South Africa can 'turn' it around

South African captain Graeme Smith does not have a one-dimensional attack and that's what Dhoni's Indians have to watch out for in Nagpur today

South African captain Graeme Smith does not have a one-dimensional attack and that's what Dhoni's Indians have to watch out for in Nagpur today

India versus South Africa is generally a straight out confrontation between pace and spin. However, this time there will literally be a twist in the tale; the Proteas have come armed with spinners.


Be good! Pathan and Yuvraj after the win over Ireland on Sunday

For once the South Africans have chosen a balanced attack and while they'll undoubtedly attempt to harass the Indian top order, they'll also test their line-up with some subtle spin bowling variations. This is undoubtedly an advantage in Nagpur on what is generally regarded as a good batting pitch.

If the South Africans aren't pro-active in looking for early wickets then the all-powerful Indian batting line-up could overwhelm them. If India weren't apparently so worried about losing early wickets and bolstering the top order with steady players they could have an even more dangerous line-up. By replacing Gautam Gambhir with Suresh Raina, they could have an unmatchable explosive middle-order and improve their fielding.
This is even less of a gamble now that Yuvraj Singh is back in form and can easily return to his favoured number four spot.

Crucial aspects
Taking wickets and fielding well are going to be two crucial aspects of this tournament as it enters the knockout stage. With that simple tweak in the batting order and by replacing the leg-breaks of Piyush Chawla with the off-spin of Ravichandran Ashwin, India could strengthen their fielding and bowling, without diminishing the run-scoring potential.

The South Africans arrived with three big question marks. Is their spin attack penetrating? Do they have the middle-order firepower to take advantage of the batting powerplay? Have they learned how to win the tight encounters? The answers appear to be, yes, probably not and no.

The loss the other day in a tough contest with England will have revived a few bad memories. Where South Africa used to have great depth in batting they are now more top heavy and that hurt them against England.
They'll be looking to quickly change that perception against India, otherwise the other major nations will be circling like sharks smelling blood in the water.

In a tournament that has so far been long on matches and short on close finishes, this contest should reduce the imbalance. India can do themselves a huge favour by selecting the most versatile combination, as a win would give them a stranglehold on top place in Group B and an easier passage to the semi-finals.