Picture credit- Debasis Sen
“You have to visualise the miracle for there to be a miracle.”
Perhaps it is time for those eleven Indian players taking part in the ongoing Guwahati Test against South Africa to imagine a heist before Day 4 of the game. At the moment, only a jailbreak can save India from the ignominy of losing two Test series at home over the last 12 months. With the pitch not deteriorating much and bad light coming into the equation at the end of each day’s play, India might still draw the game. But with South Africa already over 300 runs ahead, and with 10 wickets in hand, the chances of India levelling the two-match rubber look unrealistic.
So, how can India chart a turnaround for the ages? For starters, the hosts’ finger-spinning duo probably need to tweak their gameplan a touch. Both Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are renowned for bowling at over 90–92 kph and seeking turn at pace. But the slow deck in Guwahati isn’t exactly tailor-made for that type of bowling.
In such climes, a spinner needs to vary his pace and impart more revs on the ball. The South African pair of Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj have comfortably outbowled the Indian spinners in that aspect so far. In fact, they found more purchase than even Kuldeep Yadav, the wrist-spinner, in the first innings. The onus would also be on the captain, Rishabh Pant, to set attacking fields for most of the day. Simply put, the pressure is on India to go for the jugular, not on South Africa. It could also come down to a spark of inspiration in the field, a direct hit or a diving catch. Such moments usually lift the morale of a side.
Hope springs eternal, and cricket offers enough examples to prove that maxim. In 2001, India scripted a miracle at Eden Gardens versus the all-conquering Australian side. A couple of years earlier in Barbados, Australia were leading by 161 runs. Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh then combined to rip through the Australian side, followed by Brian Lara’s epic that powered his team to an unforgettable victory. And, of course, there is the small matter of ‘Botham’s Ashes’ in 1981.
The grim reality, however, is that such events take place once in a blue moon, and India’s fate appears more or less sealed in Guwahati. They look set to lose two Test rubbers within a year at home, something that hasn’t happened in over four decades.
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