The Sehwag Triple - A melange of moments - Part IV
April 1st 2008 13:51
For the South Africans, Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn have been the biggest disappointments. And of course, Harris. Ntini, I thought, hit the wrong lines as well as lengths. If he was bowling to somebody other than Sehwag, he would probably have been able to work himself back to the right lines and lengths. But with Sehwag, not many bad balls go unpunished. And when there is enough punishment, pressure is heaped on the bowler.
Dale Steyn certainly is quick. But he was not express fast as he was made out to be. Chennai does that to people, though. This is where we must understand and appreciate how well Sreesanth did when India bowled.
Morne Morkel though has been the standout bowler for the visitors. He used his height of more than 6 ft. 6 inches consistently and got the ball to carry thorugh nicely. Added to that he also rolls his fingers across the seam of the ball to get the ball to cut off the pitch. His leg cutters were indeed one of the few balls that beat Sehwag's and Jaffer's bat. He did get genuine edges from Jaffer's bat but because he was bowling cuttes and also because Jaffer played with soft hands, the ball never carried to the keeper or the slip cordon.
Jacques Kallis too has not been effective in the least. It has been a story of woes for South Africa till now. Can they turn it around? From India's point of view, how long can they make this opening partnership stick and make it count?
Players now have to rise above the conditions and the surface. It will be a test of character. And any team which can actually produce a result on this pitch would have played extremely well.
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