(From top) Wasim Akram, Barry Richards, Ravi Shastri, Aamer Sohail and Kepler Wessels

Johannesburg: As it turned out, the bowlers did even better, but Team India’s first innings in the opening Test was built around former captain Sourav Ganguly’s unbeaten 51. The Telegraph spoke to batting great Barry Richards and four former captains, all of whom are here on Media assignments, for their reactions.

The following are excerpts :

Wasim Akram: Sourav has been known to perform under pressure, but he produced a very good effort... The innings is going to satisfy him, make him feel better. As you know, I’ve always backed him.

Barry Richards: Full marks to Sourav, though the South Africans erred... They should’ve bowled more round the wicket and didn’t bowl enough short-pitched deliveries... Having said that, he played very well... Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect of him, once he got picked for the Test series, as he’s known to be soft in certain conditions. However, if he gets more runs in the series, one may have to revise that opinion.

Ravi Shastri: A very, very good innings... I liked Sourav’s approach, attitude and composure... Making a comeback isn’t easy, but he was willing to fight it out... He has played a lot of good innings, but won’t forget this in a hurry. I’m a pretty balanced person and, so, don’t get carried away... Still, if he continues with this form, he’ll be in the World Cup squad. His experience is going to be handy.

Aamer Sohail: He played a very impressive innings... Having myself made a few comebacks, I know how tough it is to make a return... And, let’s not forget that till the other day, two members of the thinktank didn’t want him around... What stood out was Sourav’s calmness... He didn’t get rattled and, as important, was patient... Most batsmen quickly want to reach the 30s, but Sourav was in no hurry... Excellent, really.

Kepler Wessels: Sourav showed character... He stayed composed and fought it out... I’m not surprised as I’ve got high regard for his mental toughness... He showed he wanted to be there, if you get what I mean... One innings alone can never fully revive somebody’s career, but another good one will certainly do so... What has probably helped is that he had nothing to lose... He’d, in any case, been out for ten months.