KOLKATA: It's Valentine's Day but if you're looking for love, Eden Gardens is a most unlikely place to find some. Jaws clenched and cudgels out, the mood here is one of confrontation: one between the top two teams of Test cricket, and another that is no more than mere undertone but capable of seriously harming the host's chances of levelling the two-match series and retaining their No. 1 position atop the ICC ladder.
Louis Vuitton BagsAs India and South Africa strap on battle gear for the second Test amidst the unmistakable whiff of gunpowder, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men have already lost the battle on a crucial front - their home advantage has been sacrificed at the altar of CAB's declared eagerness to provide a sporting wicket.
Team India will have to quickly climb down from visions of a brown turner to the reality of a green-tinged wicket, unless CAB has a change of heart and drastic measures are unleashed before the ground is handed over to match officials before Sunday's toss.
In addition to seeing their main strength dented, the Indians have also been left with a tricky balancing act. An extra bowler - ideally a spinner, for that is the area from where India are more likely to fetch the win they so desperately need - will be a huge temptation but it may still not be strong enough to overcome the strong fear from Dale Steyn and Co. after the batting debacle of Nagpur.
So, they may again have to do with four specialist bowlers, and the pressure is squarely on Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra, the latter a trifle unlucky not to have done better than he did after beating Immersion Replica Watches the bat on so many occasions in Nagpur.
Talking of luck, Dhoni needs some with the toss. The Indians would want to go after the South Africans on a fifth-day wicket but, then, the positive possibilities can arise only if they survive the Proteas pacers on a fresh wicket and put enough runs on the board in the first innings. In fact, first innings is where the battle may well be lost and won; in Nagpur, the Indians conceded just too much ground to their opponents.
While VVS Laxman is coming back Hublot Watch from injury to bolster the inexperienced middle-order, the South Africans survived a serious injury scare when skipper Graeme Smith, having fractured his left little-finger on Friday, decided to turn out. He will, of course, be playing through pain and looked a trifle uncomfortable while facing up to the spinners at Saturday's nets. Having guided the Proteas to the doorstep of their first Test series win in 10 years, it is understandable that the skipper wants to be in the thick of battle.
The South Africans surely feel they have a very good chance of wrapping up the series here. They are in the driver's seat and will surely do all they can to thwart India, who are left with little choice but to do all the running. Eden has traditionally favoured swing and there is likely to be an edge to it all this time. With some of the the tall terraces demolished because of renovation work, the breeze from the Hooghly that blew across the pitch, particularly in the late afternoon, will be blowing again. It will be an opportunity for seam-up bowlers on both sides. For Reprint Rights: timescontent.com
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