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Journalism of Courage
They can be spotted right from the moment the aircraft begins to land,littering the godly Garden Route the beachside road that bridges the Western and Eastern Capes like floating feathers,zig-zagging across the lashing blue waves. While the amateurs hold onto the wooden trunks of the gigantic harbour to assist them,the professionals leave behind a mesmerising white trail in the raging Indian Ocean. The contrast in Port Elizabeths surfing community was also reflected in the opposite emotions of the arriving cricket teams.
While the hosts resembled the amateurs,looking as if a rising wave had seemingly washed away their hopes,MS Dhoni & Co displayed the body language of the professional surfers of Eastern Capes capital city,swaggering to climb the winning tide once more on Friday. And if confidence is anything to go by,the Indians could very well notch their first ever ODI series win on South African soil on the spanking shores of PE.
If surfing is the heart of this city,then cricket is its soul. And the only event that truly wakes this sleepy town out of its year-long slumber is an international cricket match at the 163-year old St Georges Park the venue for the penultimate one-dayer of this series. While the large flock of surfers returned to their beaches unhappy after the South Africans cancelled their morning practice due to rain,a few of them enjoyed the Indian session in the evening.
Sharing their practice area with children in school uniforms,Yusuf Pathan Tuesdays hero in Cape Town whacked the ball to all corners of the park,before Parthiv Patel enjoyed the blinding focus of coach Gary Kirstens throwdowns. With Murali Vijay struggling considerably at the top of the order (18 runs in three innings) Dhoni ensured that the Gujarat keeper a replacement for the injured Sachin Tendulkar got his eye in before he takes a call on Friday afternoon.
Although both teams are struggling with their top-order,Im not really worried about it. Our batting department,which is our big strength,needs to click as a unit. Hopefully we will perform according to the kind of potential we have got in the side, he said on Thursday.
India had never won two ODIs in a row against SA at home before Cape Town,let alone a full series over four previous tours. But as most sour Indian records have ripened sweetly on SA soil on this tour,a 3-1 series lead on Friday will be the ultimate fruit of labour. The Test side saw unprecedented success by returning with a loss,and the youngster-laced ODI side could just take it to the next level.
But with the tour drawing to an end,Dhoni feels that it is important to keep mental fatigue at bay. The mood is same,we cannot allow it to fluctuate too much. We are concentrating on the process,and not on the series win. Our main focus is to not repeat earlier mistakes in tomorrows match. Nothing spoils a party in PE like the rain. And with more of it expected on the day of the match,the unseasonal showers threatens to slip the city back into its hibernation,ruining both its heart and soul surfing and cricket respectively.
6:00 Pm onwards: Ten cricket
