This is not merely about the ICC rankings. A series win in India is a big box any team other than India needs to tick if it wants to be the best in the world. Think Australia in their modern heyday and the frustration and the eventual satisfaction the “Final Frontier” brought them. India, on the other hand, pride themselves on their home record, and their claims to being the best will take a big beating if they lose.
Graeme Smith won his second toss of the series and decided to bat on a pitch that had the grass shaved off, but retained a tinge of green that was expected to keep the surface bound together. That Smith was there for the toss was in itself good news for South Africa. He chose to play through the pain of a fractured finger, but Mark Boucher’s back trouble didn’t go away in time, which made way for a debut for Alviro Petersen.
Petersen – a specialist opener by trade – could give Ashwell Prince, a reluctant opener, a chance to bat in his preferred middle order.
India, needing a win to hang on to their No. 1 ranking, were boosted by the expected return of VVS Laxman, but resisted any changes to the bowling combination that managed six wickets in 176 overs in Nagpur. Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma, wicketless in 81 overs between them, were persisted with. It was almost expected that Sreesanth would come in for the struggling Ishant, but India gave Ishant another go.
South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 JP Duminy, 7 Ashwell Prince, 8 Paul Harris, 9 Wayne Parnell, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.
India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 M Vijay, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 S Badrinath, 7 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 8, Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Ishant Sharma.
27 – Hello Winston, Have not seen you around for awhile. How you doing mate?
Am well and you Puma. Have been on an audit in Mooi River for the past 3 weeks so its been long hours with not much sleep lately. But am back home now and glad to be around in the land of the living. How sickening was the end of the rugby last night,I wanted to throw something at the tv..
The Sunday Times writer i gave the link too have nothing good to say to the ref. Look post 18 above
18 – Super, I read that in the Sunday papers this morning. Really for supporters to go on like that is a disgrace. I don’t agree with it ever.
The ref was a absolute idiot I think. I don’t like to put blame on a ref but he was out of his depth. Trying to hear whoever was supposed to be speaking to him. Made many, many mistakes.
Well it is over we lost and really Bissie cost us that game. We should have won it but never. Still heart sore about it. So close but so far. You win by 1 you still get the 4 points so it would have been great to have won it. Sharks are a goner now I feel. We really needed that win last night. Our draw is far too tough this year. Play all the top teams on their turf. We wont do it. Well I don’t see us doing it. Chiefs were not that great either so really should have won that one.
Good luck to the Bulls they look really sharp and like champs. May them and the Stormers fly our flag high this year.
Agreed Puma. If we waned to have half a chance we had to win that first game. I think we are going to come somewhere between 7th and 10th this year. We should take a leaf out of the Cheetah’s book,they have serious pace out wide,our guys are too slow and we have serious problems at the 10,12 channel..
33 – Super read it early. Got the papers at 7am this morning. I am a early morning person. So get the papers early.
Why the heck was the ref listening to upstairs. Seems like he was putting his hand to his ear all the time.
I absolutely will NEVER EVER agree to this stupid system where we have a ref from the same country reffing a team. Unless it is both teams from that country. It will never ever work for the supporters or the players. Said so last year and I stick to it. Feels like we played the Chiefs and they brougt their ref with them…hahaha. Now hope we get a saffa ref when we play in NZ. Only difference is our refs are way, way better. This ref was really out of his depth.
brougt = brought
32 – Winston good to have you back posting here.
I felt the same, wanted to throw the tv in my pool……..hahahahahaha. To lose it like that was heart breaking. Thought at first we had won it just like the players had thought. Then there was a penalty given to Chiefs. Ag, feel so upset about that game.
Then too the weather was awful for rugby. Can never play good rugby in that.
I know it sounds cliched but I cant get over how crap was the ref last night. But with that said the Du-Plessis brothers had a real brain explosion last night,I’m all for aggression but it needs to be chanelled properly..
35 – Winston, I said all week we will have a problem with our centres. Hope Swannie is going to play next week.
How we miss Fransie now!!!!! After all those idiots that kept booing him last year. I hope they can see now what they had, now that we have lost one of our best players. Would loved to have had him at inside centre.
Think we should be thinking of playing Mvovo too. He has far more speed than Odwa.
We had to win these two games before we toured. Yip, think we will end up around 9th or so this year. Not good but hope they can see we need good centres. Ruan will do just fine at FH with Rory at scrummie taking the kicks.
Puma i start wondering whats wrong there. I gave my opinion many times. The 2 points i feel strong about is the continuity of your back row. I feel there is too many cooks there. Stick to one like the Bulls did. We have a more settled back row.
Then John Plumtree, or his assistants. There is very little happening in your back line. You need some innovative players there. Someone like Eddy Jones or Slapchips, but hey keep your hands of him. 😆
39 – Winston for sure mate. The Dup brothers are costing us. Bissie really cost us by getting sent off near the end there. Feel if that never happened we would have won.
Someone needs to speak to both the brothers.
Our scrum though was just fine. I knew not to worry about it. It was going to come from our centres I thought where we would be weak.
Winston, One think I can say it JP was awesome in defence last night. What a try saving tackle he made near our line.
think = thing
I’ll be honest with you Puma,I dont think Swannie is the answer,a 12 these days almost needs to be like a second flyhalf and he is a bit of a crash ball expert but hope I’m proved wrong. Think Ruan without the kicking responsibility will help him cause then he can just focus on playing. I think we have peaked in 2007 and will go through a bit of a trough for now..
41 – Super,
Thanks very much, we will take Slapchips in a sescond, will Bulls give him to us? ..hahaha. He has been brilliant for the Bulls. Your team really looking sharp. Brumbies going to get a klap next week at Loftus.
Yip, our backs are not doing it.
No doubt Jp is class but what worries me is that the Sharks have always been good depth in all positions and we just seem to have been caught with our pants down with poor planning. I rate this Mvovu chap,think he has something about him,Ndugane is solid but no pace..
Bulls are almost unbeatable at Loftus these days..
45 – Winston, We are missing Fransie there for sure. How we let him go is just plain daft. Cheque book should have been out when we knew we were going to let Steyn go to France. Maybe look to some of our overseas players. Or some youngsters here. We miss Barritt too but he will never come back. Played for the Saxons for England already. They like our E.Boks.
Amla gone. 3 wickets down now.
We better not fall asleep in the cricket now,we are doing so well..
229/3 AB and Kallis must try and stay until close.
Khan to Amla, OUT, Ishant’s bumper barrage didn’t result in a wicket but Zaheer gets Amla’s wicket a short delivery. The left-hander’s angle took it away from Amla who went for the pull shot, trying to fetch it from outside off stump, but could only edge it behind. A fine innings filled with delightful drives comes to an end
HM Amla c †Dhoni b Khan 114 (166b 14×4 1×6) SR: 68.67
There is a lot of bounce in that pitch
50 – Winston, Agree we need Kallis and AB to stay until close.
Steyn and company must just put there feet up so they can be rested and fired up for when they come in to bat..
Like i said the pitch looks lively. Maybe a score of 420 will do this time. That is still a long way to go.
Agreed Super but think if we can get 500 they will be demoralised and we can blow them away..
47 – Winston, If it was me without a doubt would play Mvovo instead of Odwa.
Yip we have been caught napping for sure. Should have planned to get some players in when we knew Steyn was leaving.
Winston so true, we must get at least 50 run partnerships now and also at least 3 of them in a row.
Yeah we missed a big trick.. Frans Steyn is my favourite player,it broke my rugby heart when he left,but I keep positive that the enigma will come home one of the days.
Our tour of India so far is so typical of Sa sport,when we are down and out and expected to lose we play like Champions and we are expected to win we battle with that status..
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