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South Africa v India, 4th ODI, Port Elizabeth
The big names fail to stand up
The Verdict by Dileep Premachandran at Port Elizabeth
November 29, 2006
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Herschelle Gibbs recovered his groove, with not a little help from Ajit Agarkar
© Getty Images
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Once again, the margin of victory was an accurate reflection of South
African superiority. Despite uneasy rumblings about the so-called quota
system, and the poor form currently plaguing Graeme Smith, South Africa
have shown in recent times that they're well worth their No.2 ranking in
the one-day game. The 2-2 draw in India last year, which included a
crushing 10-wicket win at Kolkata, should have served as a warning and
back on home turf, the South Africans have been unstoppable.
Yet again though, India must look back on an opportunity lost, and a game
squandered. The bowlers had done a sterling job to keep South Africa down
to 243, with Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth providing early breakthroughs, and
Anil Kumble showcasing his class in the middle overs. But with the batting
coloured by the lack of confidence that has characterised every game on
this tour, an eminently gettable target became as difficult as the search
for El Dorado. Without the immense presence of Rahul Dravid, there was
never going to be any gold at journey's end.
If there was a bright spark, it came from Irfan Pathan. Derided by so many
for his bland bowling, and having appeared so short on
confidence in recent times, Pathan showed much of the poise and range of
strokes that made him such an integral part of India's successes last
season. It remains to be seen whether he'll be asked to stay on for the
Tests, but even if he doesn't, the resolve he showed today indicated that
he still has a major role to play in Indian cricket's future.
The rest were a shambles. With the exception of Sachin Tendulkar, who
nibbled at a fine delivery from the ever-persistent Shaun Pollock, every
other batsman got a start and then threw it away. Virender Sehwag led the
way with a nothing waft that was brilliantly taken, while Dinesh Karthik
and Mahendra Singh Dhoni promised much before playing awful shots when the
asking rate didn't exactly demand a push of the panic button.
South Africa had shown how it should be done, getting to a competitive
total despite losing wickets at regular intervals. In games such as this,
it needs at least one batsman to stick around, and Herschelle Gibbs did
that wonderfully, eschewing his normal flamboyant approach on his way to a
restrained unbeaten 93. By the time Pathan threatened to do something
similar, the cause was lost, with the cream of the batting line-up having
been skimmed away.
It's no coincidence that the Indian team's travails on this tour have
coincided with the abject failure of some senior players. That was evident
even on the bowling side of things, with Ajit Agarkar serving up another
maddeningly inconsistent spell after Zaheer and Sreesanth had kept the
runs down in the early stages. Gibbs has struggled in recent times, but
after an entertaining cameo in Durban, he was helped on his way here by
Agarkar's inability to string together six decent deliveries. On four
occasions, the final ball of the over sped to the rope, releasing any
pressure that may have been built up earlier.
Jacques Kallis batted quite beautifully for his 49, and but for Kumble's
telling intervention, India may have been left with a lot more to chase in
vain. In the end, it didn't matter. India's biggest batting cannons have
been muzzled - Tendulkar now has 74 runs from his last seven innings
against South Africa - and if they don't fire soon, this will become a
tour to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. South Africa haven't been
anywhere near their best, but whatever they've come up with has been more
than enough to deal with an Indian side that look like they'd rather be
anywhere but here.
Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo
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