Where Cronje blundered

With their second successive victory over the South Africans in the one-day series, the Indians have managed a remarkable turnaround.

The beautifully paced century by skipper Sourav Ganguly, he mixed caution with aggression, was the highlight of the win in Jamshedpur. Chasing a low total can be quite tricky, but Ganguly, displaying the right approach, did not allow himself to get bogged down.

Once he got his eye in, the southpaw from Bengal, belted the bowlers to all corners of the ground, exposing the limitations in the South African attack. In the process, Ganguly showed he could handle the pressures of being the captain, and this augurs well for the future.

Despite scoring 71 runs, the South African skipper Hansie Cronje cannot escape blame, for he virtually gifted his wicket away, playing a horrendous shot. If Cronje, who was well settled, had batted through the fifty overs, keeping in mind the demands of the situation, the Proteas might have reached a total of around 225, which would have been a fighting one under the circumstances.

And quite surprisingly, Cronje, who tasted a fair bit of success in the Test series with the ball, did not come on to bowl early on when his spinners were being given the treatment. On a pitch offering turn, Cronje could have bowled his brand of off-spin. Instead, when Cronje introduced himself in the attack, the contest was almost over.

Sending the dangerous Lance Klusener, an attacking batsman who loves to play his natural game, at No.4 was also a mistake. When Klusener comes higher up the order, he seems in two minds, not knowing whether to graft or go for his strokes. This uncertainty makes him look out of sorts and it would be much better for the Proteas, if he appears in his usual No. 6 or No.7. positions.

The shortcomings in the South African team could be seen in this match. The batting tends to come apart if a few wickets are lost early and the bowling can appear quite ordinary on slower tracks, especially if the batsmen go for their shots.

Coming to the Indian bowling, it must be said that paceman Ajit Agarkar and left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi were quite impressive. While Agarkar, who got his outswinger going, bowled a fine spell with the new ball, Joshi tossed the ball up courageously and was rewarded with four wickets. It was a rare sight to see a spinner fighting the ball so much in a limited overs game. The Indians did well in not allowing any partnership to build. Always crucial in any form of the game.

Wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe, who had a horrendous time with the gloves at Kochi, was determined to make amends at Jamshedpur and he silenced his critics by catching everything that came his way.

With a 2-0 lead in the series, the Indians are calling the shots, and do enjoy a huge psychological advantage over Hansie Cronje's men. It goes without saying that the Proteas have a mountain to climb.

K. SRIKKANTH

www.krishsrikkanth.com

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