South Africa vs India 2013: The ride overseas is a real tough one

India v South Africa

MS Dhoni, by virtue of his able leadership, has already attained the status of being the most followed cricketer. Every now and then he is reaching a new record. To me, his decision making and ability to encourage the follow players is par excellence. His judgment in identifying the inbuilt qualities – especially of the bowlers – is simply fascinating.

The way he has spoken maturely about the services of veteran Zaheer Khan is really praise worthy. I can say the hopes of billions have risen to new heights, as all of us believe that under the dynamic leadership of great MS Dhoni, impossible is nothing. Today he has won the people’s choice award at the ICC awards.

Like most of the other fans, I have been following the write ups, forecasts, analysis, previews and expert opinions about the upcoming South Africa tour. Most of them are based on the fact that during recent times, the performance of team India has been amazing, as they have won many matches and series in a row.

There is no doubt that our batting lineup can be safely labeled as one of the finest. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are in best of form. Virat Kohli, the way he is moving forward, has already been granted the spot held by Sachin Tendulkar. Pujara has also been in great form in the past year.

However, South Africa is a really big challenge. Their openers Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen are capable of ripping apart even the best bowling attack. Next comes Hashim Amla – I do not even intend to highlight the extreme batting talent he possesses – being the number one batsman in the world. He is an institution himself, and the newcomers could learn a lot from him – contentment, concentration, skills and timing in particular. Jacques Kallis, now 38 years of age, is still standing like a solid rock and is expected to equal few records of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar in this series itself.

AB de Villiers is another player who has the ability to hold any innings together, while also having the ability to fast track the run rate. JP Duminy is a trustworthy all rounder, who can be compared with Jadeja.

Dale Steyn is the world’s number one bowler. He is a deadly killer. This is the biggest danger and I honestly believe that Dhawan, Rohit , Raina and Jadeja will have to be most vigilant while playing him. Honestly, I feel Kohli and Pujara will be able to bat comfortably against Steyn. Morne Morkel, another vibrant bowler with totally controlled bowling, gives no room for big hits. It takes a while before you even attempt playing big hits.

They have got a decent spinner – Imran Tahir, who is always looking to strike. Vernon Philander is another pacer capable of swinging the ball on the bouncy pitches of South Africa. He has been in great wicket taking form over the last two years. Thus, it can be presumed that they have got a balanced bowling attack. So, to sum up, it is going to be a very tough tour for India, and there is no room for complacency. Indian youngsters will really need to gear up and perform well, otherwise this tour could be winless for them – just like England and Australia.