The mood in the South African and Indian camps was understandably contrasting after the hosts registered a thumping innings and 22 runs win in the first Test of the three-match series played at the favourite Protean venue, Centurion’s SuperSport park.
The resounding win was the 12th of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 at the venue which puts the venue on top with regards to most victories for the Proteas any where in the world.
The South African captain Graeme Smith was a content man after the match and hailed the effort of the entire team in their crushing win over the top-ranked test team in the world.
"That was the one time that we really put in the yards. The wicket flattened out a lot, it was hot and windy and the guys showed a lot of character in that situation, especially Dale's spell at the end," Smith said.
"Our bowlers bowled well. When you bowl on a wicket that you think is going to do a bit, you've got to get the ball in the right place. We were very controlled."
He also added that it was difficult to predict how the fastest wicket in the country is going to behave but he feels that the Proteas need to put in a similar effort and exploit the conditions that are in place for the game that starts on the Boxing Day.
"Who knows how the wicket will play in Durban? There's been a lot of rain there around this period also. We've got to be realistic," We'd like to think we are a strong, powerful batting unit and we can cope with conditions When you go 1-0 down in a three
match series, there's always extra pressure."
On the other hand the Indian captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 was brought back to earth after a series of wins in home conditions that were tailor made for their batsmen and spin bowlers.
At Centurion he claimed that he was at the receiving end due to the spin of the coin that decided the fate of the match on day one. He also stated that it was not the pitch alone that caused the downfall but it was the lack of application on the part of
the batsmen.
“I don't think the wicket actually did that much. For a wicket that was under covers for four days, I thought it would do a bit more." He added that the expectation of a bouncy wicket, and not the wicket itself, may have been what undid http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750. "In my mind,
I think India expected more from the wicket than what actually happened. They were tentative and were on the back foot a lot of the time."
The next Test match is make or break for the Indians, their reputation has taken a severe beating in the first Test despite the resolute performance in the second innings.
The colossal loss also muted the celebrations’ of the landmark by the little master Sachin Tendulkar who scored his 50th Test century as the tourists fought hard to avoid an innings defeat to no avail.
The focus for them now is the Kingsmead ground in Durban where a large population of Indian immigrants is set to turn up at the venue for the Test. Dhoni is hoping that he would have a first choice attack for the match which would mean replacing left armer
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jaidev-Unadkat-c1626 with Zaheer Khan.
Zaheer sat out the first Test due to a hamstring injury. The veteran was sorely missed as the Indians were put to the sword by the rampaging Proteas, and hence his return would be pivotal for their chances.
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