A disgraceful surrender

This surely has to be the most shocking defeat suffered by India in recent times. A side that makes 379 in the first innings ends up losing a Test inside four days. A disgraceful surrender, really.

What went wrong after Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag produced centuries on the first day. A lot went wrong.

The bowling was pretty ordinary when the Proteas batted, and then the batting came apart on the fourth day. Lacking was that will to win, that goes hand in hand with mental strength.

The Indians do not have the self-belief to win outside the sub- continent, and unless they triumph in these conditions, true respect and recognition will be hard to come by. Home victories alone will not count.

Sourav Ganguly's men are unlikely to come across a more placid surface for a Test in South Africa than the one in Bloemfontein. Yet, they were found wanting.

In fact, they were humiliated by a South African attack which was below full strength without the great Allan Donald. Shaun Pollock was the lone world class bowler in the side, while someone like Jacques Kallis can be useful.

The rest were not too hot to handle, and had the Indians displayed the determination and the resolve expected from a Test side, they could still have made a match of it. However, the shot selection of our batsmen on the fourth day left a lot to be desired.

The traditional Indian failing against pace was all too obvious. Sachin Tendulkar, of course, is a glorious exception, but then there is so much pressure on the maestro.

And it doesn't make things any easier for India that Ganguly is being consumed by the short ball time and again.

Worse, this has been happening with the Bengal southpaw for quite some time now. Ganguly is clueless when the ball climbs and unless he finds urgent answers, he will continue to cut a sorry figure in the full glare of the media. An Indian captain can do without such embarrassing moments.

In stark contrast, Pollock led by example. There was added burden on him, too, in the absence of Donald, yet this large-hearted cricketer was only too willing to take on the work- load.

The fascinating aspect of Pollock's bowling is that he operates on the `corridor', taking the ball away, seldom easing the pressure on the batsmen. This was all too evident in the first Test, where the Indians were done in by this quality paceman.

The problems facing the Indian team are many. First, the bowling has to wear a different look, and, since the choice is rather limited in this department, the team-management has a tough job on hand.

Then, the later batsmen have to be told that they have to contribute more. This too is easier said than done, considering some inherent weaknesses in the side.

The runs made by the lower order was the crucial difference between the sides in the end. Principally, the 121-run seventh- wicket partnership between the explosive Lance Klusener and the battling Mark Boucher, after Javagal Srinath had provided India with a double-breakthrough.

Srinath strove hard but there was little support for him. Still, it was a proud moment for the Karnataka cricketer when he claimed his 200th Test victim, becoming only the second Indian paceman since the legendary Kapil Dev to achieve the feat. It's a significant achievement, for Srinath has taken a large proportion of these wickets on the placid tracks of the sub-continent. My congratulations to this committed performer.

K. SRIKKANTH

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