Tahir best SA spinner to tour India after Symcox
There is still plenty to play for at the Eden Gardens
It is going to be an emotional moment for all of us at Eden Gardens on Thursday because after ages, it will be staging a match without its beloved president Jagmohan Dalmiya present. He may not be there physically, but his spirit and memories will remain in this special stadium for a long, long time.
Getting to the third T20 international between India and South Africa, though the game may be a dead rubber, it’s a big one in terms of quality of the two sides. Both teams have a lot to play for as it is just the beginning of a very long tour, so belief and confidence will play a vital part in deciding the more important half of the tour.
The Eden will be high-scoring as always: the ground is not as big as it used to be so there will be high value for the shots played. South Africa has had success in the past and they will enjoy batting in these conditions.
The Indians will get a good surface to play on, one that would be a bit on the slower side but will not turn much. It is the first match of the season here at the Eden and there has been a lot of rain around, so the pitch could just have a bit of lateral movement for the South African quicks.
Not only for this game but for the future matches as well, India should play on good batting pitches as they will remain in the game if they score big runs. They should learn from the England series in 2012.
Imran Tahir is the best South African spinner to have come to India after Pat Symcox and, on turning pitches, the pressure created initially by the fast bowlers will continue when Tahir comes on to bowl as well.
It will be an opportunity for the South Africans to try a few players out but that may not be the case for India because they will not want to lose 0-3.
India must play Ajinkya Rahane. He is an automatic choice in all formats and the Indians can’t afford to make this mistake. Also, Dhoni must bat at No 4 — he doesn’t play Test matches anymore which obviously creates long gap between series and so he needs to play many balls to stay in touch. He must understand that not just captaining but also scoring runs is important for him.
