South Africa in the Indian conciousness - Virat Kohli's biggest challenge

Virat Kohli now faces the challenge of double responsibility – captaincy and top order batting.

Are you excited? Because I know I am.

Although performances away from home have assumed an almost unchallenged sense of importance for the Indian cricket team in recent years, failing, as they did, to build on the success of two series wins abroad in the West Indies (2006) and England (2007), there is something about the visit of a cricketing superpower that brings out a curious, very complex feeling in Indians that is not easy to get across in words.

This, you understand, is not simply because there are no words in English completely faithful to the positively burning sense of determination and sporting values the visit of South Africa (India’s first series at home since Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell) evokes within us.

No, it is also because it speaks of a number of slippery little cultural connotations that are uniquely Indian.

Every tourist brochure you pick up upon your entry into this diverse ecosystem of over a billion people will unfailingly mention the hospitality of the locals - a hospitality hardwired through tradition going back thousands of years.

You are, of course, free to dismiss ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ - the guest is like god - as self-serving hype, as merely words the meaning of which is conveniently forgotten by your ‘welcoming’ captain Virat Kohli as he opens his mouth and lets fly the customary choice words.

Or you are intrigued enough to explore why it is South Africa and South Africa alone that seem to invite these relatively positive sentiments.

This, it must be understood, is not exactly the red carpet treatment. It is, after all, a sporting contest and anything short of exemplary professional conduct would be shameful for the entire Indian cricketing fraternity.

Nevertheless, there appears to be a curious softening of attitude, a slightly longer rope granted to the Saffers, as it were. The kind of rope that would be practically nonexistent had, for example, England been the visitors instead. The Empire may be a distant memory now, but occurrences such as the spat between James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja remind us that although things appear to have smoothed with the former imperial rulers on the surface, there still festers a discontent below it, prepared to blow at any second.

The general perception of the South Africans, however, is an interesting one. There is an air of positivity whenever their name is mentioned. The are the purists’ favourite, really. The kind of opposition that India respects for their sporting capabilities and for their determined competitive spirit.

While there is enough soap opera to debate and write about when India duel with Australia or England, the battles with South Africa, no matter the juncture of cricket history the occur at, hark back to the halcyon days of the sport when batsmen wore sun hats, players behaved like gentlemen and there was an unshakeable respect for the opponent and the umpire, no matter how grudging.

To properly understand this, it is important to recognise the sanctity of Indian soil in matters of Test series in the country. Teams don’t simply waltz in and down India on their own turf too often. It just doesn’t happen too often - it’s not the usual course of nature.

Which is why when it does happen, India are forced to sit up and take notice.

Since Imran Khan’s Pakistan record a splendid 0-1 series win in India in early 1987, only three teams have come to this particular neck of the woods and left with the spoils. South Africa (2000), Australia (2004) and England (2012) have all recorded some superb wins in that time, and although they might not warm to them, India still acknowledge the sheer class of those sides that so brazenly obliterated them on home turf.

Cricket does not forget easily, and it is perhaps for this reason that India give the South Africans their due, whatever else may have followed.

Cricket fans have always enjoyed watching AB de Villiers and India is no exception.

It also speaks of the appreciation fans in India have for several of the South African players, whose perfectly relaxed approach to this frontier of the subcontinent is a heartening reminder that this game, for all its controversies, can still be played with a smile. Ricky Ponting, on the other hand, it can safely be said, was one the locals loved to hate.

Certainly, many India-South Africa encounters over the years attract nothing but gushing praise for the quality on display and the usual fare of remarks, trite as they may be, such as “cricket was the real winner” or others of similar ilk. By contrast, a cricket writer could pen a War and Peace-esque to me purely on the non-sporting drama of India-Australia cricket relations.

Even the media hype paints the visitors in bright, almost lurid, colours. A stark contrast, no doubt, with the communications made during the visit to Bangladesh a few months ago, for instance.

Now, no matter how tongue-in-cheek they may have been, it is hard to consider the advertisements ahead of said tour to Bangladesh as anything other than patronising.

This time, though, there is a noticeably upbeat, though steely-eyed, mood to the promotional videos.

India and South Africa seem to have a gentleman’s agreement to do their talking on the pitch. A hard, competitive streak, if you will, that permits the cricket to thrive and gives us some fantastic contests to enjoy.

While the two immense historical figures after whom this series is named would have nodded approvingly at this positive spirit, one suspects it may simply be the identity of the visitors and their propensity for thrilling cricket that absolves them of any genuine malice.

Certainly, it is pleasing to see the lady in the video asserting that that any success the visitors may enjoy will be met with a “Well done South Africa!” from the hosts, but it is highly unlikely such Corinthian values would have been on display had the visitors not been Africa’s finest, but rather Australia. Or Pakistan.

The new India, united and strong, enter this one coming off a massive confidence booster in their first series win in Sri Lanka for 22 years. It is a new era, a new India, and a new man at the helm. It is this man who will command most of the headlines as he prepares to negotiate his first monumental challenge at home.

For Virat Kohli, this presents a new challenge. Handling the twin burden of batting and captaincy is simply yet another obstacle thrown in his path, as Kohli prepares for this added responsibility at the apex of the sport. It also gives us an eerily familiar historical parallel with another young man 19 years ago who had the world at his feet.

There are parallels between Sachin Tendulkar’s beginnings in captaincy and those of the current incumbent.

Tendulkar’s first full series at home came against South Africa in the latter half of 1996. He had replaced Mohammad Azharuddin, an under pressure skipper who was grabbing at fog and was running out of ideas (for 2015, read M.S. Dhoni). His reign began superbly, and Tendulkar was hailed as the positive, forward thinking captain that India had pined for. Sounds familiar? Virat Kohli’s bold gambit to play five bowlers in Sri Lanka, and back them all the way as they collected every single Sri Lankan wicket in the series initially appeared rash and thoughtless as India shockingly succumbed in a fourth innings chase in the first Test at Galle, but his faith, as we saw, eventually paid huge dividends.

For Tendulkar, however, that proved to be a flash in the pan. While his own form appeared to have escaped censure (exactly 1000 Test runs for the calendar year of 1997), the load proved too much to handle - his ODI numbers began to slide and his initially lauded captaincy brought a grand total of zero wins from 12 Tests in the year.

Different times, different measures? Certainly, there is nothing concrete to suggest Kohli will be unable to cope with the demands of his new role. Conversely, the Sri Lanka series presents some evidence that it may actually bring the best out of the Delhi batsman.

Early signs of courageous captaincy suggest Kohli should be given a reasonably long rope in order to consistently prove his worth. The status of his position ought to be revisited in a year’s time. Until then, let us revel in a sense of excitement and anticipation that Indian cricket has not felt in a long time.