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NEWS India-South Africa Series 2006>That elusive Test win for India in South Africa 17th Nov 2006 22.23 IST By Manish Kumar The enormity of Rahul Dravid ’s task at hand can be assumed from the mere fact that India is still seeking its maiden Test victory in South Africa, as this is the only country where India has not won a Test so far. The three-Test series, which starts from December 15, after the five-ODI series, will be as tough as it gets because the Indian batting will be tested on the seaming surfaces with bounce and plenty of carry led by a pace attack comprising of the veteran Shaun Maclean Pollock and the fiery Makhaya Ntini and it will be aided with a variety of options.
Several Indian batsmen attempt strokes on the rise, unwisely try to hit through the line, and do not use their feet while playing deliveries on or outside the off-stump. While they get away with these methods on the flat pitches in the sub-continent, they are likely to come a cropper with these tactics on the juicy tracks of South Africa. The Indian batsmen will have to be decisive in their footwork and will need to get on to the front foot to counter Pollock's probing seam movement, and move back and hold firm when Ntini and Dale Steyn (who finished with 5/22 from his 10 hostile overs in their tour opener on Thursday), pound them with deliveries shorter than on a length. Crucially, they will have to play close to the body as on seaming tracks with bounce, stroking in the `'V', and collecting runs with firm pushes rather than drives, is the better option. Only if the delivery is lacking in length should the horizontal bat strokes square off the wicket be attempted. The Indians' judgment on or around the off-stump, their patience, and their courage, will be put to test. When the ball flies around, the Indian batsmen will have to get their body behind the line. Since the ODIs have been scheduled ahead of the first Test, Indian batsmen have an opportunity to get familiar with the conditions before the Test series gets underway. India requires stability and continuity in its batting order. In 1992-93, India became the first international side to play a Test in South Africa since 1970 but history does not favour India in South Africa. The 1992-93 tour of South Africa brought India some significant gains — Anil Kumble 's comeback and the emergence of Javagal Srinath . There were also some sparkling moments for India. Praveen Amre constructed a stunning century on debut in Durban. Kapil Dev conjured a brilliant hundred under adversity in Port Elizabeth. But then India was blown away in Port Elizabeth by Allan Donald , who finished with match-figures of 12/139 – a series winning display by the pace bowling great. India toured South Africa again in 1996-97. Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad bowled superbly for India, and there were outstanding hundreds from Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin in Cape Town. But Donald and Pollock combined to destroy India. The hosts triumphed 2-0 in the Test series. The 2001 Indian tour was a controversy ridden one. Virender Shewag signalled his arrival on the big stage with a rollicking Test debut hundred at Bloemfontein, but India was blown away by the Protean seamers again. Then, match-referee Mike Denness' act of pulling up Tendulkar for "tampering with the ball" and punishing five other Indian cricketers for excessive appealing in Port Elizabeth almost brought the tour to a premature end. India, reluctantly, agreed to continue in the second Test, it also managed a creditable draw. The third match was not treated as an official one, which South Africa won comfortably. In a season leading to the World Cup, a one-day series against one of the leading contenders will be a significant one from an Indian perspective. But then, too much cannot be read into the verdict since the conditions in the Caribbean will be completely different. However, the South African experience should toughen the Indian cricketers mentally. Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-South Africa Series 2006 Team Page: India Team Page: South Africa | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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