India believe South Africa have a weakness when facing spin, and have loaded their bowling attack accordingly
CRICKET:Jon Swift
IT IS of more than passing interest that India, the country which took the first step towards rebuilding this country’s cricketing strength by becoming South Africa’s debut opponents in the new, democratic era, should have focused on our single biggest weakness.
With Hansie Cronje’s side about to embark on a tour of the sub-continent which represents the first half of a six-Test home-and-away series this summer, Sachin Tendulkar’s team have loaded their five-day side with spin for the one-off Test against Australia, currently under way in New Delhi.
The subtlety of spin has been a weapon against which South Africa has shown consistent vulnerability, something which the Indians have been quick to home in on. Against the Australians, India have sacrificed the batting skills of Sanjay Manjrekar, Ajay Jadeja and Vinod Kambli to harness a spin attack consisting of Amil Kumble, Sunil Joshi, Narendra Hirwani and Ashish Kapoor.
In this, the Indians show a historical adherence to what has traditionally been their strength at home. The Indian cricketing psyche is finely attuned to the nuances of the slow, turning ball.
For the South Africans, brought up more on the cutlass of seam, the rapier of spin has tended to provide more than just a nagging headache and, while coach Bob Woolmer has been quick to stomp all over suggestions that this is an exploitable weakness, this smacks more of a morale-boosting whistle against the wind than facing the reality of the task ahead.
It takes no more than a brief glance at the South African top order to see that the chink in the armour of what is an extremely professional and rounded team does indeed exist.
Andrew Hudson has never been truly comfortable against bowling where the ball refuses to come onto the bat. Against spin, his flowing strokes sometimes become a stuttering series of short-arm jabs.
Gary Kirsten, installed as Cronje’s vice- captain in the injury-driven absence of Craig Matthews, is a direct contrast to Hudson in this regard. Gritty and determined and without Hudson’s elegance at the crease, Kirsten is less troubled by the turning ball, seemingly playing each delivery on its own merits. This, perhaps more than anything else, has made him the world-class player he undoubtedly is.
Cronje himself is often vulnerable to spin and has the added disadvantage of being in the process of batting himself back into form. Daryll Cullinan’s superb stroke-making abilities have shown cracks against class spin bowling in the past, as his record against Australia’s Shane Warne attests.
Cullinan also carries an injury – a chip in the bone of his little finger -into the tour and, while this has been dismissed as minor, it must be remembered that outside of technique and concentration, a batsman’s hands are his only real working tools. Jonty Rhodes too has a limited arsenal against the slower stuff, seemingly stuck in the groove of trying to sweep anything at less than medium pace. This inclination will surely not have escaped the Indians.
This is, admittedly, a thumbnail evaluation, and, given the fighting nature of the side which has been South Africa’s biggest and most valuable attribute since re-admittance to the world stage, one which will hopefully be proved wrong. But it does, nevertheless, not inspire a great deal of confidence on paper.
What does sound a strident trumpet note for the side though is the inclusion of Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje and Hershelle Gibbs in the touring party, alongside Derek Crookes, as the thin edge of the wedge of the new brigade of players starting to break through.
The stress fracture suffered by Jacques Kallis and the groin strain which has sidelined Paul Adams have opened a door for the younger players, and, while the all- round abilities of Kallis and the mesmeric anti-style of Adams will be missed, it is to be celebrated that this country has the depth to pull in players of the talents of Gibbs, Klusener, Boje and Crookes.
Whether Crookes, who shares the spin bowling with veteran Pat Symcox and young Boje on tour, will prosper in India remains to be seen. But exposure to the guiles and flighting so much a part of the Indian game in this department can only help improve the way Crookes delivers his offspin.
India are never an easy side to beat in their own backyard. The off-field conditions, the tortuous travel, added to the fiercely partisan crowds and tricky fields, all combine to take their toll on a touring party.
But there is the sure knowledge that Cronje’s side, despite any real or perceived weaknesses in the overall make-up, are not going to give up without a fight. Lying down on the job is simply not a thing that any team from this country has even begun to contemplate.
And this is a series – quite apart from the triangular one-dayers against the hosts and Aussies – which promises to deliver much. We await this delivery with some anxiety but great anticipation.
Touring squad: Hansie Cronje, Gary Kirsten, Andrew Hudson, Daryll Cullinan, Hershelle Gibbs, Jonty Rhodes, Brian McMillan, Derek Crookes, Dave Richardson, Nicky Boje, Pat Symcox, Lance Klusener, Allan Donald and Fanie de Villiers.