India v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 Cricket Series - Preview (Part 1)
India and South Africa are expected to lock horns in a couple of days. It’s on the radio, it’s on TV, it’s being talked about in schools, offices, pubs even during a Manchester United and Arsenal game. The No 1 Test team in the world will go against the
No 2 Test team of the world. India are no longer the miserable visitors of the past. They are a side that has the potential to wreak havoc in its path. It was in fact earlier in the year that South Africa visited India to leave with a score line of 1-1. For
the cricket fans, this left an insatiable appetite for more cricket between the two sides. For they yearn to know which is the more superior side. A 1-1 draw could not shed light over the resilience of either team.
A two match Test series at that time seemed like an act of lunacy. There was also talk about the ODIs being a waste of precious time where Tests could have been played, until of course Tendulkar rewrote the script in the history books by becoming the first
ever man to score 200 runs in a match. While that innings worked towards directing the attention of fans to the ODIs, it is now time to get back to the real deal of predicting who will take the crown of supremacy.
If we look back in retrospect, we will find that history seems to favour South Africa on their home ground. However, history can be misleading for it seemingly suggested that no individual would be able to break the 200 run mark in ODIs, until of course,
history got snubbed by the little master himself.
South Africa are ready to face http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, they are prepared to spice up the pitches, try to attempt to snatch the top ranking from the formidable Indians, a spot that was theirs for some time till India un-forgivingly snatched it away from them.
Top order
Virendar Sehwag and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gautam-Gambhir-c58623 have set the bar incredibly high for an opening pair. However, their resilience hasn’t been tested against quality bowlers in seamer friendly conditions. Compared to this opening pair is that of Graeme Smith and Alviro
Petersen who scored a century in his debut against the visitors, India.
As is the case in the past, and has always been it might just come down to Sehwag’s heroics. We never know.
From the outset the series looks like a close call. After all who would one dare to pick from the possible combination of Smith, Petersen, Amla, Kallis, de Villiers and Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman. If India has Sachin Tendulkar who has averaged
82 in the calendar year of 2010, then the Proteas have Hashim Amla who has averaged 88 in Tests this year. Hashim Amla is arguably the most Indian batsman outside of India. While Indian fans might argue that Sehwag and Gambhir have been the most statistically
successful opening pair, then the South Africans would argue that in home conditions, Smith and Petersen have performed spectacularly. If http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rahul-c83321 ‘the wall’ Dravid will go down as an impregnable wall in the history of cricket, his declining form will contrast
to the surreal appetite of Amla for runs.
Sachin Tendulkar might be the modern day Bradman, but Jacques Kallis has fared better in South Africa. If http://www.senore.com/Cricket/VVS-Laxman-c2772 is a magician able to pull a Houdini on the best of sides, then de Villiers is without a doubt the brightest talent in the world of modern
cricket.
So how do you compare?
It will be an enticing prospect to go into the series that will decide the fate of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 as a captain and how good India really is.
To be continued in Part 2...
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