File photo of Sachin Tendulkar (left) and Virat Kohli. (Source: IPL website)
Of Sachin Tendulkar’s 51 Test centuries, five came on South African soil, at venues as diverse as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Centurion. In fact, no visiting player can match that tally of five hundreds, spread across more than 18 years and five tours. He had to see off the likes of Allan Donald and Brett Schultz in the early years, before the Proteas’ bowling baton was passed on to Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, and then Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. Who better then to talk of how India’s bowlers need to perform if they’re to rewrite history and script a first series win on South African soil?
In an earlier conversation I had asked Sachin about how he approached batting on South African pitches and what should be the bowlers approach in such conditions. It was was an absolute masterclass. With India back on South African soil, it is pertinent to reproduce what he said for it is the best advice any player can get.
EXCLUSIVE 🚨
This was a conversation recorded earlier.
But with India back in South Africa for what is being labelled our final frontier, every word of this masterclass is relevant and pertinent. Sachin Tendulkar on playing in South African conditions is the best advice for… pic.twitter.com/gYKMhTlvg7
(We will play the relevant parts of this conversation, which was recorded earlier at 12 noon.)
“It’s a well-balanced attack and all the fast bowlers we have are different kinds of fast bowlers,” said Tendulkar. For example, [Jasprit] Bumrah comes in from a different angle, and [Mohammed] Siraj has developed into a fantastic bowler, while Shardul [Thakur] likes to swing the ball. It also depends on that given day, who is fit to play for you, with the number of days that are played and injuries that are bound to occur.
“It is also about understanding a particular bowler’s rhythm,” added Tendulkar. “If a bowler is bowling well, he should ideally play as much as he can. The way I look at our bowling attack, there is a lot of fire in that to pick 20 wickets. Ashwin’s experience will come in handy and the way he has been able to use his variations has impressed me.”
With rain having played a part in the white-ball series preceding the two Tests, it’s hard to predict what sort of pitches India will get. Centurion has a reputation for pace and bounce, and Tendulkar asserted that the bowlers would have to make subtle tweaks depending on the surfaces. “When it comes to hitting the right areas, a lot of it will depend on the conditions,” he said. “The dampness in the surface, for example, as all of these aspects come into play. If the ball is swinging, then I would encourage the bowlers to bowl around off stump and not outside off stump as it would make the batter’s life easy.
“The batsmen will also read the bowler’s wrist position and how he is releasing the ball, and hence you do not want to allow a batter to comfortably leave those deliveries that are outside the off stump. I would encourage the bowlers to bowl in line and falter, being hit for a couple of flicks, rather than wasting the new ball. Using the new ball properly in South African conditions is crucial as the first 25 overs are very important. Once the seam flattens a bit, then I would encourage the bowlers to pull back their lengths slightly, further away from the batter, making them play.
“The lengths and lines of bowlers will also continue to vary from session to session because the overhead conditions will keep changing along with the pitch conditions.”
India will sorely miss the injured Mohammed Shami, who has 35 wickets from eight Tests in South Africa at an outstanding strike-rate of 44.6. Tendulkar, though, expected big things from someone who is definitely going to be part of the playing XI at Centurion. “There are springs in his legs and that is what I love to see,” he said of Siraj. “From his run-up itself, you can notice that he is full of energy. He is one of those bowlers you just cannot figure out whether it’s the first over of the day or the last over of the day, because he just keeps coming at you all the time.
“He is a proper fast bowler, and his body language is also just so positive, which I like. Siraj is also a fast learner. When he played in Australia, it never appeared like he was playing his first match and that is the kind of maturity he showed. He built up his strengths so beautifully over there, and from there on, he just has not looked back.”
