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Journalism of Courage
Twisting and turning through the labyrinths of this tightly packed tour,India and South Africa have come a full circle literally. With the Tests tied 1-1 and two wins each in the ODI series so far,the tie-breaker finale will unfold with everything to play for in the same place where it all started six Sundays back the Supersport Park in Centurion.
Before the Indians had landed in South Africa for their fifth tour,they had won a total of three ODIs in 20 matches (bilateral and triangular series) against the Proteas at home. It was always going to be difficult to win the same amount in almost one-fifth the matches,but somehow,MS Dhoni and his young side missing the likes of Virender Sehwag,Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar stand on the brink of history.
Although they muffed it up,history has a tendency to repeat itself. There were many positives that the visiting team management took out of the game,such as Virat Kohlis imperious form. Out of a team total of 142/6,Kohli scored the major chunk of it while blistering away to an unbeaten 87.
With just a one-day break following the rain-hindered game in Port Elizabeth,both teams will go into the first day-game of the series without any practice on the eve of the match. But a day before the mouth watering conclusion,neither captains looked too concerned about last minute preparations.
It cant get any better than this. What more can you ask for when the best teams in the world play each other with the series tied at 2-2. Its been like that all summer long. The Test series went on till the last match in Cape Town,and its taken the same route in the ODI series. It will be very interesting, Dhoni added.
Graeme Smith echoed his counterparts emotions. At the moment no one holds the advantage. Its about who performs better on the day. We have to go out on Sunday and do the same things well, Smith said after his penultimate match on South African soil. Having decided to call it quits after the World Cup,Smith was emotional. Both victories that India earned have been decided after hard fought brawls,to say the least.
If it was a cliff hanger one-run victory in Johannesburg,then the two-wicket win in Cape Town wasnt for the weak-hearted. On the other hand,South Africa may have won quite comfortably at Durban and PE,but Smith is weary about his team suffocating (choking is a bad word in this part of the world) at crucial stages.
Rain threat
With heavy thunderstorms in Centurion all week long,the weather threatens to remind India of their terrible first day of the tour,when they crashed to 134/9 on a damp Supersport Park wicket. But this time around,Dhoni feels that the side is mentally ready to quell the monster.
I dont mind a damp wicket again. I dont think a collapse will happen again. And I am hopeful there wont be any Duckworth-Lewis involved this time around. Its an ideal set-up for a dramatic conclusion for the whole tour,so may the best team win.
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