India's superior fielding made all the difference

EAS Prasanna

October 11, 2001

The decision to bat first on a track that seemed favourable to fast bowling was a brave one by the Indian captain. It clearly showed the determination and character of Sourav Ganguly and the whole Indian team. Indeed, it was a smart move by the Indian think-tank to let the South Africans know that they were keen and ready for a battle, denying the Proteas any psychological advantage of their thumping win at the Wanderers.

I had my apprehensions that the Indian team would make heavy weather of this game and get bowled out cheaply. The run-rate too slowed down considerably, adding more pressure to the situation. Dravid, being the vice-captain, should have brought in all his experience to take control of the situation. Unfortunately he allowed the South Africans to bowl a tight line and length, which resulted in the dismissal of Tendulkar, trying to force the run rate.

Arguably, the turning point of the match was Dravid being dropped twice in the space of four balls, which gave new life to the Indian innings. The South African fielding has been not of the highest order in this tri-series; they have put down a number of catches. The catching made all the difference by the end of the match; the Indians grabbed whatever came their way. The South African team management will have to ponder over their complacency in the field.

The Proteas were on top and, instead of applying more pressure on the struggling Indians, Pollock surprisingly allowed the Indian pair of Dravid and Yuvraj Singh to settle down. The introduction of Nicky Boje was welcomed with glee by Yuvraj Singh, smashing him for a a huge six.

I was particularly impressed by the attitude and approach of Yuvraj Singh; he showed enough glimpses of potential to suggest that he could be a force to reckon with in one-day internationals, if persisted with. Virender Shewag too made a good impression by scoring 33 valuable runs to help India go past the 200-run mark.

There is something about the South Africans; they are an extremely confident bunch of players. I thought they approached this game with some arrogance and did not think too much about their opponents. It was a sad sight to see such a professional side lacking any determination and character while chasing a modest total. They were made to pay for their complacency and their pride took a serious blow, as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

Even though Lance Klusener and Mark Boucher tried to salvage some lost pride, it was all a bit too late and the match had already been lost to a tenacious Indian side. There was a certain purpose about whatever the Indians did on the field, their catching and out-fielding being exemplary.

I was very impressed by the efforts of Harbhajan Singh; he bowled extremely well with immaculate line and length to pick three wickets and set up the Indian victory. On the contrary, Anil Kumble looked like a pale shadow of his past and, though he picked up two wickets, his line and length left much to be desired.

It was simply wonderful to watch the Indian cricket team play like professionals and as one unit. It was their superior fielding effort and their purposeful bowling that made all the difference to the final result. I hope they continue to play in such rich vein throughout the rest of the tour.

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