Time for Fifth Bowler on Home Turf!
The lunch time score should have said it all. India have been reluctant to field the fifth bowler in Tests at home and we now paying the price for not utilizing the talent available on hand. The day perhaps ended on a slightly more even keel, given the way things could swing should South Africa lose wickets early tomorrow. But there is room for improvement, as there should be for a team aiming to take the number one slot!
The Chennai pitch perhaps played more to the liking of the batsmen than the bowlers. But having said that, Graeme Smith justified his decision to bat first, a predictable decision in the Indian sub-continent. The confidence with which he batted alongside Neil McKenzie perhaps had warranted a mental adjustment on the part of the Indians though none came. While the visitors were expected to be jittery starters, South Africa, in hindsight, benefitted from their tour to Bangladesh prior to touching down in India.
Bangladesh may have jolted them early. But South Africa recovered well to gain momentum and confidence and adapted brilliantly to the conditions in Chennai. All the talk prior to the series was about India’s spin strength and South Africa’s lack of it. But in a situation such as the one presented in Chennai where the fast bowlers failed to find their bearing, the spinners could only do so much on a first day’s pitch. Anil Kumble is class personified in the spin department while Harbhajan has proved a healthy complement to the veteran. But to expect them to spin India out of a dodo situation was an enormous task. It borders on the lines of wearing out your strength even before they should have been called into action.
Neil McKenzie was perhaps a forgotten hero but his career resurrection, coming as it does on the heels of the failure in form of Herschelle Gibbs, seems to have given a more steady stand for Smith to fall back on. With orthodox batting, McKenzie managed to stave off superstitions and India from making inroads but fell for the dreaded 90’s syndrome. But it takes nothing away from the opening partnership that really saw the Indians looking rusty from the contest and South Africa appearing comfortable, although all that could change if India manage to change their game plan come the second day.
India though need to be braver if they are to seriously contemplate wearing the number one tag. Not many things about the Australians impressed the Indians down under, but if there is one thing India must learn that in addition to playing aggressive cricket, India must learn to play their cards to strategic perfection. What this means is that with such a famed batting line up, India must only benefit from a more balanced line up by taking on the fifth bowler who will provide not only the breakthroughs but also, the much needed respite in such energy sapping conditions.
The contention could be: what can the fifth bowler do when the frontline four bowlers haven’t? Well, it lends balance to the line up and provides a specialist in the role instead of a non-regular bowler like Virender Sehwag or Sourav Ganguly plugging in the gaps. It would also be useful to reflect on the fact that India’s breakdown of fast bowlers has been as fast as their rise. So, given the conditions and the toil that these bowlers were put through in the course of the day, it would make sense to blood the third seamer. What would happen to the bowling should one of the bowlers get cramped or injured and needed time out? While Ishant Sharma’s injury has proved an irritant, his pace could have provided the spark.
The game is still in the balance. All is not lost for the Indians. There is still the matter of South Africa trying to push for the 400 mark, which would seem tougher if India tighten their errors of waywardness from day one. There is also the other matter, if the pitch holds true, of South Africa getting their turn with the ball and trying to do what India couldn’t on a far less eventful day one!
There has been a surprisingly subdued hype to a series where both teams are gunning for the number one tag, somewhere down the year! Given the fiery manner in which the Australian tour unfolded, either the Indians are sapped from all the adrenaline or the South Africa have decided to let their cricket do the talking before they set their tongue and their minds on more than just the Indian curry! It may seem boring compared to the controversy riddled tour down under, but this is cricket. It can have its quiet moments but none can deny, this was an absorbing day’s game, sweat notwithstanding!
