Number one, but just about

They might be top ranked in Tests but India is far from being a champion side.

The innings victory in the Kolkata Test not only helped India stay number one in Tests, but also showed why it was ranked number one. Unfortunately, it also showed why the team may not remain number one for long. Of course, it was a terrific comeback. Few teams in history have lost a match by an innings and managed to win the next by a similar margin — in less than a week. It requires immense self belief, matched by abilities. There was no time in between to recover from the loss, and no practice match to help out-of-form players get back in form. To India’s credit, this series draw was earned more honourably than the one on South Africa’s last visit. Then, having been blown away on an accidental green top, the hosts served a dust bowl of a pitch in the last Test and won.

This time, though, the pitch in Kolkata did not have any demons; it was an excellent Test match pitch that held itself very well together over five days, offering something to the batsman who knew his game and the bowler willing to bend his back or give a bit of extra tweak to the ball.

The worrying parts, however, are that even as South Africa lost the second Test by an innings, it was only in one session that its batsmen were truly dominated by Indian bowlers — the last session of the first day, when it slipped from 218 for one to 261 for nine. However, the last pair stretched the score by 35 runs, exposing India’s inability to clean up the tail.

This became even more of an eyesore when South Africa batted again. Both Smith and Kallis, two batsmen who revel when they have their backs to the wall or when they are chasing history, were back in the hut after 33 overs and two balls. That left it to Amla to rescue the team with the help of out-of-sorts Prince, de Villiers and Duminy. The latter three duly failed, but two unexpected fighters. Parnell and Morkel kept the Indians at bay for a combined 124 deliveries. That’s 20 overs and four balls a in a match that decided when just nine were left. The South African team lasted about 98 more overs after the fall of Smith and Kallis, though the other recognised batsmen did little.

Every champion side needs a bowler, preferably two, who can take out the tailenders in a hurry — bamboozling them with balls they cannot read or just scaring them with face. South Africa’s reserve bowler, Kallis, was often faster and better than our young pace sensation, Ishant Sharma, who wasted countless deliveries in South Africa’s second innings by bowling either on the left stump or outside. Harris, who revels in calling himself innocuous, outbowled both our spinners in the first Test.

Harbhajan rightly roared in triumph after taking the last wicket of the second Test. But, to be fair, that roar was long overdue.

(suveen.sinha@bsmail.in)