India Vs South Africa: Can wanderers turn winners?

Kohli sees final Test as opportunity to rectify mistakes and end with something in the kitty as South Africa eye humiliating whitewash.
Morne Morkel celebrates the wicket of Indian skipper Virat Kohli on the Day 1 of  the India South Africa test. (Photo: PTI)
Morne Morkel celebrates the wicket of Indian skipper Virat Kohli on the Day 1 of the India South Africa test. (Photo: PTI)

JOHANNESBURG: So here we are. Back to how it was at the Oval in 2011 and in Adelaide in 2012. After 58 Test matches, having gone through a transition phase, having gone on to become the No 1 side in Tests, back to the territory where another whitewash looms in overseas conditions. Across three continents, after seven years, the Indian team is staring at a 3-0 defeat in South Africa.

Though the side which lost eight out of eight in England and Australia bears no resemblance to the current one, there are three players who were part of it. Ishant Sharma, Virat Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha (gone home now) had gone on both those tours. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav were part of the squad Down Under.

It is basically the same bunch that India used over the next seven years, building a core, with the likes of Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami forming the base. Together, they won some and started dreaming about winning in conditions that challenge the best.

But now, skipper Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri are talking about how touring sides fare in India, comparing their plight in spin-friendly conditions with the state of their own team in South Africa. In a way, such remarks are no different from those “You come to India, we will show you who we are,” statements made after that 8-0 drubbing. It is a thought that shouldn’t circle around the Indian dressing room. Such thoughts will only take the team backwards, a situation that could again see them looking for new faces for the future.

On the eve of the final Test, Virat Kohli spoke on different lines. “We have looked at the positives from the first two games, not many times on overseas tours have we picked 40 wickets in two Test matches. I think that’s a big boost for us. It’s never a bad time to start something, that’s what I believe in. And, as I said, batsmen are looking to rectify their mistakes in the first two games. It’s a chance for everyone to step up in times that have not gone our way and to change things around.

That will build character, that will build individuals and that will build personalities. That can be a milestone for guys going forward if they can step up in this game and be the difference for us in this Test. It’s never a bad time to start,” Kohli said.

If they go on to lose this Test too, then changes have to be brought in. It is not that a defeat should cause panic, but the resources invested in will probably need a rethink, particularly with the A team set-up doing well. “We will have to sit down and discuss those things. It doesn’t feel nice when you come out and you feel good as a team and then you are not able to execute what you want to. Obviously the selectors will come into the conversation as well when we are looking at planning for future tours because we have a lot of cricket away from home.

This was not the only tour. We have to identify all the areas that need improvement. And act on those. Obviously the selectors are going to be a big part of that conversation,” Kohli said when asked if the team was looking at players in the A team, who have been getting exposure to overseas conditions too.
As far this Test goes, India are looking at the positives, especially the performance of the bowlers, which kept them in the contest in both Tests, before batsmen threw away opportunities. And after having lengthy one-on-one discussions with them, the captain believes the final Test provides another chance to correct mistakes.

“Everyone has been spoken to individually. Discussions have happened as to what went wrong, what happened, why it happened and the guys have taken it really well. And as I have said, anytime you step on to the field, you have an opportunity to correct your mistakes. That’s how you progress at the international level. I am sure everyone is looking forward to rectifying those mistakes,” he said.

venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com

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