Excitement is never in short supply across India when the sport we are talking about is cricket. But the Twenty20 format, IPL in particular, has taken it to a different level. And BCCI is a veteran at feeling the pulse of the nation. The South Africa tour beginning with the T20s is thus the perfect way to start kick-ass cricket over the course of next 72 days.
The three-match series beginning at Dharamsala on Friday is like two riders introducing the equestrian course to their horses. The approach will start with the ODIs and the Test series will decide who made the cleaner jumps to win.
It’s also a kind of test run ahead of the World Twenty20 in India next year. Those tested will be the rookies on both sides. Names such as S Aravind, Kagiso Rabada and Khaya Zondo will try to kill two birds with one stone – get their team to win and add weight to their chances for the T20 World Cup.
The series will also put the IPL experience into perspective. AB de Villiers, skipper Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, David Miller and Imran Tahir are no strangers to Indian conditions. In fact, they are among the biggest names to milk the cash cow and now will use that experience on national duty.
The series is also a redemption route for the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra. While the latter started enjoying his new lease of life in Sri Lanka, the former is still trying to repay the trust selectors have shown by calling him back.
The most rested of Indian players will undoubtedly be MS Dhoni. The limited-overs skipper is returning after almost three months of enjoying family time, bike rides and perhaps a few rounds of shooting at a range near Ranchi.
Having watched the team script a historic Test series win in Sri Lanka, Dhoni has also returned with a list of do’s and don’ts, of which topping the latter is perhaps ‘logical aggression’, the lack of which has already cost India in the form of Ishant Sharma’s confirmed absence from the first Test later on the tour.
“Aggression does not mean exchanging words or physical contact…It’s good to be aggressive but at the same time we have to follow the guidelines and make sure that all are available and there is no disciplinary action on anyone. We want to play aggressive but within the guidelines,” Dhoni said in no uncertain words and the message was evidently for Ishant and Test skipper Virat Kohli.
But the South Africans are not expecting to meet a “chilled” Team India.
“We’ll see a little bit more of that [aggression] in this series than we usually do from India. Usually they are pretty chilled and smile and relaxed on the field and just talk around the bat when the spinners are bowling, but it’s a new phase of Indian cricket and we’ve also got a few guys who can do a bit of that,” Du Plessis had had said before departing for India.
The visitors’ warm-up didn’t actually go to plan as their bowlers were taken to the cleaners by India A, who easily crossed a stiff 189 to beat the South Africans at the Palam ground in Delhi.
But Rohit Sharma said it doesn’t reflect anything as practice games are an opportunity to test what may work or what not.
“These are practice games. The teams field their best combination and try out reserves as well. I don’t want to read too much into the result.” That’s how Rohit viewed South Africa’s eight-wicket defeat.
There’s also a ranking battle within the battle, with a 3-0 whitewash guaranteeing India a jump from No. 4 to No. 2 in the ICC T20 rankings against the No. 6 South Africa.
But such things take care of themselves if teams focus just on giving their best, which is what Dhoni and Du Plessis will expect of their boys.
