India will have to do exceptionally well to avoid defeat

Nicky Boje, sent in as a night watchman, has ensured that the Indians will have a sleepless night with his purposeful innings on the second day at the Chinnaswamy stadium. He negotiated the Indian attack almost with elan and some of his shots must have made a few Indian batsmen blush. He spent over four hours at the crease and scored runs at a faster pace than Kirsten. In fact, Boje's knock has underlined the fact that runs could be made on this wicket with a little bit of application.

The advantage of winning the toss was squandered away by some very ordinary batting by the Indians on the opening day. Ramesh opting out on the eve of the game meant that the Indians had to go in again with a stop gap opener. Dravid's elevation to the opener's slot has surpassed all the surprises that the team management has sprung in the last few months. At the moment, Dravid is struggling with his self-imposed curfew and the added pressure of having to open the innings is the last thing he would have wanted. Considering that the Indians batted first, Mongia would have been the ideal choice for opening and it is not an unfamiliar role to him in any case.

The bug of bad shot selection seems to have eventually infected Tendulkar as well and his departure left the Indians in a hopeless situation. Anil Kumble batted with determination and emerged as the top scorer, which is an indication of the current form of the Indian batting line-up. He had a bit of support from Mongia but the latter would not be proud with his mode of dismissal. Any team getting bowled out on the first day of a Test match is liable to be in deep trouble as the Indians found themselves in at the end of the second day.

Kirsten, in the company of Boje squashed whatever hopes Gibbs' early departure might have produced. He is not one to dominate but can grind any attack with his tenacity and grit. Not for nothing is he one of the leading run getters for South Africa. "Attack is the best form of defence" seems to be Cullinan's motto and he can be very dangerous if he survives the first half-hour on the third day. The Indians have to do something miraculous to keep the South African lead to manageable levels and thereby give themselves a chance of staying in the match. Otherwise the South African batting line-up has the required platform as also the depth to bat the hosts out of the match.

Suffice to say that the Indians have to do exceptionally well in all the departments of the game to avert what looks like an inevitable defeat at the moment.