India vs. South Africa Cricket Series

[Ammyy]

India vs. South Africa: Clash of the titans

All eyes are set on the Ashes series but there is another series which will be underway from the third week of December. It will be the India and South Africa series. The thing that makes this series important is that both the teams have been fighting for the number one spot in ICC Test rankings.

India has done a great job in the recent past to retain their number one spot in the rankings but playing South Africa in their home conditions is not easy. South Africans have a very good record playing at home and they have a very good combination of some all round cricketers.

India on the other hand also has some prolific cricketers; they have some strong batsmen who have been doing well in the recent past. They also have some exciting fast bowlers and their spin wizards are known to all the international teams.

Going into the first match, India will have a psychological advantage over South Africa as they have beaten Australia and New Zealand in their home series. South Africa played a two Test match series against Pakistan and they were unable to defeat them. Both the matches ended in a draw although South Africa dominated most of the times.

One thing that India will be concerned about is the nature of the wickets in South Africa. The tracks in India are suited to the Indian batsmen and they have performed exceptionally in their home conditions. Playing in the South African conditions will be different ball game all together. To tackle these conditions, the Indians will rely on their master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and the ever so reliable VVS Laxman. Apart from these experienced batsmen, India also has some young potential cricketers who have performed well like Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir.

South Africa will know that India has a good batting line-up and they bat low down the order but to match them, they also have some world class cricketers. The South African team will be relying on their class act Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, AB DeVilliers and Hashim Amla. The lower middle order of South Africa hasn’t done all that well in the recent past and they will be looking forward to improve on that.

The bowling line-up is also very good and almost evenly matched. The Indian team has a good blend of some fast bowlers and some good spinners. The Indian team mostly relies on it’s spinners but with the bounce that the South African wickets offer, the fast bowlers will be looking to bend their backs as well. India will be expecting Zaheer Khan to be fit in time and lead the attack alongside Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma.

The South African team may not have the best of spin attack in the world but they still have some supportive spinners. They might not need the spinners to bowl the majority of overs and they will attack with the fast bowlers they have. With the pace their bowlers’ posses and the bounce they can get from their wickets, it will be a great challenge for the Indian batsmen to tackle them. South Africa has the likes of Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn who can bowl 90 MPS consistently. With his height, Paul Harris has also been a very good support to his fast bowlers. The bowling attack of South Africa can give tense times to the strong batting line of India.

All in all, it will be a very strong battle between bat and bowl. Both the teams have top quality batsmen and some good bowlers to support the batting. Both the teams can expect results from the Test matches they play against each other until the weather comes into play. India has been in winning form and that can be a very motivating factor for the men in blue to overcome the strong South African team. On the other hand the South Africans will be looking to cash in on home advantage.

Can we make possible this time ???

 

[Ammyy]

match schedule

Thu 16 Dec – Mon 20 Dec 14:00 PM 1st Test - India v South Africa

SuperSport Park, Centurion



Sun 26 Dec – Thu 30 Dec 13:30 PM 2nd Test - India v South Africa

Kingsmead, Durban


Sun 2 Jan – Thu 6 Jan 13:30 PM 3rd Test - India v South Africa

Newlands, Cape Town



Sun 9 Jan (D/N) 18:00 PM 1st T20I – India v South Africa

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban


Wed 12 Jan (D/N) 18:00 PM 1st ODI – India v South Africa

Kingsmead, Durban


Sat 15 Jan (D/N) 18:00 PM 2nd ODI – India v South Africa

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg


Tue 18 Jan (D/N) 18:00 PM 3rd ODI – India v South Africa

Newlands, Cape Town


Fri 21 Jan (D/N) 18:00 PM 4th ODI – India v South Africa

St George's Park, Port Elizabeth


Sun 23 Jan 13:30 PM 5th ODI – India v South Africa

SuperSport Park, Centurion

 

[Ammyy]

Zaheer almost certain to miss first Test

India find themselves in their usual predicament of having to start a series without one of their big players. This time, on a tour of reckoning of sorts, it's their best bowler over the last three years, Zaheer Khan, who is struggling with a hamstring injury and is almost certainly going to miss the Centurion Test starting Thursday. "We'll take a call tomorrow morning before the start of the game," MS Dhoni said. "He is quite doubtful for tomorrow."

Dhoni knows how big a blow it will be to lose Zaheer, because while Ishant Sharma and Sreesanth might be dangerous, they don't quite guarantee the level of control that Zaheer does. "Zak has been our best bowler who has always led the bowling attack, whatever the conditions may be, whether it is a flat track or a seaming track," Dhoni said on the eve of the first Test. "He is always one bowler who has done really well. It is a blow, but at the same time we have to see the longer picture. We have to think about the World Cup also. We are so close to the World Cup, and any injury to any of your best 11 players may have a bigger impact, so that's also a bit of a concern. Till we are 100% sure about his fitness and injury, we won't risk playing him."

Leading up to the Test, over the two full training days in Centurion, Zaheer bowled only a few overs in the nets. On the first day, he only did fitness drills with Paul Close, the team physio. On the second, Zaheer manned the goalpost in a warm-up football game before a workout with Close and bowled for a bit in the nets. India didn't train on the eve of the match because it was raining in Johannesburg; at any rate they only do light training on the day before the match.

While Dhoni might not have sounded very hopeful, team sources didn't quite rule out Zaheer playing the first Test. "It is tight, but we are hopeful," is the general refrain. It is the nature of the injury - hamstring, and not picked by scans until two days ago - that makes the Indian team wary. If he risks playing, and aggravates it early on in the game, not only will he be gone for the whole Test, but for much longer, for these injuries take some time healing . If Zaheer does miss out, this will be the second such instance this year. In July, when India travelled to Sri Lanka without Zaheer, Sreesanth pulled up injured in the first training session in the country, and was sent back to India, leaving the team with Ishant Sharma and rookie Abhimanyu Mithun to share the workload on unresponsive tracks. Should Zaheer not make it, the rookie this time will be either Umesh Yadav or Jaidev Unadkat. Which begs the question of the national selectors as to where Mithun is, after he did commendably on a seam bowlers graveyard on a short notice.

However, it could be a great opportunity for one out of Unadkat and Yadav, with Unadkat being the favoured one right now by the virtue of being a left-arm medium-pacer. "We'll have to see [as to who replaces Zaheer]," Dhoni said. "Whoever plays will be making his debut whether it is Unadkat or Yadav. We will discuss with some other senior players, and accordingly pick the best possible XI."

That Dhoni discussed the prospects for a debutant made Zaheer's chances sound slimmer. "It's very important to enjoy the game rather than thinking about who you are replacing," Dhoni said, of whoever gets to play in Centurion. "Zak has done really well for us, but at the same time the guy who will be making his debut, what will be important for him will be to bowl to his strengths, what he knows the best, because of which he is a part of the international side right now. Enjoying the moment is one of the important things, rather than getting caught up with the expectation level and the pressure."

It will have to be a fast bowler to replace Zaheer because there is no way India are playing two spinners on a green pitch under overcast skies. However, Dhoni said he has seen greener tracks than the grassy, damp one that awaits them on Thursday. "Frankly speaking, when we saw the pitch yesterday it was a green track, but I don't think there was enough grass on the wicket," Dhoni said. "It is a normal Centurion wicket, which means it will assist the fast bowlers. But the greenest track I have seen in South Africa was the T20 game we played against the South Africans in the 2007 World Twenty20. I don't think this is anywhere close to the Dubran wicket that we saw then."

 

[Aslan]

I admire the rise of the indian team after the debacle of the last world cup, unlike the PCB the indians were quick to learn from their mistakes. It will indeed be interesting to see that if the indians do really deserve the number one spot in the rankings. As I am not the only one who have doubts in their ranking status. Most of the game that they have played recently have been at home, in the conditions that they are use to playing in. It will be very interesting to see that how their top players will cope with the bounce and swing.

 

[Nalwa]

I admire the rise of the indian team after the debacle of the last world cup, unlike the PCB the indians were quick to learn from their mistakes. It will indeed be interesting to see that if the indians do really deserve the number one spot in the rankings. As I am not the only one who have doubts in their ranking status. Most of the game that they have played recently have been at home, in the conditions that they are use to playing in. It will be very interesting to see that how their top players will cope with the bounce and swing.

Its true. To prove that India deserves the no. 1 rank we have to win in South Africa. A numero uno team should be able to dominate the opposition on all surfaces.

Regarding the result of the series, it will be a tight contest. Honestly, I dont expect India to win the series. If we can win one Test and draw the series, it will be a good enough result for me.

 

[Nalwa]

copying hollywood titles as well arent bharatis??? hope tanduri chicken gives the same performance, he gives on dead bharti pitches

Its a term borrowed from the Greek mythology. Hollywood just made it famous by using it for a movie. Get your facts right before trying to sound like an expert and ranting on.

 

[Aslan]

Its true. To prove that India deserves the no. 1 rank we have to win in South Africa. A numero uno team should be able to dominate the opposition on all surfaces.

Regarding the result of the series, it will be a tight contest. Honestly, I dont expect India to win the series. If we can win one Test and draw the series, it will be a good enough result for me.

Not only this series, but if india is due in england any time soon that will be another contest to watch. But surely this particular series will be an interesting one to go with. I wonder how much of an effect will Zaheers absence have on the rest of the bowlers. As much as I hate Seresanth he is a very handy bowler if the conditions suite him. But I think what he lacks is temperament, if he dont have a partner like Zaheer on the other side it is hard for him alone to do what is needed from him to do.

 

[AMCA]

top bhudda players, got dont they have other young ones among 1 billion people to replace lolzz

Should I really reply to this? U guys lost to even Afganistan and the afghan coach is so confident that he is calling for a rematch with u guys... ...

 

[Aslan]

top bhudda players, got dont they have other young ones among 1 billion people to replace lolzz

Yaar they are old but I will take the performances of those old hogs over our young ones any day. Yes we are adversaries, but we cant deny the fact that the old players combined with some young ones have taken their team to a new hight. Something that we want from our side, but alas.................. Lets not hate them because we are natural enemies. One can only succeed when he can appreciate what his adversaries are capable of.

 

[Aslan]

Should I really reply to this? U guys lost to even Afganistan and the afghan coach is so confident that he is calling for a rematch with u guys... ...

Is it really necessary that one makes a foolish comment other has to reply in kind. Come on guys.

 

[ironman]

Anyway, India will have a tough time in Africa. News coming out that Zaheer is not fit for the first test.

 

[silent hill]

Should I really reply to this? U guys lost to even Afganistan and the afghan coach is so confident that he is calling for a rematch with u guys... ...

number one afghanistan team vs number 6th pakistani team, most of the guys i didnt even hear it before!!!

 

[Masterchief]

@indian members: lets ignore silent hill,he is here to do at what he is best-TROLLING

 

[AMCA]

number one afghanistan team vs number 6th pakistani team, most of the guys i didnt even hear it before!!!

So what do u learn from this?? Experience matters, thats why we have Buddhas in our team along with Newbies... Understand Young man?? With a 1 billion Population we have Good Bench Strength, We did beat New zealand in last series 5-0 with our bench strength alone...

 

[ironman]

Has anyone following the Ashes? . Aussies are in a bad shape. 173/6, 51.0 overs.