da mrbet： There was brilliant sunshine when India took on South Africa at theNew Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on an October Friday afternoon
da esoccer bet： EAS Prasanna06-Oct-2001There was brilliant sunshine when India took on South Africa at theNew Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on an October Friday afternoon.South Africa is a tough side to beat and to topple them at home isnever an easy task. The last time these two teams met in an ODI was inthe semi final of the ICC KnockOut Tournament at Nairobi; A masterly141 by Sourav Ganguly ensuring that the South Africans were thrashedby 95 runs.South Africans must have been smarting from the loss in Nairobi andIndia had a problem to deal with, finding a fit eleven. The Indianskipper is a key player and he made the right decision to playhimself, despite having injured himself in a warm up game. ShaunPollock’s decision to put Indians to bat first was a surprisingdecision. This was the first match of the tri-series and the SouthAfrican skipper must have decided to give his fast bowlers a chance tohave a go at the Indian batsmen first up.
Unfortunately, the Indian team has a habit of losing their way afteran excellent start. It was an appalling sight to see the Indiansunable to cash in on the good work done by the openers. I am surprisedby the so-called experienced Indian batting, which looks very brittlein the middle.
The first over was a pertinent indicator that Ganguly and SachinTendulkar meant business. The very first ball of the match wasdispatched for a four through cover point by Ganguly, the sheer timingand the lightning fast outfield suggesting that there were a lot ofruns to be scored by the end of the match. Ganguly’s all-round strokeplay and Tendulkar’s mastery must have put the doubts back in to themind of Pollock about his decision to bowl first on a wicket, whichwas a beauty made for batting. The two master batsmen dominated withtheir aggressive strokeplay and went on to show that the highly ratedSouth African fielding can also wilt under pressure.Tendulkar and Ganguly made most of the dropped catches and went on toreach their well deserved hundreds. Even though he has been out ofinternational cricket for the last three months due to an injured toe,Tendulkar once again proved that he is a genius and in a class of hisown.Ganguly’s aggressive batting and the supreme form he displayed shouldsilence his critics. I only hope that Ganguly continues in this richvein, as it will do a great deal of good for Indian cricket. In myopinion he is the best man to partner Tendulkar at the top of theIndian innings.Unfortunately, the Indian team has a habit of losing their way afteran excellent start. It was an appalling sight to see the Indiansunable to cash in on the good work done by the openers. I am surprisedby the so-called experienced Indian batting, which looks very brittlein the middle. The cricket lovers in India must be wondering whetherwe are only tigers against lesser opponents who turn tail when upagainst better teams.South Africans, for their part, played like thoroughbred professionalswith a clear game plan. They showed a lot of character anddetermination in chasing a big total. The remarkable thing is thatthere was only one player who got a hundred, Gary Kirsten. The SouthAfricans though were never in trouble and they exposed the limitationsof the Indian attack.Having said that, I have to comment on Anil Kumble who was making acomeback after a long lay off. Kumble was not in his elements, failingto find the right line and length. He must get his act together to bea strike bowler. After seeing him bowl at the Wanderers, I wonderwhether his long absence from the game has taken a toll on him. Onlygood performances in the following matches will set things right forKumble.The first ODI should be a good lesson for the Indian management, toreview their game plan and even deliberate on the team composition, ifthey have to give the South Africans a good fight during the rest ofthe tour.
