Sourav's men stand a chance

The series against South Africa will be a test of India's nerves. Though India has not won a series outside the sub-continent for a long time, the fact that Sourav and his men can spring a surprise cannot be discounted. I firmly believe that only India's individual brilliance can make it happen.

I have given India a chance - even though the side did not perform up to expectations in the recently-concluded tri- series final, not to forget its track record in that country (lost the four-Test series 0-1 in 1992/93 and the 1996/97 three- Test series 0-2) - because our mediumpacers have always bowled well on green-tops and fast strips, which Bloemfontein, the venue of the first Test, promises to be.

I think Srinath and Co. will pose quite a few problems to the South African batsmen. There is a touch of inexperience in the home team's batting line-up which can be exploited. Jacques Kallis is the man to watch, the lynch-pin so to say, and India will do well to get him early.

However, in order to put pressure on the South Africans, the Indian batsmen should get going. Tendulkar is at ease against pace, and I'm confident that Dravid and Laxman, good players of fast bowling, will rally around the maestro. We also have Shiv Sundar Das. If the rest chip in, India can come up with challenging totals. The inadequacy of the lower-order is, however, a matter of concern. The threat of India folding up after a few early wickets looms large.

Going by the conditions there (not to forget our lack of options), I feel India should go into the first Test with three mediumpacers and a lone specialist spinner, possibly Harbhajan Singh. Ganguly can bowl his mediumpace if needed, and we have Tendulkar to confuse batsmen with his rare combination of leggies and off-spin. Here again, the lack of a quality all- rounder is sorely felt.

Ramesh's unavailability has opened the door for Baroda left- hander Connor Williams. But is it worth testing a `fresher' in the first Test of a crucial series like this? I have my reservations. When you are clashing with sides like South Africa and Australia in their den, you need an experienced opening pair. Now that we don't have it, I'd prefer Dighe partnering Das, and fortifying the middle-order with an experienced hand.

I am shocked to see that we don't have an experienced batsman in the reserve, which has more than its share of bowlers. I shudder to think what the situation would be like in case of a last- minute injury to one of the batsmen. A sorry state of affairs which has left the team management with no options.

I think the answer to all these problems is in developing quality all-rounders. We need to address this immediately.

Look at South Africa which has competent all- rounders in Kallis, Pollock and Klusener, lending balance and options to the side. Neither does South Africa rely on one individual the way India depends on Tendulkar.

K.SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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