South Africa vs India Tests 2013: 5 battles that will decide the series outcome

Overview

Test cricket can’t get any bigger than this, and there is very little to separate the importance of this series and the ongoing Ashes series in Australia.

As far as the state of the Ashes series goes, nobody expected the Australians to pull the rabbit out of the hat by not only taking the game to the Poms, but dismantling them with utmost disdain and ammunition.

The big question is whether Team India can come up with something like that, and win a Test series in the rainbow nation for the first time in Indian cricketing history.

But before entertaining any thoughts of shocking the current No. 1 Test side in their own backyard, the key members of that Indian XI will have to win the decisive battles against their South African counterparts.

Here is the list of 5 compelling battles to look forward to in the South Africa vs India Test series 2013.

Hashim Amla vs Mohamed Shami

This battle is all about Amla’s back-foot play against the swing and guile of Mohamed Shami. Amla might be the most consistent batsman over the course of the past 5 years, but there are a few frailties in his batting repertoire that could well be exploited by Mohamed Shami’s style of bowling.

Mohamed Shami was probably the most potent Indian bowler on show in the 3-match ODI series against the Proteas, and there is every chance that Shami could well be the bowler to share the new ball with the “comeback man” – Zaheer Khan.

Shami is a versatile operator, who thrives on pitching the ball up, but isn’t shy of banging it halfway down the track as well, if need be.

In the ODI series, Amla cashed in on the naivety of Indian fast men, who failed to pitch the ball up to the bat, get him driving through the covers, and consequently bring the slip cordon into play.

Whenever Hashim Amla strolls to the middle during the upcoming Test series, Mohamed Shami could well be presented with the responsibility of shaping it away from the right-hander, get him to drive through the covers and most importantly, draw him on to the front-foot.

This is probably the most decisive battle, that is sure to decide the way this Test series between South Africa and India pans out.

Jacques Kallis vs Ravichandran Ashwin

Without a shadow of a doubt, Kallis is one of the most dominant right-handers when it comes to playing spin bowling. He can sweep, dance down the track and loft it over mid-on and mid-off, play the pull shot to good effect and is a hot cup of coffee to handle for any spinner in world cricket.

On the other hand, Ashwin has all the trickery to bamboozle any top-class batsmen in world cricket and is a proven performer for India in the Test arena. After failing to live up to the expectations in his first overseas tour of Australia, the microscopic eyes will firmly monitor the way Ashwin goes about his business, and how much can he prove to be a vital cog in India’s scheme of things.

With Kallis slotted at no.4 in the South African batting lineup, Ashwin will have to take the responsibility of curbing the South African all-rounder from going all guns blazing and dismissing him early on in his innings. Ashwin also has the responsibility of giving stability to the Indian bowling attack, which doesn’t solely rely on it’s pace bowlers, unlike the South Africans.

It’s going to be fascinating to see how Ashwin rises up to the challenge that the South African all-rounder will throw at him with the bat.

Dale Steyn vs Cheteshwar Pujara

The no.1 ranked Test bowler against arguably the most technically correct Indian batsman on tour is sure to be an eye-brow raising contest to witness for cricket fanatics around the world.

Pujara is great to watch and possesses all the necessary requisites to be successful in South Africa as a batsman. He has the experience of playing in South Africa when India toured the rainbow nation last time around in 2010, and was also involved in a crucial stand with the Hyderabadi Stylist in VVS Laxman during the 2nd Test match in Durban, which India went on to win.

On the other hand, Steyn is probably the most feared fast bowler in world cricket at the moment. He is sure to give the visiting Indian batsmen a torrid time, and his duel with Cheteshwar Pujara could well decide the kinds of totals India end up with. Indian think-tank will hope that, Pujara’s ability to play long innings will remain true during the Test series against South Africa.

From the way I look at it, the contest between Steyn and Pujara could make or break India’s ambitions of winning a Test series in the rainbow nation.

Morne Morkel vs Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli might have had a forgettable ODI series in South Africa, but he would want to put that behind him and play a defining hand in that inexperienced Indian middle order during the Test series.

With Tendulkar retiring from the game, Virat Kohli is expected to take the no.4 position in the Indian Test lineup, and the spotlight would be on him to perform under intense pressure and scrutiny.

“Morne Morkel vs Virat Kohli” was one of the most anticipated battles during the ODI series as well, but Kohli, along with other Indian batsmen failed collectively and as such, there wasn’t a contest to witness.

Morne Morkel relishes bowling back of a length and getting it up to the chin level of the batsman. He is not someone who will pitch the ball up and rely on lateral or seam movement.

Kohli plays the cut and the pull shot to good effect, and will certainly take the attack to the Proteas, irrespective of the state of the game.

This contest is about fighting fire with fire, and Kohli, as is always expected of him, will take on anything that the tall South African fast bowler throws at him. If Kohli can nullify Morkel’s “sweet chin music”, India can look at piling a decent total on the board.

Graeme Smith vs Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Both the skippers will want to get their tactics and team composition right ahead of an all important Test series.

Graeme Smith might be pondering of going into the Test match with an all-out pace attack, thus disallowing the Indian batsmen with any kind of breathing space. That could be the only talking point as far as South Africa’s team composition goes.

MS Dhoni on the other hand, has plenty of things to worry about. Zaheer Khan should in all probability lead the Indian pace attack, and Shami should be an automatic choice for the 2nd fast bowler in the side. You would believe, Ishant Sharma will get the 3rd bowler’s slot ahead of Umesh Yadav, having made a good impression in the washed out 3rd ODI in Centurion.

Also, will Dhoni take the gamble of persisting with Jadeja at no.6 in the batting order, or does he take the more conventional route of injecting a proper batsman in the form of Ajinkya Rahane? Jadeja will give him the 5th bowlers’ option, but in South African conditions and with the way Indian batsmen have fared in the ODI series, Dhoni will want to take a good hard look at his team composition.

As it seems, Graeme Smith should have a calm Test series, with not a lot of things to worry about. It’s up to MS Dhoni to do the running, if he wants to add another feather to his cap by becoming the first Indian captain to win a Test series in the rainbow nation.

Pulling the curtains

Team India and MS Dhoni have a colossal task on their hands, but I don’t mind putting my money on the current lot to do the unthinkable.

Vamos Mahi & Co.