World Test supremacy stakes reach fever pitch

Sri Lanka is positioned fourth in the world Test team rankings, but the voyage for supremacy being a three pronged contest between India, South Africa and Australia now shifting to Indian soil --- where South Africa has drawn first blood over the Indians with a comprehensive win in the first Test match makes interesting reading. For, the pre-2-match series hype had been immense. India occupying No.1 spot followed by South Africa and Australia, but with no real clear cut contender to the supreme spot going by performance.
While we will touch on how the three major teams have got there later on in this column, that Greame Smiths’ Proteas triumphed over Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Indians in a crucial game vital to their quest to becoming the super Test team playing away from home in the Indian den has certainly struck a shot in the arm in that quest. For Smith’s charges arrived in India as the clear underdogs with India tagged the favourites in Indian terrain where history speaks of the long drawn Indian dominance over visiting teams.

Surged forward

In that context, as far as first flings go South Africa has indeed surged forward scoring vital points in an ensuing race that holds out the promise of a tough contest despite India’s meek innings defeat inside of four days at Nagpur; a contest dominated by South Africa from the very first day; the victory chapter of which was solidly built on the ever dependable grandeur of Jaque Kallis’ batsmanship. A batsmanship that quickly grabbed back the initiative initially surrendered by the loss of his skipper and Ashwell Prince.

Kallis artistry

Indeed, the Kallis artistry with the bat that has over the years projected the right hander in a super model mode, but that has more often than not been in the paling shadows when his team was on the losing side, that made the initial difference between the two sides; the right hander comfortably reaching his century on the opening day in partnership with Hashim Amla for the third wicket that went on to blossom in a record 340-run stand with Amla going on to make a double century.
His 34 Test centuries and 52 half tons from 136 matches is apt reading of the Kallis adventurism. He has found a willing foil in Hashim Amla who has progressively blossomed in consistency with 8 centuries and 16 fifties.
While the South African batting machinery made rag dolls of the Indian bowling attack, the bowling compartment was equally telling reducing a strong Indian batting line up to 233 in the first essay. Paceman Dale Steyn’s 7 wickets in the first and 3 in the second innings when India made 319 on the back of a Sachin Tendulkar lone resistance century for his 46th, signified a new born South African side; the advent of left arm spinner Paul Harris with a handful of wickets adding to that status quo.
If the Tendulkar back to the wall century in a lost cause resonated why he is yet the prince of batting at age 36, this only factor for the Indians to smile about is the type of resilience the host country’s batting machinery will need to showcase in the crucial second Test starting today February 14. In that thrust to the best team status, India leads with 4359 points from 35 matches with a rating of 125 and South Africa has 4197 points from an identical number of outings for a rating of 120 while Australia’s 4586 points is from 39 matches for a rating of 118.

Sri Lanka creditable 4th

Incidentally, Sri Lanka at 4th place is quite creditable with 3574 points from 31 matches with a rating of 115.
Going on their last home and away outings neither of the top three teams have a big lead. India lost both its series’ in South Africa and Australia. South Africa lost to Australia at home and drew in India while Australia lost the last series in India and at home to South Africa.
But South Africa, by its latest achievement at Nagpur, has set the jet set race in Test cricket in a momentum of heat. Victory in the final Test would give the Proteas the series win to lay claims to the big mantle of supremacy; a supremacy that would be a vindication of South African cricket that dictated the game to the world in the pre-apartheid era, but which has been eluded of greatness in the post-apartheid period. The closest they have come to big stakes in the gallop to the summit of cricket has been entering a World Cup semi-final.

Indian perspective

From an Indian perspective, today’s second Test starting at Kolkota will be equally decisive in stalling the South Africans to stay on top. Of course, analytically, India has the stuff to bounce back. Under the tutelage of a former South African star in Gary Kirsten has seen a reborn side with a lust to win. A desire that has been showcased on the back of the side’s openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambir. Wholly, the Sehwag discovery that has seen batting taken to a new height by his huge knocks of late including three treble centuries makes the right hander a devastating batsman capable of dictating terms to bowlers. Sehwag seemed to have arrived when he gave it away in the first Test and cannot be written off. Gambir, on the other hand, has been the sheet anchor of the side with a consistency that has propelled him to be the No.1 batsman in rankings. The Tendulkar presence is huge and Dhoni, whose success rate is such that he had never lost before as a captain but the Nagpur Test, could well rue the absence of the solid Rahul Dravid due to injury. The Indian bowling juggernaut has the stuff to come back.
All in all, the Kolkota Test is huge for cricket at that level. Both sides have the heavyweights to bathe the game in all its glory. South Africa deriving giant proportions from the freshness of victory; India not to be written off on home soil.