Opening Day Blues For India

CENTURION

Given the circumstances it was almost inevitable that the cricket would beovershadowed by all that had gone before. Even so there was a curious emptinessabout the first day of the, as we now have to call it, five-day match betweenSouth Africa and India at SuperSport on Friday.

For a start, it has been difficult to find an appropriate label for the game.Quite obviously it does not have the blessing of the ICC and is therefore not aTest match (and the ICC, incidentally, managed to get quite sniffy about areference to an unofficial "Test"). A tour match? Well, yes it is, butthat seems to miss the target as well.

The prevailing wisdom at Centurion on Friday was that at least one of thecompeting teams, India, will attempt to have the match upgraded to full Teststatus some time in the future when emotions have subsided and the parties onall sides of the issue are better prepared to listen to rational argument.

Whatever the case, the first day produced another patchy batting display fromIndia who were sent in to bat by Shaun Pollock, ending the day on 221 for eight.The Indians left out Virender Sehwag (presumably to better strengthen their caseif and when the reinstatement case is argued), had skipper Sourav Ganguly outwith back and shoulder spasms and left out seamer Ajit Agarkar.

All of this made space for Ashish Nehra, Venkatesh Prasad and Connor Williamswho has probably spent last month or so wondering what he was supposed to bedoing in South Africa.

But when he finally found himself on the field, not for a Test match, but fora reasonably close approximation) he might have wondered whether it had beenworth the wait. He was hit around the body by both Pollock and Nantie Haywardbefore falling leg before to Lance Klusener for 5 as India crawled through tolunch at 44 for one.

The batting perked up after the interval, but so too did the Indians manageto get themselves out: Rahul Dravid for 5, Shiv Das for another dogged 46,Sachin Tendulkar for 27, carelessly flicking at one down the leg side, and VVSLaxman for 14, well caught in the gully by Gary Kirsten.

At 107 for five, India were in trouble and South Africa already into thetail, but here, interestingly, the tourists began to display rather moreresolve.

South Africa had generally bowled tidily with Jacques Kallis as effective asat any stage during the two official Test matches, but Deep Dasgupta and AnilKumble then dug in to add 51 for the sixth wicket (a record partnership,incidentally, for five-day matches that are not Tests between the twocountries).

Dasgupta was eventually undone by a short one from Nantie Hayward that hepoked off his ribs to square leg for 36 and then Harbhajan Singh flapped happilyaround until he was run out for 29. Even then, South Africa couldn't quitefinish it off despite Javagal Srinath having to retire hurt after being struckon the hand by Hayward.

Hayward, in fact, was to finish with best figures of the day after bowlingKumble for 27 off the last ball of the day. His return was three for 70 whileKallis took two for 15 and for once Pollock went wicketless.

It was, in the end, a hollow day, dressed in the trappings of Test cricketbut not quite the real thing. Some would argue that this match should never havetaken place in the first place – and there are strong reasons to pay heed tothis point of view. For all this, though, we have a game of cricket, if notquite a game of Test cricket.

CricInfo