I can't recall a time ever when I've been this excited about a series which I was certain would end in an Indian defeat. India have won just two of the 15 matches they've played on South African soil and there's no reason to believe that they will add to that meagre tally this time. If an inexperienced batting line-up (the likely top 6 have a combined experience of 59 matches) made things difficult, a thrashing in the ODI series followed by a washed out practice game almost seals the series before it begins. That's where India's best chance might lie though. No one expects them to do well including the opposition and that can sometimes be a tricky mindset for host nations. Smith and his men are experienced enough to pull up their socks if things slip (like they did in the UAE recently) but to a degree they will be going in assuming an easy win and if India's batting can withstand some of the pressure they might at least go into day five.
For once though it will have to be the bowling (as Dhoni says) that will need to lead the side. Zaheer, Ashwin, and Ishant (if the latter plays) are all experienced campaigners and will need to step up to ensure that India are not facing 500+ totals when they bat. And while picking Ishant ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems unfair given recent performances, Dhoni's lack of faith in the latter with the old ball means that Ishant has to slot back in. Especially if India take the safe option and play six batsmen (instead of Dhoni at 6 and Jadeja at 7) as looks likely. And for those six men, the challenge is to not lose faith in their abilities that got them here in the first place. I don't fancy the batting order that Sidharth Monga outlines here, but given Rahane's inexperience it may not be a bad thing to start with. Longer term though, I'd like to see Rahane at 3 followed by Pujara, Kohli, and Rohit. Either way, it will be exciting to see which of the six can steel themselves to stay the course and score runs and make a name for themselves.
Regardless of what happens though, this series is the first step in a long journey for a young team and the next two years are Dhoni's chance to seal his legacy (though the man himself wouldn't have given any thought to that). My predictions for the ODI series of course fell completely flat but if the Test series prediction comes true, a 0-1 result would almost feel like a victory for this young team.
A word on the Springboks too. In a time when most teams are rebuilding (or are going to have to like England now), and tend to struggle away, they have a really settled line-up and can afford to play seven batsmen and yet have five bowlers. And in Smith, Kallis, Amla, de Villiers, Steyn, Philander, and Morkel they have a core of players who might all fit into a world XI (okay maybe only five of them), and certainly at least four of them would feature in an all-time South African line-up. They are a proud team and know that they haven't defeated India in a series in almost seven years and will be keen to set that record straight.
For once though it will have to be the bowling (as Dhoni says) that will need to lead the side. Zaheer, Ashwin, and Ishant (if the latter plays) are all experienced campaigners and will need to step up to ensure that India are not facing 500+ totals when they bat. And while picking Ishant ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems unfair given recent performances, Dhoni's lack of faith in the latter with the old ball means that Ishant has to slot back in. Especially if India take the safe option and play six batsmen (instead of Dhoni at 6 and Jadeja at 7) as looks likely. And for those six men, the challenge is to not lose faith in their abilities that got them here in the first place. I don't fancy the batting order that Sidharth Monga outlines here, but given Rahane's inexperience it may not be a bad thing to start with. Longer term though, I'd like to see Rahane at 3 followed by Pujara, Kohli, and Rohit. Either way, it will be exciting to see which of the six can steel themselves to stay the course and score runs and make a name for themselves.
Regardless of what happens though, this series is the first step in a long journey for a young team and the next two years are Dhoni's chance to seal his legacy (though the man himself wouldn't have given any thought to that). My predictions for the ODI series of course fell completely flat but if the Test series prediction comes true, a 0-1 result would almost feel like a victory for this young team.
A word on the Springboks too. In a time when most teams are rebuilding (or are going to have to like England now), and tend to struggle away, they have a really settled line-up and can afford to play seven batsmen and yet have five bowlers. And in Smith, Kallis, Amla, de Villiers, Steyn, Philander, and Morkel they have a core of players who might all fit into a world XI (okay maybe only five of them), and certainly at least four of them would feature in an all-time South African line-up. They are a proud team and know that they haven't defeated India in a series in almost seven years and will be keen to set that record straight.
Comments