What a great fightback by Team India. I had opined after Test 1 that the gaps between the two sides wasn't as large as the margin of defeat in T1 would seem to indicate. And that if India got the better of the conditions, and got some luck that they could win. India actually got the worst of the conditions, and they still won! Wow.
Before we get carried away, lets also remember that India got more than its fair share of luck. Not just the freak Kallis runout, nor the Zaheer lbw (not given) and the deVilliers and Boucher lbws (given). The Indian batsmen seemed to have an inordinate number of play and misses, and when they did edge or play a false shot, the ball went to ground or in the gaps. But thats the rub of the green and all part of the game, and fair payback for the reverse happening at Centurion.
But above all, this Test reiterates that Zaheer Khan is the single most valuable player in the Indian lineup. The batting has many contributors, each of whom has stepped up at different time; but without Zak, we would struggle to bowl out county second XI's, let alone a murderer's row like South Africa's lineup.
And a nod to the much-maligned (TM) Harbhajan Singh. He needed to bowl tightly, hold one end up, and let Dhoni rotate the pacers from the other end as the pressure built up. Keeping it tight was essential, and starting with the first over of the day Bhajji's analysis was 13-1-25-1 -- outstanding pressure at one end, and with that kind of bowling, it is no wonder that wickets will fall somewhere. And they did, with Sreesanth producing a brute to remove Kallis, and Zaheer prying out Boucher, Steyn & Harris.
All that remained was the formality of naming VVSL the Man of the match, for his brilliant 96, which was by some distance the highest score on this bowler's paradise (no one else crossed 40). This is his third straight clutch second innings knock to set up a win in the last few months, after his match-winning ton against Sri Lanka and his famous stand with Ishant against the Aussies.
Moreover, Team India continues to play as a team -- all credit to Dhoni for welding together a wonderful unit, where parochial pressures and selfish desires are set aside, and the team pulls together for a win.
All square, and everything to play for in picturesque Newlands. January 2nd can't come soon enough for me. I will post a preview in a few days.
Until then Happy New Year to you and yours, and may 2011 be the year for you.
Bharat
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