By ICF Staff
January 6 2011

India ties the test series against South Africa to consolidate its number 1 ranking, after the South Africa's world leading pace attack were frustrated by the Indian top order on the final day of the third test.

Erstwhile England captain Michael Vaughan coined the phrase "moral victory" to console himself and his team after a drawn, sometimes even a lost series.

While such a moral victory is not claimed, India's achievements were the more impressive in this exciting tied series between the top two teams.

• India was well on track to win the final match given an additional half day; Duckworth-Lewis would attest to that. Perhaps if the first day of the game were not cut short by rain.
• The first test of the series was also India's first game on South African soil on this tour, given that no tour games were on the schedule. The first Test thus was used to acclimatize the Indians to the conditions here, not a great way to start a series. BCCI rushed through the tests, when a couple of ODIs could have been sacrificed instead.
• Half the side joined the team just before the series started, being busy with an ODI series against New Zealand at home.
• Dhoni lost the toss in both the tests played on pitches favorable to pace, and SA with its pace attack chose to bowl first in both. The consequence particularly in the first game were disastrous, as the pitch eased out only from the second day onwards.

Dale Steyn was as harmless on an unpredictable and cracked fifth-day pitch, if not more so, as his Indian counterparts on day 4. Spinner Harris was ineffective, forcing Smith to try his hand before he was hit out of the attack.

Kallis rated his second innings 109 the best he has played, in a pressure situation and with injury. Gambhir will undoubtedly consider his own fourth-innings 64 as one of his best, under pressure and injury further exacerbated by a hit to the injured elbow early in his innings.

Tendulkar played an unusually restrained innings to keep the South African pacemen at bay. But Sehwag should never have  attempted to do the same. He should have been allowed to play his natural game, and if he had scored a magical half-century or century, he could have put India in position to win. It seems he was working with different instructions, instead playing defense and failing.

South Africa has not won a series at home against a top side in a while. For some, their inability to close out this series will reinforce their "choker" label. They could only get 3 wickets for the day on a 5th-day pitch, and Smith lamented the inability of his bowlers to put in that little extra that Harbhajan could.

They say travel broadens the mind, and India will have learned more about themselves on this tour.

Clearly, Dravid is no longer the batsman he was and the sooner he is replaced the better it will be for Indian cricket.

Tendulkar enhanced his reputation as the world's best batsman, Gambhir was consistently solid as opener on pacy tracks against the best pacemen, despite arriving in South Africa just before the series started, and  Laxman was brilliant under pressure. Sehwag was unable to fire, Pujara somewhat disappointing but needs more time.

Sreesanth has established himself as a firm selection for number 2 paceman, while Zaheer at age 32 seems to be injuring himself more frequently, although he started impressively. He missed the first test, led the pace attack in the second which India won convincingly, but bowled without pace in the third, perhaps slipping back into injury. He may need to cut back on work load if India is to continue its dominance.

Harbhajan has reestablished himself as India's, and perhaps the world's, premiere spinner.

India urgently need to strengthen their bowling ranks with another fast bowler and another spinner.

The English tour will be interesting. England's performance against a weak Australia has been impressive, but they lost a game and drew one, while India clean-sweeped the Aussies in Tests as well as ODIs just before the Ashes. India will go into England as favorites, assuming there is a tour game before the first Test.

India had the edge

Discussion started by Indian Cricket Fever (IP Logged), 06/01/2011 23:22

Indian Cricket Fever
06/01/2011 23:22

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Meet_New_Mr_India
06/01/2011 23:40

Zaheer was in 2nd test while he missed the first one.. Please correct that.. and with Zaheer's help we were able to win the 2nd one convincingly..

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Spirit of Cricket
07/01/2011 00:24

Thanks, fixed.

I wonder if Zaheer was slipping back into some injury in the third match? Without him, I don't think India can retain its dominance.

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Birbal
07/01/2011 18:13

A while back I had suggested that if a series is tied going into the FINAL AND DECIDING Test match it should be made a 6 day affair to avoid a draw...

If India had an extra day...chances are they would have won...

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Birbal
07/01/2011 18:15

This also should have been applied to the Sydney Test of 2003-04... when India scored the MOST RUNS EVER by a VISITING SIDE in a single innings in Australia....they were thwarted by a totally patta wicket... instead of the normally spin friendly SCG (especially on thhe 5th day) and of course some poor catching and biased umpiring....

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