Preview: South Africa vs India, 1st Test - INDIA Tour SA

By Admin
Graeme-Smith-MS-Dhoni-Test-Series-2013
What
First of the two-Test series between South Africa and India
When
December 18-22, 2013 – 08:30 GMT (14:00 IST)
Where
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
The Teams
India
The first leg of their South African sojourn didn’t turn out to be very memorable. One can only hope that by now the Indians have gotten used to the conditions well enough to put up better fight in the Tests – that the batsmen are now equipped at handling the movement and the bowlers have figured out what the right length is on these tracks. Having played an ODI at the Wanderers just a few days back should give them better understanding of what to expect in the first Test.
What should also help India is the addition of some fresh faces that were not part of the ODI team. Zaheer Khan and Cheteshwar Pujara will bring experience and solidity on the bowling and batting fronts respectively. Zaheer in particular, will be the single-most crucial factor in moulding India’s fate in the series.
South Africa
The hosts will go to the Wanderers oozing with confidence, looking to beat the Indians like they did in the ODIs. However, as AB de Villiers aptly pointed out, complacency could be detrimental to their cause and they must guard against it despite India’s below-par performance in the shorter format.
While both teams are well stacked up with batting talent, the hosts have a distinct edge on the bowling front. While Dale Steyn leads a more than potent fast bowling attack, India have an army of upcoming bowlers led by comeback man Zaheer Khan. The onus is on the Proteas batsmen to use that to their advantage.
Key Players
India
Zaheer Khan has not just returned to the Indian team. He has returned fitter, leaner and fresher than ever. And if his seven Ranji Trophy matches are anything to go by, his swinging skills – both conventional and reverse – are absolutely intact. He will be the key for India in these two Tests for more reason than one. Not only will his shrewdness come in handy in setting the batsmen up for dismissals but his experience of playing in South Africa several times before will speak well for the younger pacers in plotting strategies in the change room and executing them on the field. Not to forget, Zaheer will go in with a mental edge over the Proteas skipper, Greame Smith.
South Africa
When Hashim Amla is in form, he bats like a man who is at peace with the world around him. Nothing and no one seem to bother him as he goes about his business of run-making. The bad news for India is that he is in form. Amla’s role in the South African batting lineup is that of an anchor surrounded by attackers. Patience will be the key for Indian bowlers and Amla is the man who can beat them in that regards.
Statistics

Tests
India
South Africa
Drawn
in South Africa
15
2
7
6
in India
12
5
5
2
Overall
27
7
12
8
Test matches at Johannesburg

Tests
Won
Lost
Drawn
Win%
South Africa
34
14
10
10
41.18
India
3
1
0
2
33.33
India-South Africa Tests at Johannesburg
 Month-Year
Inns1
Inns2
Inns3
Inns4
Result
 Nov 1992
SA 292
Ind 227
SA 252
Ind 141-4
Drawn
 Jan 1997
Ind 410
SA 321
Ind 266-8d
SA 228-8
Drawn
 Dec 2006
Ind 249
SA 84
Ind 236
SA 278
Ind-  123 runs
Trivia

India have won all six Tests they have played in 2013. South Africa have won six out of seven.
MS Dhoni will be leading India for the 50th time in a Test. He will become first Indian and 14th player to do so. Dhoni will also become first captain-wicketkeeper to appear in 50 Tests.
Zaheer Khan is five short of 300 wickets. He will become fourth Indian to reach this milestone after Anil Kumble (619), Kapil Dev (434) and Harbhajan Singh (431). He will also become only the third left-arm pacer to do so after Wasim Akram (414) and Chaminda Vaas (355).
Jacques Kallis is two short of 200 catches. He will become second fielder (excluding wicketkeepers) to perform this feat after Rahul Dravid. Kallis will also complete the unique allround treble of 10000 runs, 200 wickets and 200 catches.
The Squads
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt/wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, R. Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Zaheer Khan, Ambati Rayudu, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja.
South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Thami Tsolekile.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Story behind Yusuf Pathan jersey No. '999'

By Admin
Image
Like in life, in sports too there are people who remain an enigma. At least to those who watch them from the outside. They fascinate and frustrate in equal measures. At times, one feels they are surviving on their reputation and not its execution. But these enigmatic geniuses often find someone who understands their worth, who believes in them as much as they believe in themselves. Yusuf Pathan is an enigma. Everyone knows of his supreme leather-pounding power and they love him for that. But to their dismay they don’t see that skill being converted into runs. But those close to him and his team mates see what others can’t. His Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, Gautam Gambhir, surely does.  Questions have been raised about Pathan’s place in the KKR Playing XI since the beginning of the 2012 IPL. And with every low score against his name, they have gotten louder. In IPL 2013, Pathan has played three matches so far and scored 18*, 0 and 27.  They’re not big scores but they’
Read more

Rohit Sharma 264 Runs - Report: India vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Eden Gardens, Kolkata

By Admin
Image
Propelled by Rohit Sharma’s magnificent double-century, India marched to a 153-run win in Kolkata. While Eden Gardens celebrated 150 years, Rohit lit-up the stadium with a well paced 264 off 173 to make the occasion memorable. In doing so, he etched his name in the history books by posting the highest individual score in ODI cricket and became the only batsman to post two double hundreds in the 50-over format till date. It was breathtaking knock by the opener that set-up the match for India. The hosts then bowled the visitors out for 251 to take a 4-0 lead in the series.  (Also Read:  Rohit Sharma 264 Runs - Stats: India vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI ) Post by Indian Cricket Team Updates . Coming out to open with Ajinkya Rahane after India elected to bat, Rohit made the Sri Lankans regret the missed chance to send him back when he was batting on four. The opener taking the aerial route was dropped by Thisara Perera at third-man.  Having received a life, Rohit who was back in the
Read more

INDIA v PAKISTAN 1ST ODI ᴴᴰ FULL HIGHLIGHTS, CHENNAI, 30 DEC 2012

By Admin
Image
FULL HD HIGHLIGHTS INDIA v PAKISTAN 1ST ODI, CHENNAI, 30 DEC 2012. Man-of-the-Match: MS Dhoni  for his 113-run knock that helped India set up a competitive total Brief scores: India   227/6 in 50 overs  (MS Dhoni 113*, S Raina 43, R Ashwin 31*, J Khan 4/43) lost to  Pakistan 228/4 in 48.1 overs  (N Jamshed 101*, Y Khan 58, S Malik 34*, B Kumar 2/27) by six wickets   Nasir Jamshed:   "It was a tough start when we lost Hafeez off the first ball, but we played out the tough period and now we are confident in this series." Misbah-ul-Haq:  "It was really good toss to win and the spell by Junaid Khan was very good. He has done it before in a Test match in Sri Lanka. Good to see that the bowlers pitched in the right areas in helping conditions. There was a change in the nature of the pitch. It was more difficult to play in the first half, very well played by Dhoni. But Nasir played an extremely good knock and showed the way by finishing the game. Humidity
Read more