RAVI Shastri decided to take a short nap after Venkatesh Prasad's legcutters chopped off the South African second innings in the first Test match Durban to set up a target of 395 for Indian victory. "Let me catch the action in the last session," the former all-rounder told himself.
All Shastri could grab were the highlights as India folded up before tea for 66, to notch up their lowest combined total (166) in 45 years. For the 22nd time on 42 tours, India had lost the inaugural Test. Fittingly, for a duel that began on Boxing Day, Alan Donald landed the knockout punch.
Sachin Tendulkar has no excuses for the capitulation. But in the event, it was probably even stevens. The Springboks were welcomed with a minefield in Ahmedabad that left them "livid". They responded with a track where a ragi (millet) ball would have bounced. "We came, we played, we got conked," screamed an Indian supporter's banner.
"Too much one-day cricket is taking a toll on the technique and temperament of our bats-men," says Indian Cricket Board President Raj Singh Dungarpur, who watched the cop-out in London. "Test cricket on pitches designed to assist fast bowlers is a different ballgame altogether."
But the Indians who had just one first class match in the run-up to the Test didn't bat even 40 overs in each innings—forget the 50 overs they have to in one-day internationals. Coach Madan Lal's suggestion: "Our batsmen should realise that they cannot score runs sitting outside the field. They've to be at the crease."
South African skipper Hansie Cronje, however, says neither his (nor the Indian) batsmen can be judged from their performance on the fast Durban wicket because of the 40 wickets that fell, 38 went to pacemen, if you would like to think of Anil Kumble as a spinner.
But what the 328-run victory margin revealed on December 26 was that while Javagal Srinath and Prasad may be as good as Donald and company, the South African batting, although quite brittle, has more spine. In two innings, they totalled 594.
With the West Indies speed merchants striking form against Australia, the Indian non-show is not good news. The five-and-a-half month tour proceeds next to the Caribbean where, unlike one Alan Donald, there are two ageing but top class bowlers: Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.
The Indian batsmen were found wanting in just what Shastri says is required for batting in South Africa, Australia and the West Indies: "guts, courage and application" Only Rahul Dravid in the second innings, after Saurav Ganguly in the first, seemed equipped to stay and weather the storm.
Says former offspinner E.A.S. Prasanna: "The bowlers showed that they can get the opposition out within 250, but our bats-men are struggling to score even 100." It was the same story with openers Vikram Rathore and W.V. Raman. Ganguly is slowly coming to terms with life after England. Mohammad Azharuddin is still chancing his luck. And in five Tests as skipper, Tendulkar, the side's main batsman, averages 19. 50, against his overall average of 50.05.
Although most former cricketers say India should play to its strength, spin, at home, Prasanna endorses Sunil Gavaskar's suggestion that it's about time we started playing on hard, bouncy wickets in domestic cricket, if we are to have any chance on away-tours at all.
The problem of opening bats-men—11 were tried out in 1996—continues, says Shastri, because the selectors don't address it seriously. "An opener who scores even 30 or 40 against good teams like Mumbai, Karnataka or to some extent Delhi should be given a shot. Instead, middle-order batsmen with tons of runs are being promoted."
The selectors' whims will not affect the opening slot alone. For this series and all that is to follow, the side will have to survive on the chosen 15 which includes an incredible three wicket-keepers unless the team management calls for augmentation in the form of Sanjay Manjrekar, Ajay Jadeja and/or Vinod Kambli.
The first Test also exposed the fallacy that the recent home series was played with a great degree of bonhomie. As Donald, Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener peppered Srinath, Kumble and David Johnson with deliveries aimed at the ribcage, Gavaskar's comment that there's no such thing as a fast bowlers' club rang true.
The Durban Test ended inside three days. But look at the brighter side. We gave ourselves two extra days for practice—before the next encounter on January 2. The last four Tests against South Africa have been like a yo-yo. Win, loss, win, loss. Wanna wager which way the next one will go?
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