Nagpur: An unsure Indian team will meet the South Africans, who are reeling under pressure after their defeat to England. It will be a test of nerves with South Africa wanting to prove that they will not choke again under pressure. India, on the other hand, is also under pressure having recorded unimpressive victories so far.
But the Proteas will carry the confidence of a recent 3-2 win over India in a recent series, although that happened under different conditions.
The wicket at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium, located 20km from Nagpur, is known to favour batsmen. This is bound to add to the woes of the Indian bowling, which is already struggling on helpful wickets too. So the focus will be on the Indian batsmen, who will have to post a big total to put South Africa under pressure.
Home crowd
The South Africans believe that India will be under pressure in front of its home crowd. In short, both teams are aiming for the opposition players to crack under pressure, since both are strong on paper.
It is with huge fanfare that the Indian team was welcomed by fans into the city. The news from the Indian camp is that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not little disappointed with the team's performance so far in all departments. Hence, changes are likely to be made with a chorus for including off spinner R. Ashwin gaining momentum. There is also the probability of Suresh Raina being included in the eleven.
Dhoni can relax over the fact that they now top the tally table after three victories and one tie, what he needs is momentum. The team's fielding, which he admitted was not impressive, is still a worrying factor. A dropped catch can play a crucial role in such a close battle.
The fact that South Africa's star batsman Jacques Kallis is still searching for runs can be a relief for the Indian team, but he is someone who can tilt the balance of the match in a flash. Time and again he has proved that he enjoys playing the Indian attack with huge scores and his ability to handle spin will come handy. Hashim Amla, who was the only batsman to score over 30 runs in South Africa's defeat to England, will also be watched. AB De Villiers will be another batsman to watch out for along with Graeme Smith and J.P. Duminy.
Suspense
As usual, there is suspense over their Pakistan-born spinner Imran Tahir's fitness. Though the South African team management says he has a chipped fracture in his left hand thumb, there is also news that he may be available for selection. The South African bowling looks strong with pacers Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn to spearhead the attack backed by spinner Johan Botha. The question is, can they live up to their reputation on the Vidarbha wicket?
