrounding Durban from one side, gradually give way to wooded dunes and then finally the sandy coast as you move to the heart of the city.
The Kingsmead cricket ground, just off the coast splashed by the warm Indian Ocean, is a treat for the eyes. It’s shaped in such a manner that the sea breeze wafting in from the east is not disturbed by the two towering stands erected on either side of the ground.
This makes the grassy banks of the tropical city even more welcoming than those in the rest of the country. The picture-postcard appearance, however, would be the last thing India might want to see right now.
Down 0-1 in the three-match Test series following an innings and 25-run loss to South Africa in the first Test at Centurion, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men play the second one here from Sunday, knowing fully well that Durban has been nothing short of a hell-ride whenever the Indians have come calling.
The catastrophic Test of 1996-97 remains the most painful memory with India managing 100 all out in the first innings and then topping it with 66 all out in the second stint. But while this is the nadir, there have been other infamous outings too for the batsmen.
In the first-ever Test here in 1992, India had collapsed to 38/4 at the start. South Africa, in contrast, racked up almost 700 in one innings in similar conditions — 658/9 against the West Indies in 2004.
The pitch is quick and bouncy here, but the breeze gives the South African seamers wings. “The Proteas know exactly how to use the breeze to curtail or gain movement while bowling. It’s why the pacers here get so many wickets. You don’t come to Durban 0-1 down, you come here having either drawn or won the first few games, so that you carry that confidence here,” former South African cricketer Peter Kirsten said.
“This was always going to be India’s toughest Test yet, and they’ve made it worse by losing at Centurion.”
There’s still four days for India to think of ways on how to avoid past mistakes and possibly make a comeback. But the job won’t be easy considering how weak India’s batting was in Centurion, despite the fightback in the second innings by Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Dhoni, who put on a face-saving 172-run partnership.
One thought that over a period of time the Indians would have come to terms with the conditions especially since the batting line-up has been virtually the same. Tendulkar went to South Africa on the first visit 18 years ago, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S Laxman were first members of the touring party in 1996 and Virender Sehwag joined the party in 2001.
Just thrice in 13 Tests in SA have India topped 400 and this does not speak well of the star-studded batting line-up in the game that has been pushing India’s totals past 500-plus quite consistently in recent times.
Nothing illustrates this better than the single fact that while the career averages of the quartet of Sehwag, Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar are either in the late forties or fifties, their averages in Tests in South Africa plummet to between 27 and 44.
“India’s strengths lie in their batting. You can expect bowlers of both sides to do well — they’ll relish the juiced pitch, but if India bat well, it could put the pressure back on South Africa,” added Kirsten. “To beat South Africa, you have to put them under pressure.”
Kingsmead offers India a chance to do that, but only if they fix their batting mess.