To no one's surprise, the five-match ODI series between India and South Africa, scheduled to begin here in Kingsmead on Wednesday, is being seen through the prism of the World Cup.
It can't be an easy series to play in, for it demands a balance of the short and long-term. These are the final stages of preparation before the showpiece event — and therefore vital that there are no slip-ups — but cricket in South Africa interrogates a player's skill and execution differently to cricket in the subcontinent.
The wicket at Kingsmead is expected to have moisture — inevitable with the rain around — and the ball is known to swing at night. It could make for a grand match: the most rewarding 50-over games often happen when the bowlers aren't excised from battle.
For India, the series is an opportunity to correct a poor record: it has defeated South Africa only thrice in 20 games in South Africa; it has never won a bilateral series here.
“There's only one way to go from there — up,” said M.S. Dhoni, the Indian captain. “But as I say, it's not about the past. We have a completely different side.
“We have quite a few youngsters who are into the grooming phase. We want them to play in these conditions. We want to try and see what use we can make of them. More than the conditions, we will have the World Cup in our mind. It will be a learning experience for all of us.”
Batting challenge
Asked about the challenge of batting in South Africa, Dhoni said: “You have to respect the bowlers right from the very start. The white Kookaburra ball does a bit initially. If you see it off, the ball comes on nicely. Also, it's good to bat during the day. Under lights the ball does a bit more, and so the toss becomes a bit crucial. But even after winning the toss you have to do the basics right.”
Graeme Smith, the South African captain, said the series should be appreciated for what it is — a contest in itself, a chance for preparing certain facets of the team's play, but not an indication of how South Africa will fare in the World Cup.
“As much as we would love to have the confidence of performing well here, it's not going to define how well we'll play in the World Cup,” he said. “It's crucial to get our mindset right. But it's a very different style of playing in the sub-continent.”
Pressed if it would be possible then to simulate the subcontinent, particularly the pitches, Smith said: “Generally, one-day wickets in South Africa are decent surfaces. They are well used and can be a little bit dry. So I think there will be aspects of that. But it's going to be difficult to reproduce Nagpur at the Wanderers.”
Despite this, South Africa's preparations have been directed towards playing in the subcontinent. Under Duncan Fletcher, here as a batting consultant, the reverse-sweep and the switch-hit have been practised, in a continuation of the work done in Abu Dhabi, where South Africa played Pakistan.
South Africa's biggest punt, however, is Imran Tahir, the 31-year-old leg-spinner who recently became eligible to represent the country.
“Having an attacking spinner is something I have dreamt of throughout my captaincy,” said Smith. “For us to have an attacking option, especially through the middle overs, is an asset. We will have to see when and where to play him. I don't want to put too much pressure on him.”
The teams (from): South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt.), Hashim Amla, A.B. de Villiers (wk), J.P. Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Johan Botha, Imran Tahir and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
India: M.S. Dhoni (capt. & wk), Sachin Tendulkar, M. Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, R. Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra.
Umpires: Simon Taufel and Brian Jerling; Third umpire: Marais Erasmus; Match referee: Chris Broad.
Match starts at 6 p.m. (IST).
