South Africa have reasons to feel bullish ahead of the forthcoming Test series in India.
Few teams, apart from Australia, have shaken India’s near-invincible tag at home than the Proteas. Besides South Africa’s last two series in India, which were played on rank turners, most have gone into the final Test.
Hansie Cronje’s side won 2-0 in 1999-2000, but Temba Bavuma’s troops have an air of grit and determination around them by virtue of being the reigning world Test champions.
A fact acknowledged by former captain and chief of their cricket board, Dr Ali Bacher.
“Since our re-emergence back into world cricket in 1991, our record in India is pretty good... much better than, say, for example, Steve Waugh’s Australian team. I say this because Steve Waugh, for whom I have great admiration, never won a Test series in India. We have done that. We have a great, relatively very good, record of playing and being successful in India,” Bacher told The Telegraph on Wednesday.
One Lance Klusener had triggered an Indian collapse in the second innings with an eight-wicket haul in 1996 to inflict one of their worst defeats at Eden Gardens. No wonder Gautam Gambhir seemed wary of the bounce and carry on the Eden pitch.
This team, too, includes Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen who can prove to be dangerous if the conditions support their style.
“I think the key player is Rabada. He’s only 30 and has nearly 350 Test wickets. He will go down in South African cricket as one of the finest fast bowlers. He’s still got a long spell in Test cricket,” Bacher said.
Will the pressure of being the defending champions of the World Test Championship affect Bavuma’s team?
“I don’t think so. The WTC title is a very meritorious achievement for our cricket team, but I think it goes beyond that,” Bacher said. “There are two parts to our team. At times, they excel and play brilliant cricket, and then all of a sudden, in the next couple of days, they falter. They don’t display that same excellence. So there’s a bit of a paradox here. So what will be achieved in India, I can’t guarantee.”
How Aiden Markram performs at the top of the order could decide South Africa’s batting.
“Bavuma may be the captain but the key is Markram. He’s a quality player. He has a very good Test record... he’s got the temperament and he’s got quality. And I’ve always been a very big supporter of him. So I think he and Rabada will be our key players in this particular Test match.”
Anything on the spinners?
“Historically, South Africa’s bowling success has been achieved by fast bowlers, not by the spinners... It’s pretty unheard of in our history of going into a Test with three spinners which happened in Pakistan. I don’t think that will be repeated in India and the fast bowlers will bear the brunt of the bowling. At the most, they could play two spinners.”
Bacher has also been hugely impressed by Shubman Gill’s captaincy in England.
“I watched closely India’s performance in England. On that last Test match and on the last day, it looked as though England would easily win... But India pulled it off dramatically.
“What impressed me most was the new captain... I watched him very closely, he didn’t lose his cool self... He was calm and you could sense everything was under control. His demeanour, his coolness, pervaded his team. And they won an unbelievable Test match. The bottom line is, it showed the depth in Indian cricket because they just lost two great players in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Despite that, they had a memorable series.
“Your captain was just calmness personified and that’s what leadership’s all about... when you go through difficult circumstances, you see the good captains who are calm and get a sense of positive attitude... Gill’s terrific... You’ve got a leader there for many years,” Bacher said.
“He knows how to handle players. That is an important attribute of a good captain.”