The middle-order has to deliver

I expected a determined effort from the Indians after their debacle at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth. But no, there weren't any signs of that from the Indians against the South Africans at Buffalo Park in East London. The manner in which they surrendered to the South Africans went to prove one thing; the loss against Kenya was not an aberration by any means.

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I am at a loss to understand what the Indian middle order is upto. They are brittle at best and better forgotten these days. Ganguly and Tendulkar gave India an amazing start and a shot at victory but as has happened in the past, the rest of the team, with the exception of Dravid, surrendered abjectly. This is not the team that pulled off a wonderful win at the Centurion against South Africa. In the last two games they have clearly shown signs of complacency and lack of purpose.

South Africa were better prepared as one should expect them to be. Their pride having taken a bad bruising at the Centurion, the Proteas were determined to prove a point or two to the Indians. They had worked hard on a game plan and most importantly the homework was put to practice.

Shaun Pollock's plan was, to get off to a sound start and then play Harbhajan Singh out without giving him a wicket. I think they would have planned to take 80 runs off Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to be in business. That was what they did with great success.

The Indian pace attack never seem to learn about the importance of bowling a good line and length. Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar bowled on either side of the wicket, giving too much width, a recipe for disaster against the likes of Gibbs and Dippenaar. The South African openers laid the foundation on which the likes of Kallis, Rhodes and Klusener built up the total of 282/4 in 50 overs.

I watched the South Africans go about their batting with much interest. They are comfortable in negotiating Kumble but their main worry is Harbhajan Singh. Mind you, they are taking a closer look at the young off spinner, who will be a big threat in the longer version of the game.

No one has any doubts about the class of the South African fielding. Once again the very best of the Proteas was in exhibition at the Buffalo Park. Kallis took a memorable catch in the deep to dismiss Ganguly, which was truly the turning point. The Indian innings started to go downhill after that. The three run outs also proved to be crucial; the Indian batsmen seemed to have forgotten the basics when it comes to running between the wickets.

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I don't think that the Indian team management expects Tendulkar and Ganguly to bat through the 50 overs. There was a substantial lack of acceleration in the middle overs and one can't expect any team to win with such mediocre effort. The middle-order has to deliver the goods and it is about time they did.

It is heartening to see Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid being in good nick. It augurs well for the Test series, when their batting skills and determination will be put to the ultimate test. Apart from the three top batsmen, the remaining batsmen couldn't even muster 50 runs. With a fragile middle order and not one allrounder worth his salt, I wonder where the runs will come from. Don't we all miss Kapil Dev...

What gives me heart though is the news that the middle order is being bolstered now with a certain VVS Laxman flying to South Africa this Sunday.

We will have a match on our hands on Wednesday in Paarl against Kenya. The winner goes to Friday's final game against South Africa. India will do well to forget the last two matches they played. St George's Park was a disaster waiting to happen and Buffalo Park is a cruel reminder that we have miles to go to be a complete team.