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VIEWPOINT: CRICKET TALK
From Bloom To Bust
India made the South African bowling attack look
better than it really was
By Fanie de Villers
 In
a city famed for its roses, the batting flower of India shrivelled while
the bowling power of South Africa thrived to win the first Test in Bloemfontein.
For both sides there are any number of lessons. Listening to Indian coach
John Wright admit to disappointment is largely the story of this particular
Test.
On the one hand there was the awesome batting
brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar and on the other the Indian failure to
build on it. Instead of a 400-plus first innings total they were left
well short. I did think that playing vice-captain Rahul Dravid as an opener
was a terrible waste of a batsman of his class. I do understand that there
were problems in team selection with injuries and the late withdrawal
of Sameer Dighe, the wicket-keeper. Also, India's preparations were not
helped at all by the fact that they could get in no practice at Chatsworth,
which was so crucial.
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DR JEKYLL: For
India Tendulkar stood out |
As it is, both sides had come off a three-week
series of limited-overs internationals and were in need of a longer-game
workout. Yet it was going to be obvious that the South African bowling
attack would be very similar to the one that played in the last couple
of one-dayers. The induction of Nantie Hayward in place of Andre Nel was
thought to be enough for the home team. Indeed, during the Indian second
innings Shaun Pollock did not once turn to Nicky Boje, the left-arm spinner,
or to Lance Klusener.
Whether this was by design or accident is uncertain
but for me it indicated that the South African captain preferred blitz
tactics; had these failed, Pollock may have been forced to bring in the
other two bowlers. Yet to bowl 70 overs without reverting once to the
two back-up bowlers does indicate a lack of confidence. In the first innings
they delivered 11 overs between them, giving away 53 runs. Not quite economical,
but compared to the rest of the bowling effort in that innings, hardly
extravagant.
It would have been interesting, however, had
Harbhajan Singh been available to bowl in tandem with Anil Kumble. We
will see in Port Elizabeth this week. There are still some serious flaws
in the South African bowling and a Jekyll and Hyde character in the Indian
batting. In the Indian first innings, all bowlers, with perhaps the exception
of Pollock, gave away far too many boundary balls. A fair percentage were
squirted behind the stumps or fed Tendulkar a feast which he was either
able to drive or cut or pull. There was a vast improvement in the second
innings. Even with this improvement the positive batting by Shiv Sunder
Das and V.V.S. Laxman on the third afternoon gave India the decisive edge.
But then came the follies on Tuesday when both
men were lured into making errors. This gave the impression that the bowling
was far better than it really was. I agree with those who believe the
South African bowling lacked sharpness in the Indian second innings. The
results do not show that at all. There was a lack of penetration at times
and it was made to look good by some poor Indian batting. One example
was Tendulkar who appeared rattled when he was given less room in which
to play his strokes. How well I remember my own battles with him in Sharjah
and India where he was often undone by the slower delivery. Take away
his ability to score freely and he becomes frustrated and loses patience.
It doesn't always work this way, but on this occasion it did.
Pollock spoke of the big improvement by the
bowling in the second innings, supporting his troops as it were. Take
away his own efforts and it starts to look threadbare. It makes me wonder
whether South Africa do indeed have the sort of reliable bowlers who make
the most of conditions. At Goodyear Park in the first Test of this series
it stumbled too often. Whether this can be improved in the second game
in Port Elizabeth is a matter of how well the home team bowlers try.
Earlier I did mention how the South Africans
have had no first-class cricket this season-that is apart from those who
played in the two Tests in Zimbabwe in September. It is one of the arguments
Pollock has used and this can be regarded as a veiled criticism of the
South African domestic programme. Yet what is needed is more consistency
from the fast bowlers: line and length, getting the ball in the right
areas, that sort of thing. St George's Park in Port Elizabeth next week
may provide some interesting answers. The band will no doubt play its
chirpy medley of tunes, but there could be discord if the vaunted pace
attack gets it wrong again.
(Former South African fast bowler Fanie De
Villiers is an expert columnist for thewicket.com)
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