Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
India won in the penultimate over of the final day, but Hashim Amla was resplendent in his twin tons. That India-South Africa Test, in February 2010, was one of the memorable games that Eden Gardens has hosted. Back then, Eden, one of the most storied venues in the world, used to be a regular Test centre. Fifteen years down the line, things have changed.
Kolkata is hosting a Test after a gap of six years. It’s strange, but it’s true. Imagine Lord’s or the ‘G’ going into a six-year Test hiatus. Unthinkable. Back to that game a decade-and-a-half ago, and the win took MS Dhoni’s team to the top of the Test tree. This time, South Africa have come here as the reigning world Test champions.
Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain back then, is now the SA20 league commissioner. He was in Mumbai on Wednesday, along with Amla, Mark Boucher and Faf du Plessis. It was the India Day of the league and the catchline was — ‘Welcome to Incredible’.
Test cricket is antipodean to the T20 format. But with the two-match series between India and South Africa starting on Friday, questions on red-ball cricket were expected at the press conference. They came in due course, and Smith backed Temba Bavuma’s team to fare well, on the heels of a drawn series in Pakistan where South Africa’s tweakers made their presence felt.
“You know, your game needs to adapt, your thinking needs to adapt to be able to play (well) here,” said the ex-Proteas skipper. “I’m hoping that with the first Test in Kolkata, it’s generally quite a good place to bat. You get good value for runs and it’s a stadium that, you know, especially if it’s full, will really make the South Africans motivated to do well in.”
It would be important for the visitors to start well, something that New Zealand did last year en route to securing a 3-0 whitewash. Smith urged his compatriots to be on the ball from the outset. “I think it’s crucial on these type of tours that you start well,” he said. “You know, if you get behind in the subcontinent, it’s very difficult to fight your way back. So, I think it’s important that they start well and the batters in particular, I think, are going to really have to step up.”
Smith expects South Africa’s bowling pack to ask tough questions. In Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy they have a decent spin attack. The excellent Kagiso Rabada spearheads the fast-bowling department.
“I think South Africa arrived here with a decent bowling attack, especially in the spin department,” Smith observed. “I think Maharaj and Hama (Harmer) can definitely do the damage. They can control the game and they have the ability to turn the ball which is, you know, a wicket-taking option. And then, you want to see how Rabada and the likes handle reverse swing.”
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