The skies were moody grey and there was moisture in the air, not rain but the kind of heavy humidity for which Durban is renowned. Virender Sehwag slashed at his first ball and was caught at second slip. He made just five in the second innings before edging to first slip.
It was the second Test of India’s tour three years ago and the Proteas won it to square the series after an embarrassing display in the first Test at the Wanderers. They won the decider, too, on a dramatic final day at Newlands to make it four series wins out of four against India on South African soil since the “Friendship Tour” of 1992/1993.
It may be grossly unfair to single out Sehwag for criticism given that no Indian batsmen in the preceding 15 years barring, perhaps, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar, had looked at ease against fast bowling on South African pitches, but he looked particularly stomachless when it came to the fight. So much so that he was removed from the top of the order and hidden at number seven for the third Test (from where he threw his wicket away once again on 40).
It is impossible for those outside the elite who have played Test cricket to comprehend fully the intensity of the battle, of every ball, in fact. When your health, career and livelihood can be adversely affected every minute, when the sweat is dripping into your eyes, your ribs are aching from the last bouncer and you are aware, consciously or subconsciously of the rising adrenalin caused by fear, that is when series are decided. Most players act instinctively at such moments but Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, says that is possible to make a calm, rational decision at such intense moments.
‘They are the moments that will decide this series. They always decide matches between the best teams,” he said this week. ‘Whether it’s a bowler with bleeding feet in his 30th over of the innings or a batsman going through a physically and psychologically hard period of his innings, they need to ask themselves whether it is about them — in which case they can give it away — or whether it is about the team.
“It’s no secret that in the past some Indian teams and players have been more concerned with their individual glory and success than that of the group but that has changed to the opposite extreme in the last 12 or 18 months,” Kirsten said. “The guys all know that they are number one in the world because they are a team, not a collection of talented individuals.”
But they are talented individuals — very talented. It’s just that they are now playing to a level that exceeds the sum of their parts rather than one that sometimes failed to reach 50%.
“Everyone is extremely keen to make a play during the series,” said Kirsten, unapologetically borrowing a phrase from the American sporting lexicon. “This is a very experienced team. Most of them have been here and have felt the pain of defeat. They are not used to losing these days and they want to put the record straight very badly.”
Apart from the great Australian team of the late 1990s and early 2000s, no touring team has ever arrived on these shores as favourites. Could this Indian team be regarded as such?
“Absolutely ridiculous, of course not,” says Kirsten. “They have the chance to become one of the greatest Indian teams ever if they can win here, but they are going to have to dig as deep — deeper, probably — as they have ever done before. All of those moments of pain will have to be confronted and everyone will have to think of the team before they decide how they are going to react.”
Despite being the number one ranked Test team in the world, India are not favourites. Only Indian romantics would choose their top six batsmen as a unit over the Proteas’ in South African conditions and only immediate family members would opt for Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth over Morné Morkel and Dale Steyn in the pace department.
Not even Harbhajan Singh would crack the majority vote over Paul Harris as the spinner unless the jury were more interested in runs at number eight and a relentless stream of salty one-liners than a stream of tidy maiden overs.
But if that means they are underdogs, then there could never have been a more thoroughbred and award-winning example of the species.
Finally, let us not forget that, while Englishmen and Australians the world over are convinced that the world’s cricketing gaze is reserved exclusively for them, the Ashes — at present — is a contest merely for third and fourth place. This series is the “real” thing and will boast five of the world’s top 10 ranked batsmen and four of the bowlers. Down under the numbers are one and three out of 10. It is a mouth-watering prospect.